Capstone certificates allow individuals with a bachelor’s degree to obtain additional professional skills. Capstones do not lead to the conferral of a degree but do appear on a student’s UW–Madison transcript.

Graduate students are not eligible to enroll in capstone certificates.

Capstone certificate students are admitted as University Special students through Adult Career and Special Student Services (ACSSS). ACSSS is the academic dean and is responsible for issues related to student enrollment and the student's official record.

An Adult Career and Special Student Services student services coordinator works with each department's capstone certificate coordinator on advising, admissions, enrollment eligibility, and program completion. Capstone certificates typically follow the rules of the Graduate School for tuition, credit limits, and grading. 

International Students

The availability of a capstone certificate program to an international student varies as follows:

Capstones

• The 100% online programs are available to international students who remain abroad.
• Individuals already in the U.S. on another visa type (e.g. J-1 scholar, J-2 dependent, H1B) may be eligible for admission to any of the capstone certificate programs.
• F-1 or J-1 student visa holders must enroll full-time in on-campus courses to study legally in the United States. The programs approved by the U.S. government for F-1 or J-1 student visas include Actuarial Science, Communication Sciences & Disorders, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Fundamentals, and Computer Sciences.

Policies

Capstone certificate programs typically follow the policies of the Graduate School for tuition, credit limits, and grading; however, Adult Career and Special Student Services (ACSSS) is the academic dean's office for capstone students.