Certificate Admission Requirements

JIU's certificate programs offer you exciting education options to increase your knowledge, advance your career, and expand your opportunities. Whether you want to update your current skill set or gain in-depth, pertinent knowledge in a new area of interest, our quality certificate programs are designed to meet your specific education needs. The same high academic standards of our degree programs apply to our certificates, ensuring that you will get the highest quality and most relevant curriculum, instruction, assessment, and service available.

Applicants who are admitted into any CERTIFICATE program have met the following admission requirements:

  • Submit a completed application, available here by creating your own JIU password-protected account.
  • Submit an official transcript that documents at minimum an earned bachelor's degree (or highest degree earned) and a minimum GPA of 2.5 from a college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (or its international equivalent.)

Applicants who are admitted into the Pathways to Accomplished Teaching certificate program; English as a Second Language: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment certificate program; and English as a Second Language: Literacy certificate program also must meet the following admission requirements:

  • Submit an official transcript that documents an earned bachelor's degree and a minimum GPA of 2.5 from a regionally-accredited college or university.
  • Submit proof of an active professional state-endorsed K-12 teaching, principal or administrator's license/certificate issued no longer than two years prior to application to JIU, that requires a security background check, including fingerprinting. Reissued K-12 licences can be submitted to meet this requirement only if the candidate's licensure state provides written evidence directly to JIU of a cleared background check completed within the 2-year period prior to application, OR
  • New students to the School of Education who enroll in K-12 initial licensure programs must submit their fingerprints to the FBI for a background check.  Students may begin taking classes appropriate to their specific programs (classes that do not require a field experience component) while they await the results of the background check. Students who do not have an approved FBI background check on file may not enroll in any course that includes a field experience.  The Registrar’s Office will audit the files weekly until the background check information is received.  The Registrar take the appropriate action if a fingerprint card is received that indicates a criminal history.  Students who have a criminal history will be dismissed from the program.The following link will provide additional information regarding the background checks. http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-checks . 

All JIU courses set you on the path for career advancement. Most courses last eight weeks, and new courses start every month.

You may complete an admission application for the certificate program of your choice, available here, by creating your own JIU password-protected account.

For additional information, please call JIU's Admissions Office at 800.811-5663 in the U.S. or +1.303.784.8904 outside the U.S.