Gerontology Post-Master’s Certificate

Description of Program

Each Post-Master’s Certificate program comprises 6 courses (18 credit hours). With the exception of the General Psychology certificate, students must complete the program as listed below and may not substitute alternative courses. Students must complete all six NCU courses with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better in order to receive a certificate. Courses for the General Psychology specialization should be selected from PSY7000-level or PSY8000-level courses only (excluding PSY -7101  and PSY -7102 ) .

Basis for Admissions

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

Scope

6 NCU Courses (18 Credit hours) must be completed to earn a Post-Master’s Certificate specialization. Courses taken as part of a NCU master’s program cannot be applied toward a Post-Master’s Certificate program.

Post-Master’s Certificate Transfer into a Doctoral Program

Post-Master’s Certificate program courses may be used to satisfy doctoral degree requirements if the Post-Master’s Certificate course is required by the doctoral program in which the student is enrolled.

Coursework completed as part of an earned doctoral degree cannot be applied toward a Post-Master’s Certificate program. However, a Post-Master’s Certificate can be completed as part of doctoral coursework, if the student officially applies for a Post-Master’s Certificate prior to completing the fourth course in a Post-Master’s Certificate series.

Time to Completion

Normal time to completion for this program is 19 months.

Time to completion varies depending upon the pace in which a student completes courses. As most NCU students are working adults balancing educational, professional, and personal commitments, our Academic and Finance 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, can expect to finish in as little as 13 months.

NCU allows two years to complete a Post-Master’s Certificate.

Students who are unable to complete a Post-Master’s Certificate within the stated time limit are dismissed. Students who believe they have extenuating circumstances may document the circumstances in a request for special consideration to their respective School Dean or designee. Exceptions to this policy are determined on a case-by-case basis and are granted only once.

NOTE: NCU does not guarantee that Post-Master’s Certificate courses taken in one NCU School will transfer to another NCU School. The Dean of the School or Department to which the student wishes to transfer will review the Post-Master’s Certificate courses and make a 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 doctoral degree.