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Application Steps

Depending on your current MSU student status, the application process varies.

Are you in a graduate degree program at MSU?

We welcome Spartans who are currently enrolled in a graduate degree granting program at Michigan State University to join our Graduate Certificate programs. Please begin by consulting with your academic advisor to determine how your GC will fit in to your program plan. Information about your eligibility can also be found in the Second, Dual or Joint Degree Section of the University Academic Programs Catalogue.

For current graduate degree Spartans, please complete the Intent to Enroll form for your program of choice.

• Educational Technology GC
• Online Teaching and Learning GC
• K-12 Computer Science Education GC

Are you a new applicant to Michigan State University?

We welcome future Spartans to our Graduate Certificate programs. To apply, please follow the steps below.

Step 1: Complete the University Application

We have prepared a Graduate Certificate Application Guide to support you as you complete your application. You can make a copy and check off the step-by-step details of the application process (it also highlights steps that you can skip!). We are available at edutech@msu.edu to answer any of your questions throughout the process. In general, the application process is:

1. Create your application on MSU’s application management system by selecting Graduate Certificate from dropdown menu.
2. Provide Personal Background information.
3. Under Other Information:
   1. select Major Preference, scroll to the College of Education and select your choice of:
      1. Educational Technology (Online Program),
      2. K-12 Computer Science Education (Online Program), or
      3. Online Teaching and Learning (Online Program).
   2. select the first semester you wish to enroll in classes.
   3. provide additional details about Enrollment Information, Communications Preferences, and Financial Aid.
   4. providing information on your experiences in the COVID-19 section is optional.
4. Provide responses to Conduct Questions from the dropdown menus and in text boxes where appropriate.
5. Include all Academic History information for higher education institutions that you’ve attended. To begin, click on Add Institution.
6. Test Scores: The GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is not required. All international applicants and applicants whose first language is not English must be competent in English as a condition for regular admission to MSU. Such applicants will be required to demonstrate their English language competency by meeting certain minimum standards. See the International or Multilingual Applicants section below for more information.
7. Employment and Activities Pages: Leave blank.
8. References: Leave blank. The lack of required references, which varies from University policy, is the result of approved waivers.
9. Provide your Signature electronically by typing in your full legal name, then select Confirm.
10. The Review section will provide you with a list of potential errors if a section has not been completed. Please return to those sections and make the appropriate corrections.
11. Submit your application fee ($65 fee for domestic applicants or $75 fee for international applicants). The MSU McNair program covers the cost of MSU’s application fee for first generation or underrepresented students. If you meet these criteria, please complete their application waiver form.
12. Request your official transcripts (see Step 2: Request Official Transcripts section below).
13. Check the status of your application as needed.

Step 2: Request Official Transcripts

Please request official transcripts directly from your degree-granting institutions listed on your application (MSU will not accept transcripts marked ‘Issued to Student’ or paper transcripts delivered outside of an officially-sealed, university envelope).

Transcript Information

• For applicants who attended US institutions, we prefer electronic transcripts. Electronic transcripts can be sent to the attention of Heather Williamson at edutech@msu.edu. If electronic delivery is not available, transcripts can be sent via postal mail:

Heather Williamson
MAET
Michigan State University
Erickson Hall
620 Farm Lane; Room 513
East Lansing, MI 48824-1034

• MSU alumni can request MSU transcripts for free directly from MSU. You will need to validate your identity with your MSUNet ID and password or your date of birth and student number (PID) or social security number (SSN). 
• For international applicants, please see the International or Multilingual Applicant section below for specifics related to your transcripts and degrees. MSU will not accept electronic transcripts issued by international universities. If you are applying from an institution outside of the USA, please have your official transcripts sent via postal mail to:

When Should I Apply?

We admit students to Graduate Certificate Programs on a rolling basis. This means you can submit your application at any time. Applications are reviewed on a weekly basis, but it may take up to 1 month to receive confirmation of your admissions decision.

The courses in the Educational Technology Graduate Certificate program run on an accelerated schedule (two 8-week courses per semester). This could allow you to start at approximately the half-way point in any semester.

If you are applying for the current semester but are not able to select it as an option in the application, please email us at edutech@msu.edu. Please keep in mind the following due dates:

Consider the Financials

Graduate Certificate students are not eligible for federal financial aid. If you are considering applying to one of our GC programs, you will need to pay out of pocket or find your own funding for the courses. If you have questions about this, please reach out to our GC Academic Advisor.

Information for International and Multilingual Applicants

We welcome applicants for whom English is not their first language. You are required to submit proof of English language competency before their application can be processed. A common method is the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

• The test must have been taken within 2 years of the application.
• On the Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT), the university requires a minimum score of 80 with no subscore below 19 for reading, listening and speaking and no writing subscore below 22.
• Michigan State’s school code is 1465.

If the student has completed a degree program in an English speaking country, they can request a waiver of the TOEFL requirement. Once the program admissions committee is convinced of the student’s English language skills based on past program completion and other evidence, it will ask the university to waive the requirement. This waiver is usually granted, but the university may require the student to take the English language competency test upon admission to MSU.

F-1 or J-1 Visa Status for International Applicants

Our courses are offered in a fully online format, and therefore residency in the US is not required to complete the degree program. If you are an international applicant interested in the program, please note that the Graduate Certificate programs do not fulfill the academic requirements to apply for an F-1 or J-1 visa. GC courses during the fall and spring semesters are completely online, thus admission to the GC program does not qualify you for a student visa.

Special instructions for international transcripts

The MSU Graduate School outlines that official transcripts of all records from all postsecondary schools attended are required. Mark sheets, transcripts, certificates, and diplomas, must be submitted as official documents directly from each institution. In most cases, these documents will need to be sent in official, sealed, issuing institution envelopes.

Records must show courses taken, grades earned, and must be translated into English if the original records are in another language. Translations must be done by the issuing institution, a certified translator in the country of study, or by an American Translator’s Association certified translator in the US. The original record should also be included. For complete information, please visit the International Transcripts and US Degree Equivalency section of the Graduate School’s International Applicants page.

Special instructions for transcripts from Chinese institutions

All applicants pursuing or who have earned degrees from universities in China submit not only transcripts and graduation certificates from China, but must also obtain verification of these documents from the China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC). CDGDC operates underneath the Ministry of Education for the purpose of verifying the authenticity of transcripts and degrees granted at the post-secondary level.

The process is:

• Applicants send copies of their official documents to the CDGDC along with payment (approximately $40 U.S.).
• Applicants must request that the original transcript accompany the CDGDC verified documents when sent to MSU.
• CDGDC verifies grades and degrees (depending on what is requested) by accessing national and provincial databases and contacting universities directly.
• CDGDC then sends the report and verified documents, via courier service, directly to Michigan State University. The report is in English and provides a statement noting what degree was conferred and whether the university and program is recognized by the Chinese Ministry of Education.

If you need more information about CDGDC please refer to the China Degrees website.