Graduate Certificate Programs

The College of Graduate Studies currently offers Graduate Certificate Programs in the following areas:

Accounting | Finance | Instructional Technology

Teaching English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL)

Women's & Gender Studies

All applicants to graduate certificate programs must complete the standard graduate certificate application.  As admission to graduate certificate programs are on a rolling basis, students may apply at any time. Please see additional requirements for each program listed below. 

* Please note that certificate programs are not eligible for federal or state financing programs. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for information about alternative loan options.

Accounting

The graduate certificate in accounting is designed primarily for students who have a minimal prior academic background in accounting, yet hold a bachelor’s degree, and who need formal preparation for their career goals. Through the core required courses and elective courses, students are afforded the flexibility to choose a program which best fits their own professional and personal needs.

Admission Requirements:
1. A bachelor's degree is required for admission to all graduate certificate programs.

2. In addition to a completed application, every applicant should submit the following:

A. An official college transcript of the completed baccalaureate degree in a sealed envelope bearing the official seal or stamp of the issuing institution;
B. An official college transcript for graduate course work (if applicable);
C. A short essay on the value of the graduate certificate program for the applicant;
D. One appropriate letter of recommendation from an academic or a professional.

3. Standardized test scores for admission are not required.

4. Given the limited number of courses required in this graduate certificate program, students enrolled in a graduate certificate program at Bridgewater State University cannot transfer courses from other institutions.

5. Students are permitted to enroll in  one three-credit course at Bridgewater State before being admitted into a graduate-certificate program.

All current policies for students enrolled in graduate-degree programs as set forth in the college catalog and Graduate Student Handbook will also apply to students enrolled in graduate certificate programs, whenever appropriate.

Prerequisites:  
ACFI 100 - Fundamentals of Financial Reporting
ACFI 200 - Financial Accounting (Prq: ACFI 100)

Required Courses:
ACFI 340 - Intermediate Accounting I (Prq: ACFI 200)
ACFI 341 - Intermediate Accounting II (Prq: ACFI 340)

Graduate Course Requirements: (choose four courses)
ACFI 406 - Business Law II (Prq: ACFI 305)
ACFI 430 - Cost Accounting (Prq: ACFI 241 and COMP 105 and a working knowledge of spreadsheets)
ACFI 466 - Federal Taxation 
ACFI 470 - Accounting Information Systems (Prq: ACFI 241 and COMP 105 or a working knowledge of spreadsheets) 
ACFI 492 - Intermediate Accounting III (prq. ACFI-341)
ACFI 545 - Auditing* (Prq: ACFI 341)
ACFI 560 - Advanced Accounting* (Prq: ACFI 341)
ACFI 567 - Advanced Taxation** (Prq: ACFI 466)
ACFI 593 - Financial Statement Analysis and Disclosure** (Prq: ACFI 385 or ACFI 505) Graduate students who enroll in 400-level courses will be expected to complete a short research project in order to earn graduate credit.
* Required MSM-Accounting course
** Elective MSM-Accounting course

Students interested in sitting for the Uniform CPA exam should enroll in the MSM-Accounting graduate degree and complete the following additional courses:

ACFI 430 - Cost Accounting (Prq: ACFI 241 and COMP 105 or a working knowledge of spreadsheets)
ACFI 466 - Federal Taxation 

Note: Students who elect the graduate certificate program in Accounting may utilize those courses in the Master of Science in Management program provided they meet all the requisites for admission and transfer credit parameters. Please note acceptance into the Graduate Certificate in Accounting program does not guarantee acceptance in to the MSM program.

Please click here for graduate certificate application (PDF).

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Finance

The graduate certificate in finance is designed primarily for students who hold a bachelor's degree and have minimal academic background in finance, needing formal preparation for their career goals. Through the five required core courses, students are afforded the flexibility to choose a program which fits their own professional and personal needs.

