The Certificate in Africana Studies is available to doctoral candidates enrolled at the Graduate Center. The study of the African Diaspora as it is manifested in social and cultural structures outside of the African continent has emerged over the last decade and a half as one of the academic world’s most active interdisciplinary arenas. The primary goal of the Certificate in Africana Studies is to produce scholars who are fully conversant with this diverse field, providing them with the analytic and research tools to navigate and articulate the black experience while furthering the ongoing dialogue on race and identity. For further information contact Zee Dempster, Assistant Coordinator, at 212-817-2070.

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The Certificate in American Studies is available to students matriculated in the Ph.D. programs at the Graduate Center. Students do not necessarily have to be working toward the Certificate to take courses in the program. American studies at the Graduate Center give Americanists enrolled in Ph.D. programs the opportunity to study outside their disciplines in American Studies Certificate Program seminars specifically designed to move students across disciplinary and chronological boundaries. The program also prepares Americanists at the Graduate Center to teach and direct American studies programs after graduation by giving a solid grounding in the history, theory, and method of the discipline. To earn the certificate, students take an approved four-course sequence of seminars (81000 Introduction to American Studies: Histories and Methods; 81500 Themes in American Culture; 82000 American Culture: Major Periods; and a course approved by the program for American studies credit), an examination in American Studies, and a dissertation topic within the field. The certificate is awarded when the Ph.D. degree is conferred. For further information, contact Professor Duncan Faherty, Coordinator, at 1-212-817-8001.

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The Certificate Program in Demography is available to students matriculated in one of the existing Ph.D. programs at the Graduate Center.

The program provides doctoral students with the tools to understand deeply, and conduct rigorous analyses of, population structure and processes.  Specifically, the courses comprising the certificate will focus, for example, on understanding the causes and consequences of changes in population-related phenomena such as family formation, fertility and reproductive health, disease, aging and mortality, urbanization, racial and ethnic composition, and mobility, and how such changes shape social, economic, and political processes and outcomes at the local, national, and international level.

Resources for Research and Training
New York City is home to many local, regional, national, and international organizations that have demographic orientations.  The newly-formed CUNY Institute for Demographic Research has strong ties with a number of these organizations and will form informal, and, in some cases, formal liaisons with others. The organizations include New York area governmental institutions such as the Population Division of the New York City Department of Planning, New York City’s Independent Budget Office, the Mayor’s Office, the New York State Assembly and Senate staff, the Executive Office in Albany, and the New York State Education Department, as well as the Population Council, the Guttmacher Institute, and the Population Division of the United Nations.  The certificate program will seek to establish internships and externships at these organizations and others.  Certificate students will have the opportunity to work with demography scholars from several CUNY campuses.  Doctoral fellowships in demography will be available through the CUNY Institute for Demographic Research.

Special Requirements
To earn the certificate, the student must take the following courses:  DEM 70100 Introduction to Demography, DEM 70200 Methods of Demographic Analysis, and DEM80100 Advanced Methods of Demographic Analysis.  In addition, a certificate candidate must take six credits of approved elective courses.  The certificate program expects to begin offering courses in the Fall of 2010.  For further information contact Professor Shiro Horiuchi, Coordinator. 

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The Certificate in Film Studies is available to students matriculated in the Ph.D. programs at the Graduate Center. The program aims to develop a student's basic familiarity with the history, theory, and criticism of the cinema as a medium and art form. Specific emphasis is placed on developing student competence in methods of historical research using film materials, appreciating the rich classical and contemporary traditions of film theoretical discourse, and cultivating skills in analyzing and interpreting films in a rigorous manner. To earn the certificate, students must take Aesthetics of the Film, the Seminar in Film Theory, as well as Part I or II of History of Cinema. All of these courses may be taken without prerequisite. In addition, two more electives in film in any department complete the certificate requirements. The Certificate is awarded when the Ph.D. degree is conferred. 

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The Certificate Program in Interactive Technology and Pedagogy is available to matriculated students in the Ph.D. programs at the Graduate Center. The ITP Certificate Program responds to strong doctoral student demand for interactive digital technology (IT) training and certification. It aims to better prepare doctoral students for life and work in the contemporary university and to impart valuable IT skills and experience that will make CUNY Ph.D. holders more competitive when they enter academic job markets. The ITP certificate's interdisciplinary approach is designed to provide a critical introduction to the constellation of questions related to science, technology and critical thinking, to explore pedagogical implications of interactive technology, and to advance students' skills as creators and users of technology-based educational tools and resources. To earn the certificate which is granted with the doctorate, students complete two three-credit core courses, a three-credit independent study, and attend a minimum of three no-credit skills workshops. Like other certificate programs at the Graduate Center, the ITP certificate program draws on the discipline-based expertise of many doctoral faculty members and thereby builds a collective, interdisciplinary conversation about the broad implications of emerging educational technology and its impact on classroom pedagogy. For further information, contact Professor Stephen Brier, coordinator, at 1-212-817-7290.

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The Certificate in Medieval Studies is available to students matriculated in the Ph.D. programs at The Graduate Center. The certificate program provides doctoral students with the opportunity to study the Middle Ages within the kind of broad, multidisciplinary framework that is particularly appropriate to medieval studies. It offers training in skills important to all medievalists and an introduction to the central scholarly issues facing medievalists today. To earn the certificate, students take Introduction to Medieval Studies (MSCP 70100), at least one interdisciplinary medieval studies seminar (MSCP 80500), and two medieval studies courses outside their own disciplines. Reading proficiency in Latin is also required. The certificate is awarded when the Ph.D. degree is conferred. 

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The Certificate in Renaissance Studies is available to students matriculated in the Ph.D. programs at the Graduate Center. The program enables students pursuing doctorates in all aspects of the Renaissance/Early Modern period (c.1350-c.1700) to expand their studies within the context of early modern cultural analysis that crosses disciplines and national cultures, and to acquire innovative methods of cross-disciplinary research that will enhance their scholarship and teaching. Requirements for the certificate are: two core courses (Introduction to Renaissance Studies and Research Techniques in Renaissance Studies), two elective courses outside the home discipline (may include special topics courses in the certificate program), reading proficiency in Latin, and a dissertation on a Renaissance/Early Modern topic. The Certificate is awarded when the Ph.D. degree is conferred. For further information, contact Professor Clare Carroll, coordinator, at 1-212-817-8124.

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The Certificate in Women's Studies is available to students matriculated in the Ph.D. programs at the Graduate Center. Women's Studies is an interdisciplinary approach to research and scholarship that draws on various disciplines while challenging disciplinary boundaries. The general aim of the program is to offer critical reflection on the experiences of both women and men in terms of differences of gender, sexuality, race, class, ethnicity, and nation. Students are prepared to teach courses and to do research in Women's Studies and related critical approaches to the disciplines. Besides focused course work and guidance in research, Women's Studies offers participation in a wide range of graduate student and faculty activities, including lecture series and forums. Students are also invited to participate in the research programs and seminars of the Center for the Study of Women and Society at The Graduate Center. The certificate is awarded when the Ph.D. degree is conferred. For further information, contact Professor Victoria Pitts-Taylor, coordinator, at 1-212-817-8896.

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