Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Catalog | 2021-2022 
    
Graduate Catalog | 2021-2022 Previous Edition

Biomedical Sciences, Graduate Certificate


The Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Sciences is offered by the Department of Biological Sciences and provides students with core competencies or exposure to areas of study in the biomedical sciences to prepare them for professional biomedical schools, including – but not limited to – medical, veterinary, and dental schools.  In addition, certificate students are able to transfer credit hours into the M.S. in Biology  or Ph.D. in Biology  programs should they modify their career goals.  Certificate students are able to choose from a number of existing course offerings in the Biology program that expose them to broad areas of anatomy and physiology; biochemical principles and metabolic pathways; microbiology, immunology, and infection; embryology, cell biology, and development. 

The 15 required credit hours for the certificate must be completed within four years of study starting from the time the first course is taken.  Courses taken for one graduate certificate may not be counted toward another graduate certificate.  Up to 6 credit hours of graduate coursework taken as post-baccalaureate status at UNC Charlotte may be applied toward the Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Sciences.  Credit hours earned in the certificate program may be applied to the master’s or doctoral program in Biology pursued either in conjunction with or after the certificate has been awarded subject to admission to that graduate program.

Admission Requirements


  • A bachelor’s degree, or its equivalent, from a college or university accredited by an accepted accrediting body
  • Minimum GPA of 2.8 (based on a 4.0 scale) on all previous work completed beyond high school (secondary school)
  • An online application through the Graduate School’s application system
  • A statement of purpose
  • Unofficial transcripts of all college coursework attempted
  • Official and satisfactory scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), if English is not the applicant’s native language and he or she has not earned a post-secondary degree from a U.S. institution
  • Given that certificates are not degree programs and are intended to provide streamlined educational opportunities, standardized test scores (e.g., GRE, GMAT, MAT) are not required for admission

Certificate Requirements


The Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Sciences requires completion of 15 credit hours of elective courses in biomedical sciences selected from the list below. A maximum of 3 credit hours in BIOL 6901  may be used for the certificate.

Certificate Total = 15 Credit Hours


Grade Requirements


The Certificate in Biomedical Sciences is awarded upon completion of the courses for 15 or more credit hours, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.  Only one grade of C may be counted toward the certificate.  

Requests for related courses and substitutions may be approved at the discretion of the Certificate Director and Graduate Program Director and Coordinator.