Pre-requisite Courses:
ACFI 100 - Fundamentals of Financial Reporting
ACFI 200 - Financial Accounting (Prq: ACFI 100)
ACFI 385 - Managerial Finance (Prq: ACFI 200)

Core Courses (choose FIVE):
ACFI 406 - Business Law II (Prq.: ACFI 305)
ACFI 455 - International Finance (Prq.: ACFI 385)
ACFI 465 - Options and Future Markets (Prq.: ACFI 385, ACFI 490)
ACFI 466 - Federal Taxation I
ACFI 476 - Insurance and Risk Management (Prq.: ACFI 385)
ACFI 485 - Capital Budgeting (Prq.: ACFI 385)
ACFI 486 - Real Estate Investment and Finance (Prq.: ACFI 385)
ACFI 490 - Investments (Prq.: ACFI 385)

Please click here for graduate certificate application (PDF).

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Instructional Technology

This 12-credit certificate program is designed to meet the needs of professionals from a variety of backgrounds. Current students include preK-12 teachers who want to learn how to better use technology in their classrooms, higher education instructional technologists who want to train faculty members on how to design or manage their courses online, and managers/trainers who want to learn how to design training curriculum. Upon completion of the 12-credit program, students are awarded a graduate certificate in Instructional Technology by the College of Graduate Studies.

Admission Requirements:
1. Completed Graduate Certificate application
2. Current resume
3. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work

Required Courses:
INST 509 - Foundations of Instructional Technology

Choose 3 of the following:
INST 522 - Instructional Design
INST 523 - Information Access and the Internet
INST 524 - Technology Leadership
INST 526 - Making Connections: Networking
INST 529 - Assistive Technology
INST 525 - Emergent Technology and Learning Environments
INST 552 - Multimedia for Educators

Please click here for graduate certificate application (PDF).

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Teaching English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL)

The Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Graduate Certificate program is designed to provide language and pedagogical instruction to teachers of students whose first language is not English. This graduate certificate program will, therefore, provide much-needed theory, practices, and strategies for preparing public-school teachers to work with English-language learners. At the same time, the program will also provide useful instruction and training for teachers who may wish to work in other learning environments such as colleges, community groups and organizations, or international schools. The TESOL program includes a wide variety of courses that are endorsed by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DESE) and the option to seek Sheltered English Immersion Training (SEI) for public school teachers.

Admission Requirements:
1. All applicants to graduate certificate programs will complete the standard graduate college application form, which is common to all certificate programs. A bachelor's degree is required for admission to all graduate certificate programs. Since admission to graduate certificate programs are on a rolling basis, students may apply at any time.

2. In addition to a completed application, every applicant should submit the following:

A. An official college transcript of the completed baccalaureate degree with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 2.8;
B. An official college transcript for graduate course work (if applicable);
C. A short essay on the value of the graduate certificate program for the applicant;
D. One appropriate letter of recommendation from an academic or a professional.

3. Teachers who are seeking SEI Sheltered Immersion Training (PreK-12) also must complete the following additional admission requirements:

A. Passing score on the MTEL: Communication and Literacy Skills Battery;
B. Possession and submission of at least a preliminary/initial stage teaching license issued by the MA Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education.

4. All candidates for whom English is not a first language must submit TOEFL results with an acceptable score.

5. International applications must follow the graduate admissions criteria as set forth by the College of Graduate Studies, located here.

6. Given the limited number of courses required in this graduate certificate program, students cannot transfer more than one three-credit graduate course from another institution into this program; transfer credit of all graduate courses must be approved according to the guidelines set forth in the Graduate Student Handbook.

7. Students are permitted to enroll in only one three-credit course at Bridgewater State before being admitted into a graduate-certificate program.

All current policies for students enrolled in graduate-degree programs as set forth in the college catalog and Graduate Student Handbook will also apply to students enrolled in graduate certificate programs, whenever appropriate.

