Resilience and Trauma-Informed Perspectives Certificate

This certificate prepares students for their professional fields by providing an understanding of trauma, trauma-sensitive responses, and trauma-informed prevention and care. These skills will be indispensable to graduates throughout their careers and will help the individuals they serve. 

Although this certificate program is open to any undergraduate student, its primary focus is students in "helping professions" such as psychology, social work, education, nursing, public health, the health sciences, and law because workers in these professions encounter the most traumatized individuals in society. Untreated adverse childhood experiences are connected to mental illness, substance abuse, and suicide.

The Certificate in Resilience and Trauma-Informed Perspectives is sponsored by the School of Social Work and the College of Education with support from the Colleges of Nursing and Public Health. The certificate is administered by the School of Social Work. 

Students earning this certificate will be able to:

• Explain adverse childhood experiences and the influence they have on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual outcomes in childhood and adulthood.
• Describe resiliency, its dynamics, and ways to strengthen resiliency.
• Analyze strategies to decrease or eliminate trauma in society, including how to create trauma-informed organizations.
• Understand the impact of adverse childhood experiences on communities and formulate strategies to prevent them in communities and in their field of practice.

1. Submit your application.

   You can apply through the University of Iowa application or the Common Application (fall session only). We make admission decisions on a rolling basis beginning October 1 (International Application deadlines vary depending on your area of study).

2. Pay the application fee.

   The $80 application fee is non-refundable. No application fee waivers are available unless you will be graduating from a high school inside the U.S.

3. Upload your academic records.

   Within your Admissions Profile in MyUI, upload copies of all required official transcripts from every secondary school (high school), college, university, technical/vocational institute, or professional institution you have attended.
   
   Examine the Country Specific Admissions Requirement List to learn more about the required credentials and minimum academic standards needed for Admissions. Iowa offers college credit for a variety of exams.

4. Meet our English Proficiency Requirement.

   See details of our English Proficiency Requirements. If applicable, have the testing agency send us your TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo score.

5. Have your ACT or SAT scores sent by the testing agency.

   Our institution code is 1356 for the ACT; 6681 for the SAT.

   ACT or SAT is required if:​
   • You plan to use ACT/SAT to meet the English Proficiency Requirement
   • You plan to apply for scholarships (some awards require an ACT or SAT score)