Graduate School Bulletin

Advanced Certificates

Overview

The Graduate School and School of Professional Development offer a wide variety of Advanced Certificates. Advanced certificates are designed around specialized areas of focus for targeted study within a field. Advanced certificate programs can be taken concurrently with another graduate program and others are stand alone programs (see program page for details). An advanced certificate is a good option for someone who may not want to complete the full requirements for a degree program, but would like to develop a background and skills in a specialized field.

Enrollment Requirements

To be granted an advanced certificate at Stony Brook University, a student must have been admitted to and enrolled in the appropriate advanced certificate program for at least one semester.

Time Limit

The Graduate School and School of Professional Development have no established time limits for advanced certificates. However, programs offering advanced certificates may choose to enforce time limits for completion (most are 3 years maximum). Please see the program page for information on time limits for specific advanced certificates.

In the event a program enforces a time limit, the Waiver of Graduate Time Limit form can be submitted to request a time limit extension. These petitions require the approval of the student’s advisor and graduate program director. Requests for a time limit extension must be filed before the limit is exceeded and must contain a significant justification. The final decision rests with the Dean of the Graduate School, who may impose additional requirements.