Pursue the Certificate

If you are interested in pursuing a graduate certificate from the School if Public Health (SPH), please follow the steps below.

Eligibility

All masters and doctoral students who are currently enrolled in a residential graduate degree program at the University of Michigan (U-M) are eligible to earn a certificate within the U-M School of Public Health.

Step 1: Plan. Plan. Plan.

Please look carefully at certificate requirements for each program and plan accordingly. Certificate students are not guaranteed enrollment preference. Most courses are only taught one semester, some are taught bi-annually, and some may have prerequisites. 

Please speak with your advisor or Department Program Coordinator to review course planning. Schedules may differ greatly between departments and certificate requirements.

SPH MPH/MHSA: Course credits earned may only be counted toward one certificate program and one degree program. In other words, if pursuing more than two programs, credits cannot be triple counted at the School of Public Health.

SPH MS: Administered by Rackham, SPH MS students need to complete a Dual/Joint Degree Election Form and follow Rackham requirements when double-counting course credits. Students need to submit a Dual/Joint Degree Election Form plan (unsigned) to [email protected] before declaring intent.

Non-SPH Students: Masters students outside SPH are responsible for making sure requirements are met within their home department/school: please be mindful of double-counting requirements within your home department.

Dual Degree Students: Dual degree students are responsible for making sure requirements are met between schools. For example, please note that within Rackham, a graduate program may overlap with only one other program (either degree or non-degree) for the purpose of double-counting credit hours. Credit hours may never be used for three or more programs. If a student seeks a third certificate or degree, it must stand alone. Visit Rackham's website for more information on Double-Counting Credit Hours for Dual Degree Programs within Rackham. If dual degree within the School of Public Health, credits cannot be triple counted.

Want to clarify or ask Rackham a question? E-mail [email protected].

General SPH certificate questions may be sent to [email protected].

Step 2: Complete the Declaration of Intent Form.

Completing the Declaration of Intent Form lets us know you officially intend to pursue the certificate. Once we receive this form, we will update your official transcript to show that you have matriculated into the certificate program and we will add you to the appropriate e-mail group. This will allow us to communicate with you throughout the certification process.

Note to incoming students: Please wait to declare intent until arriving on campus. We encourage students to attend orientation within their home department as well as a certificate information session in order to make an informed decision about officially enrolling into a certificate program. Students may register for courses in advance of declaring intent.

Important: If you do not see the certificate listed on your transcript under "Program Action History" within two weeks of declaring intent, please contact us at [email protected].

Links to the Declaration of Intent Forms:

Step 3. Apply to graduate from the certificate in Wolverine Access.

During your last semester, apply for graduation from both your degree and certificate program through Wolverine Access. This step is crucial to the degree audit and record keeping process. Failure to do so will cause delays and will move your graduation term to a later date. Students must declare intent first in order to apply to graduate from a certificate (see Step 2).

SPH MS and Rackham Master's students need to submit a final Dual/Joint Degree Election Form to [email protected] for signature.

Important:

  • Your transcript will not list the certificate as complete and you will not receive a certificate diploma unless you apply to graduate from the certificate and meet all requirements.
  • If students do not apply to graduate from the certificate and do not meet certificate requirements, the certificate will automatically be discontinued at graduation. We will not grant certificates after graduation.
  • Certificates can only be conferred at the same time as a U-M degree.
  • Certificates are not listed on the SPH Commencement Program.
  • If you decide you are no longer interested in the certificate, please e-mail [email protected] to request a discontinuation.