Graduate Degree Information

Point Loma Nazarene University offers six graduate degree categories: the Master of Arts (M.A.), the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), the Master of Science (M.S.), the Master of Science in Accounting (M.S.A.), the Master of Science in Medicine (M.S.M.), and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.). All programs of study reflect PLNU’s mission and core values to engage and challenge minds, to model and form character, and to express our faith in service. 

Certificates and Credentials

The Certificate. Optional certificates are offered in some schools or departments. The requirements governing certificates are as follows:

• A certificate is a skill-based program responsive to employer and/or market need that supplements a student's graduate studies.
• The term "certificate" is used in three (3) contexts:
  • Academic certificates will be between six (6) and eighteen (18) units.
  • Professional development certificates are based on a ten (10) hours per CEU formula.
  • Attendance certificates are awarded on the basis of full session attendance.
• Only certificates that appear in the student’s catalog of record may be earned.
• Students must earn a 3.000 cumulative grade point average for an academic certificate with no grade lower than C.
• Of the total graduate units in the academic certificate, a minimum of two-thirds must be earned in residence.
• Academic certificate programs will state clearly whether they can be applied to a PLNU degree in part or in whole.
• Neither professional development nor attendance certificates can be converted to academic credit or applied to university programs or degrees.
• Externally awarded certificates governed (including all requirements) and awarded by an external entity are not covered under this policy.