Certificate Programs | Policies
Application and Enrollment
Applications for HCP Certificate Programs are open year round.
Students applying for a Certificate Program need to submit the HCP Certificate Program Application Form and provide all requested information and imagery (if relevant).
By submitting the Application Form, students confirm they meet the prerequisites listed on the webpage of the program they are applying for.
HCP Education may contact applicants via phone or email with requests for additional information in regard to their application.
Approved applicants will be invited to enroll in their desired Certificate Program by paying a non-refundable Enrollment Fee of $250.
Enrollment Fees for Certificate Programs are non-refundable. However, the Enrollment Fee is later applied toward the tuition of the last course in the student’s program, and is not an additional cost on top of the courses’ tuition.
Special Promotion - Crediting Past Courses
As a limited promotion, HCP may credit courses previously taken at HCP towards completion of a Certificate Program. Past courses can be considered and approved as described below:
Students who have completed courses with HCP since May 2022 and are interested in enrolling in an HCP Certificate Program must specify which courses they would like to be credited on their application form.
Requests for past courses credit will not be considered once a student’s enrollment in the Certificate Program is confirmed.
To be credited toward a Certificate Program, past courses must meet the following criteria:
The student has completed the course at HCP after May 2022. Courses studied at other institutions will not be considered.
Courses must be identical to, similar in content, or more advanced than equivalent courses listed as part of the Certificate Program.
The student attended at least 70% of the classes in the course.
HCP will inform the student about approval request to credit past courses after receiving their Certificate Program Application Form.
HCP reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to approve or reject any request for credit of past courses towards Certificate Programs.
Course Discounts
Upon enrollment in a Certificate Program, students will receive a personal Discount Code offering the Program’s Discount Rate (15% or 20% depending on the program) for a specific number of course discounts. The number of course discounts the student will receive will equal the number of courses the student needs to complete the program, taking into consideration past courses that were approved to be credited.
Course discounts apply only to courses included in the student’s Certificate Program.
Course discounts cannot be applied retroactively.
Course discounts are valid for the certificate program’s length (1 or 1.5 years) starting at the date of enrollment. Course discounts will be voided if not used within this period.
Additional Courses
As a special benefit, students can register for 1-2 additional courses (beyond the courses required for certification) at the program’s discounted rate.
Students may choose to add any courses included in their program or from the list of Extra Courses.
Requests to add courses to a program must be made in writing to education@hcponline.org at any point before applying for a certificate.
All additional courses must be completed no later than 6 months after certification.
Course Registration
Students need to register for courses via HCP’s website following the structure of their Certificate Program. Any exceptions must be approved in advance in writing by the Managing Director of Education.
HCP is not obligated to offer all the courses in every Certificate Program each and every term. However, HCP will do its best to offer sufficient options allowing students to progress with their programs at their own pace.
Early registration to preferred courses is strongly advised. HCP has no obligation to allocate a registration to a specific course if the course’s capacity has been met.
Students who wish to register for a course not included in their Certificate Program and have it credited to the program, must submit a written request to education@hcponline.org and receive a written approval before registering.
HCP’s Refund Policy and Class Policy apply to students enrolled in Certificate Programs.
Failing to attend at least 70% of classes or to receive a “Pass” grade for a course does not credit the course discount for future use. Meaning, the course will be counted against the number of course discounts the student is entitled to.
Course withdrawals are subject to the standard Withdrawal Fee and will not count toward the student’s course discounts.
HCP reserves the right to cancel courses at its discretion. In case of course cancellation, the student will be able to reuse the course discount toward another course.
HCP has no obligation to offer students alternative courses for registration within the same term in case of course cancellation.
Additional Benefits
Upon enrollment in a Certificate Program, students will receive additional discounts codes that apply to Private Lessons, Portfolio Consultations, or Mentorship Packages as is published on their Certificate Program’s webpage. These discount codes will be valid through the student’s program and will expire upon certification or at the end of the Certificate Program’s length (the earlier of the two).
Upon enrollment in a Certificate Program, students will receive Digital Lab or Lighting Studio coupons (according to their preference) at a total worth of $120. These coupons do not expire and may be used after the completion of the Certificate Program.
Students enrolled in Certificate Programs who have joined HCP as members at the Individual level will receive an upgrade to Individual+ level (worth $40), offering them 10% discount on classes not included in their Program as well as other benefits as described in membership.
Class Attendance
Weekly attendance is vital to student success in HCP courses. Students enrolled in Certificate Programs are required to attend at least 70% of the classes in each course. Failure to attend more than 1 class in a 5-week course, more than 2 classes in an 8-week course, or more than 3 classes in a 10-week course will result in the student being dropped from a course due to nonattendance.
HCP will make good faith efforts to provide reasonable religious accommodations to students who have religious practices or beliefs that conflict with a scheduled course/program requirement. Students requesting a religious accommodation should make the request, in writing, directly to their instructor with as much advance notice as possible.
An instructor-approved absence from class due to religious practices will not count toward the 70% class attendance requirement. Being absent from class or other educational responsibilities does not excuse students from keeping up with the education material shared during the missed class. Students are responsible for obtaining materials and information provided during any class missed. The student shall work with the instructor to determine a schedule for making up missed work.
Should a student be dropped from a class due to nonattendance, a grade of “Fail” will be assigned and the regular Refund Policy will apply.
Failing to attend at least 70% of classes does not credit the course discount for future use. Meaning, the course discount will be counted against the number of course discounts students are entitled to as part of their program.
Certification
Students must receive a “Pass” grade for all courses to be credited towards certification.
All credited courses must be completed within the period stated on the Certificate Program’s webpage from the date of enrollment (excluding approved past courses).
Students must meet all the Certificate Program’s requirements (as published on HCP’s website at the time of their enrollment) before requesting certification.
Students must submit the Certificate Request Form, including a list of all courses to be credited, to receive certification, as well as required images and texts.
Students will receive their official HCP Digital Certificate via email once their certification has been approved.
Certificate Programs’ Structure
HCP reserves the right to adjust the course options included in Certificate Programs by adding or removing courses.
Courses completed by students will be credited to the student’s certificate even if they are later removed from the list of courses included in the Certificate Program.