Graduate Certificate Programs

Take your career to the next level with a Howard University Graduate Certificate

Want to deepen your knowledge of a specialty area, grow your professional expertise, or gain new skills that will help you take your career to the next level or help you pursue continued studies at the graduate level?

Howard University Graduate School’s certificate programs offer advanced graduate-level training in emerging fields of knowledge. Our certificate programs (most of which are interdisciplinary) are taught by industry experts and award-winning Howard graduate faculty who are committed to mentoring students and to providing timely, relevant, and rigorous graduate certificate​ curricula based on the latest trends and developments in the respective specialty areas. 

Our graduate certificates were designed with working professionals in mind and for individuals who hold a baccalaureate or advanced degree and wish to receive a graduate-level credential without pursuing a full degree. Each program offers a convenient, flexible schedule. Graduate certificates can be obtained concurrently with a graduate degree or as a separate graduate program. Some certificate courses may also be transferable into graduate degree programs at Howard. 

Graduate Certificate Benefits

        ❱    Learn from experienced faculty who are experts in their fields
        ❱    Flexible and affordable, allowing you to advance your career while working
        ❱    Applied, hands-on experience: Participate in a field experience, capstone project, or internship
        ❱    Join the Howard graduate student, faculty, and alumni family 
        ❱    Access to a world-renowned system of libraries and research resources across the Consortium campuses

Graduate School Certificates

⇲ College and University Faculty Preparation Certificate

Today's higher education landscape requires faculty and academic leaders who are champions of innovation and change. Howard's Graduate Certificate in College and University Faculty Preparation aims to prepare future higher education faculty to meet this challenge through exposure to culturally-relevant educational frameworks, pedagogical knowledge, higher education policy, and education technology. The 15-credit graduate certificate prepares students to become familiar with contemporary issues, challenges, and opportunities in higher education. The certificate program also exposes students to the development of educational frameworks and learning theories, instructional technology, the systematic assessment of student learning, and the creation of accessible, culturally-relevant learning environments. 

⇲ Cybersecurity Certificate

As the challenge of safeguarding national security grows, the demand for cybersecurity experts is high. By 2028, the cybersecurity management field is expected to see a 32% increase in job growth. Howard’s Graduate Certificate in Cybersecurity is designed for students seeking entry into the cybersecurity industry – in areas like network and cloud security, network management, and risk and threat management – and for network and information systems professionals. The 15-credit graduate certificate provides in-depth training in critical connected systems and information security and prepares students with the requisite skills to confidently address various cybersecurity challenges. Graduate courses are taught by faculty who are recognized leaders in the cybersecurity and computer science fields. Credits earned in the certificate can be applied towards the Master of Computer Science degree at Howard. 

⇲ International Studies Certificate

Howard’s Graduate Certificate in International Studies provides interdisciplinary training in the critical analysis of wide-ranging contemporary issues of global concern, such as issues of soft power and public diplomacy, international human rights and labor law, relations between nation-states and supranational institutions, defense policy, international business operations, political economy, conflict resolution and peacekeeping, global health, and the environment. Students gain exposure to renowned speakers in foreign affairs and pursue in-depth examinations of international affairs issues outside of their chosen fields. The 15-credit graduate certificate prepares students to contribute to various fields— in international business consulting, human rights advocacy, international law, and development and enhances students’ cross-cultural competency.  

⇲ Women's Studies Certificate

From uncovering social wrongs to demanding legal and political rights, Women's Studies has transformed scholarship on the role of women and gender in society. Design your interdisciplinary program to critically engage the interconnections of gender, race, culture, and sexuality with a graduate certificate in Women's Studies from Howard University. Our graduate certificate program has the distinct advantage of centering the lives, contributions, and agency of women of diverse cultures. We are one of the select few Women's Studies programs in the country that offers the unique opportunity for graduate-level research with a specialization in Black Women's Studies and the study of women of color, broadly or narrowly defined according to a student's interest. The 15-credit graduate certificate provides a credential for teaching or research positions requiring expertise in the areas of Women's and Gender Studies, Africana Womanism, Intersectional Feminist Studies, or LGBT+ Studies, and Non-Aligned Gender Perspectives, or for careers related to advocacy for women (legal and social services), women's health and well­ being, counseling, teaching, international development, public policy, media studies, cultural studies, public history, and journalism.

Stella-Monica N. Mpande, PhD Alum
Communications, Culture & Media Studies 

The Graduate Certificate in International Studies was pivotal in encouraging students from diverse professional and academic backgrounds to strengthen their expertise in different disciplines, as we challenged one another in addressing contemporary international affairs in Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. My internship opportunity with the United Nations was enriching. In addition to working with a great department at UNDP, I was also intellectually prepared to approach the internship assignments based on courses from the Communications, Culture and Media Studies and African Studies departments at Howard.”

Are you a current Howard University graduate student?

Current graduate students who are already enrolled in a master's or doctoral program at Howard University and seeking to add an additional certificate to their degree do not apply via the online GradCAS application but must instead complete the internal application form below. Permission from a faculty advisor is required to enroll in a graduate certificate program. All current students in good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher) enrolled in a graduate degree program at Howard are eligible to be considered for admission to a graduate certificate program.

Non-degree-seeking students (Not currently enrolled at Howard)

Non-degree-seeking students or new students interested in solely obtaining the Graduate Certificate must apply using the online GradCAS application. All students applying to the Graduate School’s certificate programs must have a 3.0 minimum GPA on a 4.0 scale and a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Additionally, applicants to the Certificate in College and University Faculty Preparation must have earned (or currently be working towards) at least a master’s degree.

Visa-Seeking Applicants

If you require a visa to study in the United States, you may not apply directly to a certificate program. You must apply and be admitted to a master's or doctoral program first; once admitted and enrolled, you may apply for a certificate program to complete in conjunction with your master's or doctoral degree.