Graduate Certificate (Graduate Certificate) in Universal Design
OVERVIEW
Who is this program for?
This graduate certificate is designed for graduate students and professionals across disciplines who want to make the environments, experiences and systems they influence more accessible and inclusive. It is especially relevant for those working in design, education, healthcare, human services, technology and other fields where people interact with physical or virtual environments.
Program Overview
Create environments, experiences and learning opportunities that work for more people.
The Graduate Certificate in Universal Design prepares you to recognize barriers to access and apply universal design principles to create more inclusive built and virtual environments. Through an interdisciplinary approach, you’ll learn to consider human diversity from the beginning of the design process—helping make spaces, products, services and learning experiences more accessible and usable.
The program brings together expertise from the University of Kentucky College of Design and Human Development Institute, connecting universal design theory with practical applications across disciplines.
Whether you work in design, education, health and human services, technology or another field, you can apply what you learn to identify barriers, develop inclusive solutions and advocate for environments that better serve people of different ages, abilities and experiences.
Related Careers
Depending on your primary field, universal design expertise can support work in areas such as:
- Architecture and interior design
- Education and instructional design
- Accessibility and disability services
- Healthcare and human services
- User experience and digital design
- Community and public planning
- Training and professional development
- Product and service design
- Aging and aging-in-place initiatives
- Accessibility consulting
- Higher education
- Public and nonprofit organizations
Skills You Can Bring to Your Career
You'll develop the ability to evaluate environments and experiences through an accessibility lens, identify barriers, propose inclusive solutions and apply universal design and Universal Design for Learning principles within your professional discipline.
Admission Requirements
Please view the Graduate School's Admission Requirements. If there are Program Specific Requirements listed below, those will also apply.
Application Requirements
Please view the application requirements for the Graduate School. If there are Program Specific Requirements listed below, those will also apply.
Application Deadlines
Domestic
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Fall
- 07/24/2026
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Spring
- 12/11/2026
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Summer
- 04/18/2026
International
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Fall
- 04/15/2026
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Spring
- 09/15/2026
FIND OUT EXACTLY
What You'll Learn
Universal design goes beyond meeting minimum accessibility requirements. It asks you to consider the diversity of people who will use a space, product, service or learning environment from the beginning.
Through the certificate, you'll learn to:
- Recognize universal design in built and virtual environments and understand how it applies to your own discipline.
- Identify barriers to accessibility and evaluate potential solutions and long-term benefits of more inclusive design.
- Apply universal design principles to projects and challenges in built and virtual environments.
- Use Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to create more inclusive teaching, training and learning experiences within your discipline.
Degree requirements, course descriptions and academic policies for all programs are detailed in the University Catalog.
Get More Information
Complete the form to get the latest updates on this program, including special events and application deadlines.
Discover your Future
At the University of Kentucky, we provide personalized support, innovative resources, and countless opportunities to help you turn your aspirations into achievements.
