The College

Undergraduate Certificates

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Undergraduate Certificates

Many Brown undergraduates complete specialized work or explore an area of interest in depth, in addition to their concentration.

Undergraduate Certificate Programs are pathways developed by one or more academic units and approved by the College Curriculum Council that enable degree-seeking students to pursue an integrated combination of coursework, co-curricular and experiential learning. Together, these experiences contribute to your academic and personal development, deepening your understanding of an area of interest while allowing you to acquire skills that prepare you for life after Brown.

Certificates may complement your existing concentration or may represent an entirely distinct area of interest. However, according to certificate guidelines, your concentration and certificate may not have substantial overlap (each certificate has a list of excluded concentrations). Certificate programs also may not be developed in areas in which a concentration already exists.

Brown University Certificate Programs

Data Fluency

The undergraduate certificate in data fluency is for undergraduates who wish to gain fluency and facility with the tools of data analysis and its conceptual framework.
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Engaged Scholarship

The Engaged Scholarship Certificate enables you to investigate public, civic and/or social justice issues that you are passionate about through the integration of academic study with community-based learning, research and action.
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Entrepreneurship

The certificate program in entrepreneurship provides curricular structure for undergraduates who wish to make entrepreneurship an important part of their intellectual journey at Brown.
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Intercultural Competence

Intercultural Competence defines the knowledge, skills and attitudes that curious and open-minded students acquire through the targeted study of languages and cultures.
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Migration Studies

The Migration Studies Certificate promotes a multidisciplinary understanding of migration and the development of a range of methodological skills by linking students to diverse learning resources across departments and centers at Brown, and building community among students and faculty with shared interests in migration, immigration, and the immigrant experience.
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Key Policies

See the certificate guidelines for additional information

See the certificate guidelines for additional information.

  1. You may declare an Undergraduate Certificate no earlier than the beginning of the fifth* semester, and no later than the last day of classes of the antepenultimate (typically the sixth) semester, in order to facilitate planning for the capstone or other experiential learning opportunity. Certificate advisors must approve submitted declarations by the fourth Tuesday of the student’s penultimate (typically seventh) semester.
    * Students pursuing 5-year combined degree programs such as the Brown|RISD Dual Degree Program should see bullet 5 below for information about the petition process and timeline. 
  2. You must have completed or be enrolled in two courses toward the certificate by the time you declare the certificate.
  3. Your certificate declaration must discuss your rationale for pursuing the certificate and how you see the relationship between the certificate and the concentration you have declared. No more than one course may count toward your concentration and the certificate.
  4. You may not earn more than one certificate. 
  5. If you are completing two or more concentrations (or a concurrent degree), you may not complete a certificate; you are already pursuing the integrative and interdisciplinary work that undergraduate certificates support. Students pursuing five-year combined degrees may petition the Committee on Academic Standing for the option to pursue a certificate and must do so by the certificate deadlines: Brown|RISD Dual Degree students may petition CAS no earlier than the sixth semester and no later than the last day of classes in the antepenultimate semester -- typically, their eighth semester.

Once you have completed all requirements for the baccalaureate degree, completion of a certificate will be noted on your transcript and may be independently verified by a third party, such as the National Student Clearinghouse (see the Registrar's website for additional information).