Certificate programs are for students preparing for entry-level employment or upgrading in a specific occupation.

To earn a certificate, a student must formally be admitted to a certificate program and must earn at least 30 credits, including transfer credit. A minimum of 15 credits must be UAF resident credits.

Certificate programs vary in length; however, a student can usually complete them in one year. Certificates are awarded in specific occupational fields with an emphasis on entering the job market. These certificates can serve as the basis for additional education and are the first step toward an Associate of Applied Science degree. Requirements for each program major are found in the Certificate Programs section.

If a degree program is delivered collaboratively within the UA system, such as information technology specialist, early childhood education, human services, or rural human services, then the credits earned from each UA institution will be counted toward fulfillment of the degree requirements and fulfillment of the minimum institutional residency requirements. Institutional residency requirements are the minimum number of credits that must be earned from the campus where the degree is earned.

General University Requirements for Certificates

At least 30 credits for a certificate, including transfer credits, must be earned at the F100 level or above. At least 15 credits applicable to any certificate must be earned at UAF. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required in all work as well as in the major field. A C- grade or higher must be earned in all courses required for a degree unless otherwise specified by the program. Some majors require higher GPAs for major coursework.

Majors

A major is declared upon admittance to a certificate degree. 

Students enrolled in a certificate program who want to declare a bachelor’s degree major must apply for admission to the new degree program following the standard admission process for bachelor’s degree programs. For more information on admission requirements, visit How to Earn a Bachelor’s Degree.

Adding or Changing a Major

Undergraduate students may add or change majors by completing the Add or Change Major form available through the Office of the Registrar forms page. If a request is received after the first day of the semester, the change is applied to the following term. Students who wish to change majors from a certificate to a bachelor's degree must apply for admission following the standard admission process. See admission requirements in How to Earn a Bachelor’s Degree.

Concentrations

An area of emphasis, including the major core courses within a student’s certificate program, is termed a concentration. Some programs at UAF require a concentration, others do not. A student may only earn a certificate or degree in a specific discipline once. Using different concentrations within a certificate or degree program to count as different degrees is not allowed.

Second Certificate

To receive an additional certificate, the requirements for each certificate must be completed. No additional credits are required beyond those outlined for each individual certificate.

Certificate Policies

Catalog Year and Time Limits

To earn a certificate, a student must complete all requirements within five years of their initial admission term.

At UAF, an academic catalog year begins with the fall semester and concludes at the end of the summer semester.

• Example: The 2026–2027 catalog year covers fall 2026, spring 2027 and summer 2027.

Students may move to a more current catalog year provided they were enrolled in a degree program during that academic year.

To be considered "enrolled in a degree program," a student must be registered for courses during that academic year. Active degree student status is lost if:

• A student does not enroll for classes during that academic year, or
• is classified as a nondegree student.

Residence Credit

Residence credit is course credit earned through any unit of UAF. Formal classroom instruction, distance-delivered courses, individual study or research at UAF are all considered residence credit.

Transfer credit, advanced placement credit, credit for prior learning, military service credit and credit granted through nationally prepared examinations are not considered residence credit. None of these types of credit can be applied to UAF residency requirements.

UAF residence credit takes precedence over any nonresident credit. For example, if a student has AP credit for a course, but takes the same courses at UAF, the AP credit will be excluded, and the UAF course will be applied to the degree requirements.

Residency Requirement

Most universities have residency requirements that call for a certain number of credits toward a certificate or degree to be earned at the degree-granting school. At UAF, the residency requirement for certificates is 15 resident credits.

Exceptions to Certificate Requirements

Occasionally, an undergraduate student may request an exception to an academic requirement, policy or regulation. Requests for an academic exception must be approved by petition. If a student submits a petition based on a disability, the coordinator of Disability Services will be consulted. Undergraduate petition forms are available on the Office of the Registrar's forms page. Forms must be returned to the Office of the Registrar with the required signatures. The Office of the Registrar will note the completed petition in DegreeWorks once the appropriate person or committee has made a decision. Academic petitions fall into three categories, and each involves a different process:

Major Degree Requirement Petitions

Petitions addressing substitute courses within a major program will need signatures from the advisor and the department or program head of the major. Submit the signed petition to the Office of the Registrar.

Petitions for Other Requirements

Petitions addressing the general university and/or specific requirements for the certificate, degree or other academic policies will require signatures from the advisor and the dean or director of the college or school. Submit the signed petition to the Office of the Registrar. It will then be forwarded to the provost for consideration.

Graduation

Application for Graduation

A formal application for graduation is required and is submitted to the Office of the Registrar via UAOnline. Applying prior to the semester planned for graduation is encouraged. Applications for graduation need to be filed no later than the published deadlines in the academic calendar. Applications submitted after the published deadline are processed for the following semester. Students who apply for graduation and who do not complete degree requirements by the end of the term must reapply for graduation.

Responsibility

It is the student's responsibility to meet all requirements for graduation. Students are encouraged to work with their advisor and use DegreeWorks throughout their college career to ensure they are on track to graduate.

Diplomas and Commencement

UAF issues diplomas to graduates three times a year: in September, January and June. Students who complete degree requirements for UA Board of Regents-approved academic programs during the academic year are invited to participate in the annual commencement ceremony at the end of the spring semester.

Names of students receiving degrees and certificates appear in the commencement program and are released to the media unless a written request to withhold is submitted to the Office of the Registrar. Graduates are responsible for ordering caps and gowns through the UAF bookstore in early spring.

Programs of study for which certificates are granted must contain a recognizable body of instruction in the program-related areas of communication, computation and human relations. Where indicated, the communication, computation and human relations requirements may be embedded within the program curriculum or taught in blocks of specialized instruction. Each approach will have clearly identified content that is pertinent to the general program of study.

A student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in the major and overall. A minimum C- grade or higher is required in all courses required for the degree, major, minor, general education requirements and degree requirements, unless otherwise specified by the major. Some majors require higher GPAs for major coursework.

Note: Students planning to go on to an associate or bachelor’s degree need to work closely with their advisors and are encouraged to select courses meeting general education requirements for courses designated within majors. Courses with an X designator count toward the baccalaureate general education requirements.

• Airframe and Powerplant Certificate
• Airframe Certificate
• Applied Accounting Certificate
• Applied Business Certificate
• Automotive Technology Certificate
• Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate
• Culinary Arts Certificate
• Dental Assistant Certificate
• Diesel/Heavy Equipment Certificate
• Drafting Technology Certificate
• Early Childhood Education Certificate
• Health Care Reimbursement Certificate
• High Latitude Range Management Certificate
• Information Technology Specialist Certificate
• Instrumentation and Automation Certificate
• Licensed Practical Nurse Certificate
• Local Knowledge Educator Certificate
• Medical Assistant Certificate
• Medical Scribe Specialist Certificate
• Medical/Dental Reception Certificate
• Native Language Education Certificate

  • Concentrations: Athabascan, Inupiaq, Yup’ik

• Powerplant Certificate
• Pre-nursing Qualifications Certificate

  • Optional Concentrations: A.A.S. in Nursing Prepared Concentration, B.S.N. Prepared Concentration

• Rural Human Services Certificate
• Tribal Governance Certificate
• Yup'ik Language Proficiency Certificate