This survey takes a best-practices approach to several major issues involving graduate certificate programs; these include: (1) leadership (whether the graduate school should administer certificate programs, state regulation, procedures for approving new programs, impact on student diversity, and terminology); (2) management (whether certificate programs should be free-standing or part of an established curriculum, time limit for programs, fast-track program approval, impact on related degree programs, and advisory committees); (3) curriculum (number of credit hours required, whether programs are post-baccalaureate or post-master's, whether they are in a single or multiple disciplines, distance learning, overlap with degree programs, requirements beyond coursework, and relationship to other certificate programs); (4) faculty (requirements for admission and completion, role of adjunct faculty, and commencement); (5) students (desirability of including certificate program completion on transcripts, requirements for admission, time limits, and how obtaining a certificate relates to gaining admission to a degree program); and (6) fiscal matters (pricing of certificate programs, fiscal basis, financial aid, and who pays tuition). The discussion of each issue follows a standard format: discussion of the issue; colleague's views (comments from three sources); a Council of Graduate Schools reference (a backward pointer); and a model guidelines reference (a forward pointer). Model guidelines are appended. (RAB)