Graduate Certificate in Designing Accessible Online Education

100% Online Program

Do you work with students in online environments? Designing Accessible Online environments is a big need. With this certificate program, Boise State University is helping educators and instructional designers develop expertise in accessible online learning and instructional design. You will be able to apply the knowledge focusing on either children or adults interacting in any online environment.

The Graduate Certificate in Designing Accessible Online Education program is 100% online.
Department Name: Department of Educational Technology
Official Certificate Name: Graduate Certificate in Designing Accessible Online Education
Certificate Type: Graduate Certificate

Special relationship with Other Programs:

A student may be simultaneously enrolled in any graduate degree program (EdD, EdS, or MET) and the Graduate Certificate in Designing Accessible Online Education program subject to the approval of the chair of the student’s supervisory committee and the graduate program coordinators of the programs.

A student who is not enrolled in any graduate degree program at Boise State University may be enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Designing Accessible Online Education program and other graduate certificate programs.

What can I do with this certificate?

The Graduate Certificate in Designing Accessible and Inclusive Online Education is designed for individuals involved in the fields of educational technology or instructional design and technology looking to gain a specialization in creating accessible and inclusive online courses and instructional materials. By the end of the program, students will know and be able to:

Describe and apply accessibility standards and laws related to accessible, usable, and inclusive online education;
Identify and address challenges and barriers that students with disabilities face learning online;
Design and create accessible and inclusive online instructional materials
Evaluate the accessibility of instructional materials

Completion of this certificate will enable educators and educational technologists to not only improve the courses and instructional materials they design but also fill positions looking for accessibility specialists.

Note: Content on this page is provided as a quick reference for planning. All official course descriptions/degree requirements/admission standards/program learning outcomes/etc. are published on the Graduate College’s website Graduate Catalog.

Degree Requirements and Advising Resources

Admission Requirements

Admission to the certificate program requires a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and admission to the Graduate College. In addition, the academic background of the applicant must be judged by the graduate program coordinator to be adequate for enrollment in graduate courses in education and educational technology. However, meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the certificate program.

Applicants are required to have earned at least a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university or a degree from a non-U.S. institution of higher education that is judged equivalent to a U.S. baccalaureate degree by the International Admissions office and have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 (based on a 4-point scale) computed for all undergraduate credits from the applicant’s most recent baccalaureate degree.

A prospective student may apply at any time and should follow the general graduate application procedure for degree-seeking students (see Graduate Admission Regulations). Admission to the program is based on:

Official transcripts from all colleges attended.
An essay describing professional and educational background, career goals and how coursework will help to attain them.
Completion of the Program Development Form.

Note: For specific directions about the essay and program development form, please review the admissions information.

Go to the Admissions Information

Program Requirements

Students must complete the following coursework to fulfill the requirements of the
certificate:

CORE	Credits
ESP 557—Universal Design and Assistive Technology	3
EDTECH 510—Creating Accessible and Inclusive Online Learning	3
EDTECH 512—Online Course Design	3
EDTECH 513—Multimedia	3
TOTAL	12

*Students can complete this program as a standalone certificate or in combination with a
graduate degree.

Required for ApplyYourself set up:

Department/program email, not personal Boise State email: After application is completed, an email to notify of submission.

For course descriptions, please visit our Course Information.

Application Deadlines

August 1 for Fall semester.
December 15 for Spring semester.
May1 for Summer semester.

For current students, you must apply for a certificate program BEFORE you complete ⅓ of the required coursework for it. This means you need to apply for the Designing Accessible Online Education certificate before finishing the 1st course. You cannot earn a certificate if you complete the coursework before you apply for it.

Learn More

Have questions or need more information? Contact us or explore related degrees and careers.