Best Practices in Teaching Online Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

Description of Program

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program is designed for students who have completed their bachelor’s degree and are seeking academic expertise through a graduate level certificate program. In order to earn a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, students must complete four courses (a total of 12 credit hours) within the chosen Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program.

Each Post-Baccalaureate Certificate is prescribed, meaning students can only take what is listed for the particular Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (students may not substitute alternative courses). Students must complete all four NCU courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better in order to receive the certificate.

Basis for Admissions

Admission to the Post-Bachelor’s Certificate program requires a conferred bachelor’s level or higher degree from a regionally or nationally accredited academic institution.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Transfer into a Master’s Degree Sequence

• Coursework completed within a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program may be applied towards the specialization sequence within a master’s program.
• Applying Post-Baccalaureate Certificate coursework towards a master’s degree is contingent upon coursework and degree relevance under the most current master’s degree program version.

Specialization coursework completed as part of a master’s degree, where a degree was conferred, cannot be applied towards a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program. However, a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate can be completed as part of master’s coursework, assuming the student officially applies for the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate prior to completing the fourth course in the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate series.

Time to Completion

Normal time to completion for this program is 16 months.

Time to completion varies depending upon the pace in which a student completes courses and the number of transfer credits accepted. As most Northcentral students are working adults balancing educational, professional, and personal commitments, our academic advisors will work with you to develop a program schedule that works best for your needs.

The normal time disclosed above reflects the experience of students who may have entered under different program requirements. In the quest for continuous improvement, academic leadership has revised the program to optimize curriculum and pace, facilitate student learning, and improve chances for success. Therefore, the program is now designed for students enrolling today to take advantage of these revised course structures, lengths, and schedules. New students following the preferred schedule designed by the Dean for this program, and applying no transfer credits, can expect to finish in as little as 6 months.

Northcentral allows 2 years to complete all Post-Baccalaureate Certificate.

Students who are unable to complete a degree program within the stated time limits are dismissed. If a student believes they have extenuating circumstances, they may document the circumstances and send a request for consideration to their respective School Dean or designee. Exceptions to the policy are determined on a case-by-case basis and are granted only once.

NOTE: If a student wants to enroll in a master’s program in a school other than the school from which the student obtained the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, the university does not guarantee that any of the courses will be transferable to a program of another Northcentral University School.

EXAMPLE: Student obtains a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate through the School of Education, but wants to obtain a master’s degree through the School of Psychology. In these cases, the School Dean (from the School in which the student wants to obtain the master’s degree) will review the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate courses and provide the final determination. The outcome will be documented in the student’s file. The student will be notified by e-mail of the requirements to obtain the master’s degree.

Prerequisite: A bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited institution will satisfy admissions requirements.