Certificate Program Application and Admission
For admission into a graduate certificate program, candidates must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. university and a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. Applicants should follow the application procedures required for admission to the MBA program. International applicants must meet the Lindenwood University admissions standards for the year of their admission.
Change of Status from Certificate to Degree Program
A student wishing to pursue a degree or program other than the graduate certificate program should consult with an advisor in the new program to determine whether additional application materials must be submitted for admission to the new program.
Master Graduate Pursuing a Graduate Certificate
A student who has earned a master’s degree from the PSB&E and is interested in pursuing a graduate certificate must complete the required core courses of the certificate program. A minimum of 50 percent of the graduate certificate courses must be earned from the Plaster School of Business & Entrepreneurship. Only credit earned within the five-year period preceding the completion of all certification requirements, whether at the Lindenwood Plaster School of Business & Entrepreneurship or elsewhere, may be counted toward a certificate.
Master Candidate Pursuing a Graduate Certificate
A student who is currently seeking to earn an MBA or MS degree from the PSB&E and is interested in pursuing a graduate certificate must complete the required courses for the certificate program. A minimum of 50 percent of the graduate certificate courses must be earned from the Plaster School of Business & Entrepreneurship. Only credit earned within the five-year period preceding the completion of all certification requirements, whether at the Lindenwood Plaster School of Business & Entrepreneurship or elsewhere, is counted toward a certificate.
Note that students must determine whether they wish to complete the certificate program and/or pursue a graduate business degree such as an MA, MAcc, MBA, , MHA, or MS prior to the completion of their third certificate course (nine credit hours). In the scenario in which a student decides to pursue both a certificate and a graduate degree (MBA or MS), the credit hours required for the graduate degree must be taken in addition to the credit hours required for their graduate certificate program. The graduate must complete the total number of credit hours sufficient to satisfy both the certificate and degree program requirements.
If, by the nine credit hour mark, a student decides to pursue a graduate degree, the graduate certificate courses the student has taken may be used to fulfill the degree requirements of the MA, MAcc, MBA, MHA, or MS. In this case, the graduate courses taken will satisfy only the requirements of the degree program, and no graduate certificate will be earned or issued.