Category: academic program review

Certificate Definition[1]

A certificate is defined as a non-degree program complementary to a degree that requires at least 24 undergraduate or 12 graduate credits. For each undergraduate certificate, at least 15 credits used to fulfill its requirements cannot be used to fulfill the requirements of a major, concentration, minor or another undergraduate certificate. Credits from a maximum of one graduate certificate may also apply to a master’s or doctoral degree program.

The name of a completed certificate program appears on the transcript after the conferral of an undergraduate degree. Certificates are approved by the school or college at the undergraduate level and by the Graduate Council at the graduate level.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) identifies certificates as educational programs in the requirement for assessment of institutional effectiveness (Principle 8.2.a).[2]

Certificate Assessment 

All certificate programs will participate in assessment of student learning outcomes. Most certificates will be included as part of an external accreditation or Academic Program Review (APR) Self-study, while other stand-alone programs will report independently. Each process is described below: 

Certificates within an Externally Accredited Program 

If at least 50% of courses within a certificate overlap with the core of an externally accredited degree program and the certificate’s SLOs are included within the external accreditation, these certificates are exempt from additional assessment.

Certificates included in APR 

If at least 50% of courses within a certificate overlap with the core of a degree program that participates in APR, the certificate will be assessed in the APR process. Reporting within the APR self-study should include the following for each certificate: 

• Description and purpose of the certificate
• Enrollment and completion rates
• List of all Student Learning Outcomes
• Assessment of at least two Student Learning Outcomes

Stand-Alone Certificates 

A certificate is considered “stand-alone” if less than 50% of its courses are included in the core of another degree program. Stand-alone certificates are required to make a full assessment report every 5 years in Nuventive, George Mason’s assessment management system. 

The assessment report should include:

• Description and purpose of the certificate 
• Discussion of certificate enrollment and completion in the last 5 years 
• All Student Learning Outcomes for the program 
• Assessment of at least 2 Student Learning Outcomes

Though assessment reports are only required once every 5 years, it is recommended that programs plan for periodic assessment by maintaining files of student work samples from each semester.  

Certificates were last assessed in 2019 and will be assessed again in 2025.  

2025 Stand-Alone certificate assessment reports will be due by June 30th, 2025, unless other dates have been discussed with OIEP.  

For guidance in the 2025 Certificate Assessment process, please see the following resources:  

• Certificate Assessment Template
• Certificate Assessment Feedback Rubric

 

[1] George Mason University 2015-16 Catalog, Academic Policies, AP.4 Degree Application, Conferral and Graduation, http://catalog.gmu.edu/policies/academic/degree-application-conferral-graduation/

[2] 2018 edition of the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement, 2018, https://sacscoc.org/app/uploads/2019/08/2018PrinciplesOfAcreditation.pdf (p. 70)

• * The programs and services offered by George Mason University are open to all who seek them. George Mason does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic national origin (including shared ancestry and/or ethnic characteristics), sex, disability, military status (including veteran status), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, pregnancy status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. After an initial review of its policies and practices, the university affirms its commitment to meet all federal mandates as articulated in federal law, as well as recent executive orders and federal agency directives.

APR Guides and Templates

2026 Guides and Templates

• APR Guide for 2026 Reports
• APR Template for 2026 Reports
• APR Template for 2026 Reports: Interdisciplinary Programs

2025 Guides and Templates

• APR Guide for 2025 Reports
• APR Template for 2025 Reports
• APR Template for 2025 Reports: Interdisciplinary Programs

2024 Guides and Templates

• APR Guide for 2024 Reports
• APR Template for 2024 Reports
• APR Template for 2024 Reports: Interdisciplinary Programs

Data Resources for APR 

Student Enrollment, Retention, and Degrees

• Official Ten-Year Enrollment Trends (Fall, Spring, and Summer Census) by College, Major, Student Level, and Demographic 
• Retention Trends 
• Course Sections and Student Credit Hours by Faculty Type 

Job Placement/Post-Graduation Activities

• Career Plans Survey Dashboard 
• Graduating Senior Exit Survey  
• Graduate Student Exit Survey 
• SCHEV-Post-Completion Wages of Graduates 
• Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO)/U.S. Census Bureau 

Advising and Educational Experiences

• Patriot Success Survey 
• Career Plans Survey 

Faculty

• Faculty and Staff Dashboard by Gender and Race/Ethnicity 

Proposals, Awards, and Expenditures

•  Sponsored Programs (OSP) 

Peer Comparison

• SCHEV – Higher Education Data  
• SCHEV – Approved Peer Groups 
• IPEDS – Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System 
• College Navigator – National Center for Education Statistics 
• Professional/disciplinary organizations can be excellent resources to obtain peer comparison information.

