Graduate Certificate Program in Disabilities

The Graduate Certificate in Disabilities at the Wayne State University School of Social Work is a program designed to prepare master's level students for a career in the disabilities field.

The certificate program can help students:

• Expand their career options.
• Prepare them for leadership positions in the field.
• Receive assistance in finding a job in the disabilities field.
• Learn to be better advocates for people with disabilities.
• Obtain a certificate by taking 10 core credits (three courses) and five elective credits, which can be integrated into your degree program.

View and download Wayne State's gainful employment disclosure.

Requirements

Courses include 10 credits of core courses and a minimum of five elective credits. The electives allow students to specialize in a particular area of practice or research, as well as in a particular age range of people with disabilities. The electives must differ from the course requirements of the graduate degree being pursued concurrently.

Curriculum Content

The Graduate Certificate in Disabilities Program includes 15 credits taken while working on a Master's Degree or after earning a Master's Degree. A Master's Degree within the student's discipline must be completed before the certificate is awarded.

Core Courses

The program is built around a core of interdisciplinary courses and a practicum, which are required of all students pursuing a certificate. The following three courses provide the foundation for the student's interdisciplinary education experience:

• Disabilities in an Urban Society - SW 6700, Special Topics (3 Credits)
• Practicum in Disabilities - SW 6750, Research Topics (4 Credits)
• Seminar in Disability Studies - SW 6740, Directed Study (3 Credits)

Contact

Elizabeth Janks
Associate Director of Training and Education
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (313) 577-6368

International applicants must complete the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor's degree, including all state and external/internal examinations required for the degree. Some three-year general degrees (from Canada, India, Pakistan, France, Lebanon, etc.) may not be equivalent to a four-year U.S. bachelor's degree. However, if you have completed an honors degree, additional undergraduate coursework beyond the three-year bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree, you may be considered for admission.

If you are applying to a master's program, your minimum undergraduate GPA must be 2.75 or its equivalent in upper division coursework. If you are applying to a doctoral program, your minimum undergraduate GPA must be 3.0 or its equivalent in upper division coursework.

Submit your transcript(s)

To begin the application review, upload unofficial copies of English-translated international transcripts from all post-secondary educational institutions from which you earned a bachelor's degree or higher, including Mark Sheets, if applicable. If you are admitted, you must submit an official course-by-course academic evaluation of your completed bachelor's degree.

Demonstrate English proficiency 

Non-native speakers of English must demonstrate English proficiency by meeting the minimum requirements. You are required to submit an official qualifying score meeting minimum Graduate School requirements. Send official test scores to Wayne State University Graduate Admissions, using the school code 1898.

To begin the application review, upload an unofficial copy of your English proficiency test score(s). Once admitted, an official test score must be submitted to Graduate Admissions.