The Faculty of Arts and Science offers three types of Certificate and Diploma Programs:
This document presents the policies for Academic Certificates and Diplomas, and for Certificates of Language
Competence, both of which are comprised of degree-credit courses.
The Faculty of Arts and Science offered three Senate-conferred Certificate Programs at the time that the new Senate Policy for Certificate and Diploma Programs was approved in 2013:
In addition, non-Senate conferred Certificates of Language Competence in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish were also offered by departments within Arts and Science. In 2015, the Certificate in International Studies was revised to conform to the new Faculty of Arts and Science Policy for Senate-Conferred Certificates and Diplomas. The structure and status of the two remaining Senate-conferred Certificate Programs will remain exempt from the policies described below unless changes are proposed to the programs, in which case they are expected to be restructured to be consistent with these policies.
In addition to the two Senate-conferred Certificate Programs above, the Faculty of Arts and Science offers 11 additional certificates that have been introduced since the Faculty Policy was approved in 2014, all of which conform to the 2014 Faculty Policy:
The structure and status of the certificates listed above will remain exempt from any changes to the Faculty of Arts and Science Policy for Senate-Conferred Certificates and Diplomas that are approved after September 2018, unless changes are proposed to the programs, in which case they are expected to be restructured to be consistent with the current policy at the time.
On 12 February 12 2013, Queen’s Senate approved a new Policy for Certificate and Diploma Programs that superseded earlier policies.
The policy applies to all Senate-approved Undergraduate (UG) and Graduate (GRAD) Certificates and Diploma Programs, which have full academic status and when successfully completed will be noted on a student’s academic transcript as an academic credential.
An Undergraduate Certificate is a program of study coherently organized around clear learning objectives and outcomes, and typically having academic content equivalent to a minimum of half a year of full-time undergraduate study at Queen’s (15.0 units of degree-credit courses or equivalent).
An Undergraduate Diploma is a program of study that involves a significant body of academic work coherently organized around clear learning objectives and outcomes, and typically having academic content equivalent to a minimum of one year of full-time undergraduate study at Queen’s (30.0 units of degree-credit courses or equivalent).
Undergraduate Certificate and Diploma programs may be focused primarily upon academic or professional development objectives, but typically should meet these minimum criteria of academic content.
Academic Certificate and Diploma Programs in the Faculty of Arts and Science shall adhere to all the principles of the 2013 Senate document, in addition to meeting the following requirements: