Graduate Certificate in Sociology of Diversity

The graduate faculty of the Sociology Department has a strong emphasis in diversity and inequality issues, highlighting race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, and class. For graduate students enrolled in the Masters Program in Sociology and others who hold a BA in sociology or a closely-related field wishing to concentrate in these areas, we offer a graduate certificate of specialization. Completion of the certificate provides evidence of specialized study, which can be beneficial for enhancing future career options and interests.  The certificate is marketable to a wide variety of employers and educational institutions, including social work, graduate and professional schools, community action organizations, and social services.

Dr. Edwardo Portillos is the coordinator of the Graduate Certificate in Diversity.

General Requirements

• Minimum requirement for completion: four courses, for a total of 12 credits.
• A minimum grade of 3.3 is required for each course applied toward the certificate.
• All courses must be at the 5000 level or above in Sociology; independent studies may not be used to earn this certificate.
• All courses must be offered through the Sociology department and additional special topic courses may be offered that can be counted toward the graduate certificate. These courses must be approved in advance by the certificate coordinator.
• Up to three (Graduate Sociology) transfer credit hours may be applied to the certificate from courses approved by the certificate coordinator.
• To begin the certificate program, students are required to submit the “Diversity Certificate Letter of Intent”.
• To complete the certificate program, students are required to submit the “Diversity Certificate Application”, a transcript and a five-page, typewritten self-statement, evaluating changes in their perceptions of diversity issues as a result of program participation and implications for future scholarly and professional work.

The certificate will be mailed to recipients upon completion of a certificate audit.

Please go here for the current list of courses that will count toward completion of this certificate.