Despite the fact that certificates are officially unrecognized and are not publicized by the University, some of the programs have grown increasingly popular in the last several years.
The biggest reason certificate programs are popular, students say, is because they offer an experience that is lacking in their main concentration.
For example, the newest addition, the certificate in health policy, was started two years ago as a result of abounding student interest in the field, according to Joan P. Curhan, the administrator of the undergraduate health policy certificate program.
“I’m constantly receiving voicemails and e-mails from undergraduates saying, ‘I wish we would have known about the undergraduate certificate program sooner,’” Curhan says.
Despite the low profile of the certificate program, Curhan says students learn about it by word of mouth. The health policy certificate program has grown from four students in its inaugural year to 19.
The other certificate programs—with the exception of African studies, which awards about four certificates annually—have grown as well.
According to Thomas Bernhard, undergraduate program director of MBB, which allows students to combine coursework in biology, psychology, philosophy, computer science and history of science, about 70 students earn MBB certificates each year and interest grows annually.
The Committee on Latin American and Iberian Studies issues about 25 certificates a year and the number has also been regularly increasing, according to Stephen J. Reifenberg, executive director of the Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.
Despite the fact that certificates aren’t noted on students’ transcripts, many say the unique opportunities available through the programs make the experience worthwhile.
“I was originally pre-med and I dropped that, but I still had lingering interest in health issues,” says Arianne R. Cohen ’03, who is earning a certificate in health policy and who is also a Crimson editor.
“Getting the certificate is pretty much the only way on campus to engage in public health issues without devoting your entire life to it,” she says.
Most certificate committees offer grants and help students find research and internship opportunities, as well as hosting events for the students.
“Virtually all our certificate candidates go to Africa to do research for their senior thesis, usually in the summer between their junior and senior years,” says Rita N. Breen, executive officer on the Committee on African Studies.
The coursework Farah N. Stockman ’96 did to earn her African studies certificate directly influenced her career. After graduation, she taught children in Kenya and then went on report on the Rwandan genocide as a journalist.
“It helped me gain focus in my life,” Stockman said.
—Staff writer Emily M. Anderson can be reached at emanders@fas.harvard.edu.