Graduate Certificate Program
Digital technologies have transformed scholarly research: how scholars access materials, analyze evidence, collaborate, and present their work. Launched in 2011, the Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities prepares UCLA graduate students to work in this changing scholarly environment by providing training in the methods, tools, and theoretical questions central to the field.
The certificate emphasizes principles that transfer across software, platforms, and research contexts. Its flexible structure allows students to connect Digital Humanities training with the research questions and methods of their home disciplines. As technologies continue to change, students develop intellectual, technical, and research design skills that remain central to Digital Humanities scholarship.
About the Certificate Program
Students in the certificate program engage Digital Humanities methods as part of their graduate research, teaching, and professional development. Coursework supports students as they develop thesis and dissertation projects, digital pedagogy, and scholarship for academic and public audiences.
Coursework may include work in areas such as:
Text analysis, data mining, and network analysis
Applying computational methods to large bodies of text and online discourse to identify patterns and ask what they mean.
Data modeling, databases, and metadata
Structuring information so it can be connected and questioned, while examining how databases and metadata shape what becomes visible.
Visualization, mapping, and spatial analysis
Using geographic and spatial tools to study how place, movement, and territory shape historical and cultural narratives.
Digital archives and collections
Designing and organizing digital platforms and archives, and considering how that structure shapes access and meaning.
Modeling, multimedia, and immersive scholarship
Building three-dimensional and immersive representations of objects, spaces, and environments for research, interpretation, and preservation.
AI, algorithms, and digital ethics
Examining how artificial intelligence and algorithmic systems make decisions, and the ethical questions those systems raise.
The program emphasizes both practical engagement with digital methods and critical approaches to the systems that structure knowledge.
An Interdisciplinary Community
Open to graduate students across UCLA, the certificate complements a wide range of disciplines by integrating computational approaches with humanistic inquiry.
Students bring perspectives from the humanities, social sciences, information studies, arts, design, and media fields.
Program Structure and Courses
The certificate combines foundational coursework, interdisciplinary electives, and scholarly practice through the development of a digital portfolio.
Coursework is flexible and interdisciplinary, allowing students to tailor the certificate to their research interests and professional goals. Courses may be offered through Digital Humanities or affiliated departments across UCLA.
Students complete:
DH 201: Introduction to DH
Students begin with a historical and critical introduction to the field. The course asks how digital tools, databases, maps, models, and interfaces shape the creation, interpretation, preservation, and transmission of cultural materials.
Four graduate-level electives
Students complete four graduate-level electives connected to digital humanities methods, theory, or practice. At least two electives must be DH courses, and up to two may overlap with requirements in the student’s home department.
Digital research portfolio
Students complete the certificate by creating a digital research portfolio for juried review. The portfolio presents selected work from the program and demonstrates the student’s research, methods, and development in the Digital Humanities.
Eligibility and Enrollment
Graduate Certificate
The Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities is open to currently enrolled UCLA graduate students from any division or department.
Applications are accepted year-round.
Applications submitted by:
- October 25, receive notification by November 1
- April 1, receive notification by April 15
Contact Us
Students are encouraged to contact the program to discuss certificate planning, elective selection, portfolio development, and timelines for completion.
Deanna Finlay
Digital Humanities Student Affairs Officer
deanna@humnet.ucla.edu