Required Courses:
ENGL 514 - Linguistics for TESOL
ENGL 516 - Theories of Second Language Acquisition

Methodology Course:
ENGL 517 - Critical Approaches to TESOL Methods

Electives:
ENGL 517 - Critical Approaches to TESOL Methods
ENGL 518 - Issues in Second Language Writing
ENGL 519 - Language and Power
ENGL 521 - Special Topics in TESOL
READ 547 - Teaching English Learners to Read and Write
READ 548 - Case Studies in Dual Language Instruction: Theory and Practice

Please click here for graduate certificate application (PDF).

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Women's & Gender Studies Graduate Certificate

The Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate is a fifteen credit program that offers students an array of interdisciplinary coursework in social work, business, psychology, criminal justice, political science, counseling, diversity, education, health, history and anthropology. Graduates of the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate Program will be prepared to meet the challenges of today's contemporary and diverse workplace.

Admission Requirements:
1. All applicants to the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate program will follow the standardized procedure for completing the graduate-college application form required for admissions to all graduate certificate programs. A bachelor's degree is required for admission into the program. Since admissions to the graduate certificate programs are on a rolling basis, students may apply at any time.

2. In addition to a completed application, every applicant should submit the following:

A. An official college transcript of the completed baccalaureate degree;
B. An official college transcript for graduate course work (if applicable);
C. A short essay on the value of the graduate certificate program for the applicant;
D. One appropriate letter of recommendation from an academic or a professional.

3. Students already admitted to a graduate program at BSU will be accepted to the Women's and Gender Studies Graduate Certificate program on the basis of a completed application and personal statement indicating their interests, plans, and career objectives and how these relate to the field of Women's and Gender Studies.

Requirements for Graduate Certificate:  
-  Total of 15 credits required (five, 3-credit courses)
-  Select no more than 2 courses from any one discipline. Before registering for such a course, students should seek approval of the Women's and Gender Studies coordinator and the course instructor.
-  A scholarly paper of approximately 25 pages or a creative project linked to the student's coursework, accompanied by an explanation of its relevance to Women's and Gender Studies. Students must turn in their papers or projects to the Coordinator during the semester in which they receive their certificate.

Required Courses:
INTD 501 - Contemporary Women's & Gender Studies

Elective Courses (choose four courses, selecting no more than two courses from any one discipline):
ANTH 417 - Seminar: She/He "Two Spirits" Gender Cross-Culturally
ANTH 435 - Seminar: Global Feminism
ANTH 515 - CD-ROM: Teaching in Diverse Classrooms
CNGC 529 - Multicultural Counseling
CRJU 521 - Domestic Violence
CRJU 522 - Women and Criminal Justice
CRJU 546 - Class, Race, Gender and Crime
CRJU 598 - Internship in Criminal Justice
ENGL 503 - Directed Study (maximum of 6.0 credits)
ENGL 511 - Special Topics in Writing
ENGL 580 - Graduate Seminar in English Literature
ENGL 590 - Graduate Seminar in World Literature
HEAL 525 - Women's Health Issues
HIST 466 - Women in American History
LASP 490 - Seminar in Hispanic Literature
LASP 520 - Topics in Spanish-American Civilization
LASP 521 - Topics in Spanish Civilization
MGMT 571 - Organizational Culture and Work Force Diversity
PHED 504 - Nutrition for Sports, Exercise and Weight Control
POLI 501 - Introduction to Public Institutions and Administration
POLI 503 - Directed Study (maximum of 3.0 credits)
PSYC 503 - Directed Study (maximum of 3.0 credits)
PSYC 508 - Advanced Seminar
PSYC 516 - Multicultural Counseling
SCWK 500 - Policy I: Social Welfare Policy
SCWK 502 - Dynamics of Diversity and Oppression
SCWK 508 - Policy II: Policy Advocacy, Development and Analysis
SCWK 510 - Human Behavior in the Social Environment I
SCWK 570 - Integrative Seminar I
SCWK 580 - Special Topics
SOCI 503 - Directed Study (maximum of 3.0 credits)
SOCI 516 - Sociology of Sex and Gender

Please click here for graduate certificate application (PDF).

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Last Modified: September 30, 2011