Graduate Certificate in Communication and Leadership

All applicants must meet the University of Texas at Austin Graduate School admission requirements. Applicants must have earned a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, or be on track to graduate before enrolling in the certificate.

• Bachelor’s degree in any field
• GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4-point scale, though conditional admission may be possible for GPAs under 3.0 in extenuating circumstances
• For international applicants only, TOEFL score of at least 79 or IELTS score of at least 6.5
• Please note, the Communication Studies Stackable Graduate Certificate programs do not meet the U.S. government requirements for students to be eligible for an F-1 or J-1 student visa. However, international applicants on an eligible non-student VISA are welcome to apply.

Applications are accepted through the Graduate School Application for Admission.  After completing the data entry sections and paying the application fee, applicants must upload supporting documents on their MyStatus page. 

Additional documents required:

• A resume
• One letter of recommendation
• A statement of purpose (maximum of 1000 words) responding to the following prompt: Describe your reasons for pursuing graduate study and your academic and professional interests and goals.
• Transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended
• Official TOEFL or IELTS scores taken within the past two years (for International Applicants only)
• No GRE or GMAT is required

All required documents must be submitted electronically to MyStatus. This page will become available to you approximately three to four business days after you complete your online application. 

• The Admissions Committee for the Communication and Leadership stackable graduate certificate will review complete applications after the deadline. All additional documents must have been uploaded in order for the committee to consider the application. Partial applications will not be reviewed.
• Admitted applicants will be notified by email from the Department of Communication Studies. They will also receive official e-letters from the Graduate Admissions Center with instructions on how to check your application status for your admission decision.
• Both the Department of Communication Studies and the Office of Graduate Studies must accept applicants before they can enroll.
• Please note, the Communication Studies Stackable Graduate Certificate programs do not meet the U.S. government requirements for students to be eligible for an F-1 or J-1 student visa. However, international applicants on an eligible non-student VISA are welcome to apply.

Students in the program pay a flat program fee of $22,500 for the entire certificate.

For students starting the program in August 2024 or January 2025:

Three courses   $13,500
Two courses      $  9,000

Total:                 $ 22,500

A non-refundable $1,000 deposit is required when applicants accept an offer of admission. This amount is credited toward your first semester’s program costs. Each semester's tuition is billed approximately 4-6 weeks before the semester starts and due during the first week of classes. Students will receive an exact due date when they are billed. After that date, a $100 late fee will be charged each week for non-payment.

Non-degree-seeking students in an Option III program are not eligible for federal financial aid. They may be eligible for some private sector loans. Questions about financial aid should be directed to Texas One Stop.

The Communication and Leadership Graduate Certificate is eligible for use with GI Bill® education benefits. To learn more about how veteran benefits may support enrollment in our program you can access The University of Texas at Austin Catalog here or contact the Veteran Certification team. Please note, the Communication and Leadership Graduate Certificate is considered a non-formula-funded program and is, therefore, not eligible for Texas Hazlewood Act Exemptions. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the cost per credit hour is $1493.93.