The Post-Baccalaureate certificates in Information Technology allow students interested in a subset of courses to earn a graduate credential. Students may decide upon completion of certificates to pursue a master's degree. The certificates are considered stackable with those same credits applying toward the Master of Science in Information Technology degree at USC Upstate.

Certificate Program Requirements

The Certificate in Information Technology: Intermediate requires completion of twelve (12) hours of graduate level information technology (INFO or HIMS) courses not including independent study (INFO U798 Independent Graduate Study in Information Technology or INFO U799 Thesis Preparation. The Certificate in Information Technology: Advanced requires completion of the Certificate in Information Technology: Intermediate and an additional six (6) hours of graduate level INFO or HIMS courses, not including independent study (INFO U798 Independent Graduate Study in Information Technology or INFO U799 Thesis Preparation.

Courses used to earn the Certificate of Information Technology: Intermediate may not be repeated for the Certificate of Information Technology: Advanced, with the exception of INFO U796 Special Topics in Graduate Information Technology, where the course topics differ.

A minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) is required over the entire program, and a minimum grade of 2.0 (C) is required in all graduate courses.

Students completing the Intermediate certificate may pursue the Advanced certificate by completing an additional six (6) credit hours.

The Post-Baccalaureate Certificates in Information Technology are a way for students to gradually enter graduate coursework without having to commit to the 30 credit hour Master of Science in Information Technology. The program includes two levels of certificate: Intermediate and Advanced. 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
I. Certificate in Information Technology: Intermediate		12
Select four courses from the list below:
II. Certificate in Information Technology: Advanced		6
Select two courses from the list below:
INFO U622	Advanced Knowledge - Based Systems
INFO U650	Cloud Based Information Resource Management
INFO U710	Management of Innovation and Intellectual Property
INFO U720	Information Architecture
INFO U761	Business and Competitive Intelligence
INFO U762	Interoperability
INFO U763	Advanced IT Project Management
INFO U796	Special Topics in Graduate Information Technology
INFO U717	Information Privacy
INFO U731	Applied AI Prompt Engineering
INFO U735	Applied AI Agents
INFO U745	Digital Forensics Technology
INFO U765	Applied Artificial Intelligence
INFO U727	Cybersecurity Management
HIMS U754	Introduction to Health Informatics
HIMS U755	Healthcare Quality Management
Total Hours		18

Certificate Candidate Admission Criteria

Individuals seeking admission to USC Upstate Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Information Technology will be considered non-degree seeking students. To be admitted into the program, students must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and complete an admissions application including the following:

• Transcripts: All graduate applicants must submit transcripts from all colleges or universities from which they earned (bold earned) a degree or certificate. In some cases, transcripts may be required even if a degree was not completed to verify prerequisite work was completed.
• Proof of immunization for measles (rubeola) and German measles (rubella) if born after December 31, 1956

Students accepted into the Certificate program may apply to the Master of Science in Information Technology program as a degree-seeking student. Any coursework earned towards a Certificate may be applied to the Master of Science in Information Technology degree. Admission to the Certificate program does not guarantee admission to the Master of Science in Information Technology program. Certificate students seeking admission to degree-seeking status must meet the same criteria for admission as other candidates. Should seat availability be limited, priority will be given to degree-seeking students over non-degree seeking students.