Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, CERT

Overview

American society is grappling with the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.  This societal reckoning is being played out in our educational institutions and in the workplace.  Educators and executives are looking for guidance and concrete methods to create an equitable and inclusive culture.  Todays educational and business leaders are seeking the tools to ensure that equality, diversity, and inclusion are embedded in all their activities, at all levels, and within their policies and decision making.  Research has shown that a more diverse and equitable culture can add to an institutions bottom line, increase employee retention, and satisfaction and institutional ranking.

While enrolled in graduate level programs (post-baccalaureate certificates, master’s degrees, post-master’s certificates, CAGS, And doctoral degrees) students may only declare and pursue one credential at a time; except in cases when dual degree programs have been intentionally developed to be concurrently awarded as outlined in the University Catalog.The following policy exists to help students who are interested in earning multiple graduate credentials at Clark University.

• After completing a graduate certificate, if a student wishes to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree, all certificate units may apply to the degree when the certificate courses are equivalent to program requirements or electives of the degree.
• After completing a graduate certificate, if a student wishes pursue another graduate certificate, units may apply to the additional certificate when the first certificate courses are equivalent to program requirements or electives of the additional certificate.  However, students will be required to take additional Clark University courses equal to the number of courses required to meet the residency requirement of the additional certificate.
• After completing a graduate degree or certificate, if a student wishes pursue another graduate degree (master’s or doctorate), units may apply to the additional degree when the first degree courses are equivalent to program requirements or electives of the additional graduate certificate or degree.  However, students will be required to take additional Clark University courses equal to the number of courses required to meet the residency requirement of the additional certificate or degree.

Graduate students in good academic standing occasionally discover that they are enrolled in a graduate program that does not align with their career aspirations.  Clark supports students requesting an internal transfer from one Clark graduate program to another within certain guidelines.  The following process details the steps the student must follow to initiate an internal graduate program transfer.   The decision to accept a transferring Clark student into a graduate program other than original admitted program is at the discretion of the accepting entity.  Students must request an internal program transfer at least four weeks before the start of a semester using the following steps.

1. Student advises their program academic advisor of the desire to transfer to another Clark graduate program.
2. The academic advisor of the student’s originating unit reviews and approves the student request to contact the receiving entity for a transfer interview.  The approval is documented and sent to the receiving entity program advisor or director.
3. The student is interviewed by the receiving school or department.  During this time the new advisor will review the student’s transcript and determine suitability for admittance. The same admission criteria for a new admit will be applied to an internal transfer.   While all the student’s courses follow the student to their future academic department, eligibility of those courses for degree requirements is determined by the receiving school or department.  It is at the sole discretion of the receiving school or department to honor or deny any previously awarded tuition remission or scholarships.

It should be noted that a student’s accumulated grade point average (GPA) represents their entire history at Clark and not only degree requirements.  Therefore the internal transfer of program does not interfere with the overall calculation of the student’s accumulated GPA.  Students requesting an internal transfer should verify that they will be able to meet Clark’s minimum GPA of 3.0 for graduation requirements.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure the that they understand the course requirements of their new program and to work with the new academic advisor to register for the appropriate courses for the subsequent semester.

Please note that the I-20 process is necessary for international applicants to complete in order to receive a visa. Applicants must accept their offer of admission and pay the non-refundable enrollment deposit to begin the I-20 process. The following items are needed for an I-20 to be processed: International Student Information Form (located in the application portal), bank statement (no more than six months old), an affidavit of support (if you are not using personal funds to finance your education), and a copy of your passport identification page. If applicant has accompanying dependents, a copy of the passport identification page for all dependents is required.

For more information regarding the I-20 process and how to obtain a visa, please see the International Applicant Information.

The Graduate application process

Once an applicant is ready to begin their application to a graduate program at Clark they must:
1. Create an account on our online application portal
2. Follow instructions within the portal to complete the application form for a specific program, including uploading additional credentials as required
3. Pay the application fee
4. Request any required test scores (GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, IELTS, etc) sent to Clark University Graduate Admissions
5. Monitor the status of their application via the online application portal to ensure all credentials have been received and to view the final decision.

Notification will be received
When we receive a completed application, the Graduate Admissions Office will forward the application to the appropriate admissions committee. The time it takes to receive a decision will vary depending on the program applied to and when a completed application is submitted. The School of Management, the School of Professional Studies, and the International Development, Community, and Environment department aim for a 2 - 4 week turnaround on completed applications as best practice. Once a decision has been reached, applicants will be notified via email, with their decision letter, which will include awarded scholarship if applicable. All documents, letters, and information is available in the application portal.