 

• * The programs and services offered by George Mason University are open to all who seek them. George Mason does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic national origin (including shared ancestry and/or ethnic characteristics), sex, disability, military status (including veteran status), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, pregnancy status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. After an initial review of its policies and practices, the university affirms its commitment to meet all federal mandates as articulated in federal law, as well as recent executive orders and federal agency directives.

All units engaging in the APR process will select an external review team of 2-4 disciplinary faculty from departmental peer or aspirant institutions. The external review team is charged with evaluating the effectiveness of the academic unit (department, school, or individual program), as well as the unit’s contributions to George Mason and to the discipline or field. The scope of the review is broad, encompassing the quality of the undergraduate and graduate programs; faculty and student satisfaction; and efforts to facilitate faculty progress toward tenure, promotion, and distinction in teaching, research, and scholarship. 

The external review team will receive the completed self-study in January ahead of a site visit in March or April (scheduled in advance with the academic unit). The site visit will include the opportunity to meet with faculty, staff, students, administrators associated with the academic unit, and representatives from the Office of the Provost and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning. The external review team is tasked with submitting a written report within three weeks of the conclusion of the site visit. The report should include their findings and recommendations based on a thorough assessment of the unit’s self-study report and interviews conducted during the site visit. 

Prior to extending an invitation to serve on the external review team, units must seek approval of their selected team members from the dean of their school/college. 

OIEP will provide APR units with resources to support the external review and site visit process, including a charge for the external reviewers, invitation templates for both virtual and in person site visits, and guidelines for establishing the site visit itinerary.

Conflict of Interest Policy

George Mason relies on the professional integrity of those serving as external evaluators for Academic Program Review, as well as the academic units inviting potential evaluators. Sensitivity to potential conflicts of interest must be addressed to ensure evaluators can serve objectively. As a result, the following guidelines are provided to negate potential conflicts of interest   Persons who fall into any of the following categories should NOT participate at external reviewers. 

1. Former George Mason employees 
2. George Mason graduates 
3. Anyone who has been a candidate for employment at George Mason within the last 10 years 
4. Anyone who served as a consultant for George Mason or the academic unit within the last 10 years 
5. Former or current advisory board members to the academic unit at George Mason 
6. Anyone with an active professional partnership (e.g., co-authors, co-presenters) with a member(s) of the academic unit being reviewed 
7. Anyone with close personal or familial relationships with a member(s) of the academic unit being reviewed 
8. Anyone having any other relationship that could serve to jeopardize objectivity regarding the evaluation of the academic unit being reviewed 

Academic units should consult with their school/college dean’s office and/or OIEP regarding potential conflicts of interest for all potential external evaluators. School/college leadership reserves the final responsibility for determining the suitability of external evaluators for Academic Program Review.

For more information about the process, please contact your designated academic unit representative or OIEP ([email protected]).

• * The programs and services offered by George Mason University are open to all who seek them. George Mason does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic national origin (including shared ancestry and/or ethnic characteristics), sex, disability, military status (including veteran status), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, pregnancy status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. After an initial review of its policies and practices, the university affirms its commitment to meet all federal mandates as articulated in federal law, as well as recent executive orders and federal agency directives.

Academic Program Review (APR) presents an opportunity for a unit to reflect upon progress from previous APRs, conduct a thorough analysis of its programs, and set goals for the coming years. The unit, with help from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning (OIEP), will integrate a variety of data sources to examine degree program(s), conduct a peer analysis, and measure whether program goals and learning outcomes are being achieved.  

The following products are developed through the APR process:  

• Self-Study: A holistic and data-informed report on an academic unit and its respective degree programs 
• External Review: Feedback submitted from the external review team 
• Response to External Review: The academic unit’s response to the feedback from external reviewers 
• Operational Action Plan: A suggestive plan that reflects the collective assessment at the close of the process 

All academic units, excluding those with a qualified external accreditor, are required to complete the APR process every seven years, with the time between the self-studies spent making the recommended improvements and changes. Programs are also encouraged to routinely discuss their progress on APR recommendations though their annual assessment submissions.  

Institutionally, APR and related assessment practices are important for accreditation purposes. Regional and state accreditation agencies review APR data to ensure that George Mason students are meeting their degree program’s student learning outcomes. 

18-month timeline for programs completing APR in 20XX: 

Semester	Activities
Fall 20XX-2	Orientation to APR Identify APR Committee
Spring 20XX-1	Analyze program data Prepare for the self-study Invite external reviewers
Fall 20XX-1	Circulate Faculty survey Write self-study
Spring 20XX	Receive the External review Develop a Response to external review Participate in closure meeting with leadership Agree upon an Operational Action Plan

• * The programs and services offered by George Mason University are open to all who seek them. George Mason does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic national origin (including shared ancestry and/or ethnic characteristics), sex, disability, military status (including veteran status), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, pregnancy status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. After an initial review of its policies and practices, the university affirms its commitment to meet all federal mandates as articulated in federal law, as well as recent executive orders and federal agency directives.