Upon successful completion of the courses required for the online graduate certificate program, students will receive a University of Florida certificate from the college in their chosen specialty.
Online graduate certificates consist of 12 to 15 credits. Students must earn a B average or higher to be eligible to earn the certificate. Students wishing to subsequently pursue a master’s degree at the University of Florida after completing a certificate will then need to apply for admission to the graduate school. Please see the M.S. program requirements and application for further information.
Domestic and International Applicants
- A baccalaureate degree in a natural science subject from one of the institutional accreditors (or international equivalent) found in the “Accreditation” section on the Admissions website. If your bachelor’s degree is not in a natural science subject, please email Professor Nancy Toffolo.
- An upper-division GPA of 2.0 or higher. To calculate what your upper-division GPA is, please use the Upper Division GPA Worksheet.
- Please note that starting in Summer 2026, the minimum GPA requirement for the Advanced Forensic DNA Technology certificate will change to 2.5. This does not affect the other certificate programs.
- Please note that successful completion of the certificate does not guarantee admission to the M.S. program. The graduate school uses the undergraduate GPA to determine admission into M.S. programs, and courses taken post-baccalaureate cannot be included in this GPA calculation. Please email Program Coordinator Roni Militello if you have any questions.
International Applicants Only
The English language skill requirements for admission are as follows:
- If your reported nation of citizenship’s language is not English, or if you graduated with a bachelor’s degree from a non-English-speaking country, you will need to take and submit your TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or other Graduate Council-approved English language skills test scores.
- Non-English speaking countries are those that are not included in the Admissions Office list of English-speaking countries.
- ETS offers a 15% discount on TOEFL test registration with promo code UFTOEFL15.
To be admitted to a certificate program, the applicant must score the following on the TOEFL:
TOEFL Scores
| TOEFL Exam Type | Required Score |
|---|---|
| Paper-based | 550 |
| Computer-based | 213 |
| Internet | 80 |
General Information
If you are nearing completion of your bachelor’s degree, you may apply for admission to the online graduate program before your degree is officially conferred. If admitted, your bachelor’s degree must be conferred prior to the first day of classes in your term of admission. Additionally, you must submit original, official transcripts noting the award of your bachelor’s degree to the University of Florida Office of Admissions no later than the start of registration for your second semester.
Transfer of Credits
Six credits of coursework taken as a UF non-degree student can be applied toward a certificate program. Coursework from another university cannot be accepted for credit toward a certificate. No more than 6 credits taken as a non-degree student can be applied towards a certificate.
In order for the credits to be applied towards the certificate, the following criteria have to be met:
- The student must be formally admitted to the certificate program.
- The non-degree coursework grades must be a B grade or higher.
- The coursework taken as a non-degree student must pertain to the certificate program to which the student is admitted.