What is a Graduate Certificate?

Answer 1

A Graduate Certificate differs from a graduate degree in a few ways. Most obviously, a degree takes longer to earn, and involves a thesis or summative project of some sort. A certificate is simply a piece of paper (not a diploma) that verifies that a student has taken a certain number of courses in a specific area of study.

There are two types of Graduate Certificates. The most common kind are certificates awarded after a student takes a number of courses outside of (or related to) one's area of specialization at the graduate level. For instance, one could be working toward an MA (Master of Arts) or a PhD degree in History, and additionally, earn a Graduate Certificate in Women's Studies. Certificates of this sort tend to be offered in areas of study that are not necessarily graduate programs unto themselves, but rather are interdisciplinary areas.

The second type of Graduate Certificate is a certification awarded in a more vocational area. Again, these are not graduate degrees(Master's or doctoral), but are pieces of paper that certify that a student has taken a certain number of courses in that area. For instance, one could work toward certification in Radiology. Students who pursue these sorts of certificates generally already hold degrees in a vocational field (like Nursing, for example), but seek certification in a specialized field in order to make themselves better candidates for jobs in those specialized areas.

I hope this helps!

Answer 2

a graduate certificate is one you get after you get your undergraduate certificate from university. for example life science is an undergraduate program at university but getting a masters or phD is graduate program