Certificates denoting the completion of a defined course of study may be created and offered by all graduate programs as long as certain basic requirements are adhered to. In general, a certificate signifies that a student has successfully completed at least 15 hours of course work in a distinct area of study. These courses should not consist of a variety of unrelated courses, but should form a coherent group of courses in a specialized area of knowledge. Usually, the certificate program has, at its conclusion, an examination (written or oral) that is designed such that the student is asked to pull together the information gained from the individual courses and then permit the faculty to judge the student's competency.

The credit hours taken under the certificate program are not also used to satisfy the requirements of a degree program and, thus, the certificate program course of study is usually taken by non-degree graduate students. The academic records of these non-degree graduate students should be maintained in the college/school graduate records office as well as in the files of the department offering the certificate. There is no standard WVU form certifying the successful completion of the requirements for obtaining a particular certificate. Each program is free to create its own document for award to the student. The Office of Admissions and Records, Graduate Division, should be contacted should a department wish to have an indication of the award of a certificate placed on the student's transcript.

Should any of these non-degree students later decide to pursue a graduate degree in the department awarding the certificate, they must conform to the limits established (see 3.2.3.1. above) for the transfer of credit obtained by non-degree students. Namely, a maximum of 12 credits obtained by a non-degree student can be applied towards any degree.

In general, final Provost approval for the awarding of certificates to students who successfully complete the 15 or more credit hours of appropriate course work is contingent upon the unit's acceptance of the following conditions:

1. The proposed certificate will not constitute a degree program.
2. Students receiving the certificate will be non-degree graduate students not enrolled in a formal degree program. Exceptions to this policy are possible, particularly for doctoral students since they do not have a fixed couse load requirement
3. The certificate awarded will recognize only the successful completion of the approved 15 credit hours.

WVU procedures for creating a certificate program generally will adhere to the following sequence of events:

1. A department prepares the certificate proposal that consists of at least 15 credit hours of course work in a defined area of study and provides for a final examination that tests the student's competency in this area.
2. The department chairperson, college graduate committee, and the dean approve of the certificate plan of study.
3. Approval by the University Graduate Council.
4. Approval by the Provost's Office.
5. Submission to the BOT is not required.