Certificate programs vary widely but almost all offer focused study designed to provide students with a professional credential and relevant skill set.
Earning an undergraduate certificate from an accredited college or university can help you qualify for entry level career positions.
Earning a graduate certificate is designed to provide aspiring professionals with additional skills and credentials useful for advancing their careers.
Undergraduate Certificates
Even though an undergraduate certificate program is not typically as rigorous as an associate’s degree, it is still intensive, fast-paced and skill-centered. If you’re not up to earning a 2 or 4-year degree but want to develop a marketable, professional skill set, then an undergraduate certificate is a good choice.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, working students who complete an online certificate are nearly twice as likely to finish their program as degree-seekers are to finish theirs. The typical undergraduate certificate takes two months to a year to complete, where an accredited degree will take 2 to 4 years to complete.
So is an undergraduate certificate really going to make a difference? Studies show that acceptance of professional certificates by employers is on the rise, especially for students who have completed their certificate online. Most corporations today rely on online training for their employees and consider certificates and degrees earned online to be very credible.
For most undergraduate certificates, a high school diploma is a prerequisite. Some certificates can help you earn credits towards a degree, some are noncredit credentials of achievement, and some provide both credits and a professional credential.
Graduate Certificates
While undergraduate certificates are designed primarily to prepare students for entry level career opportunities, online graduate certificates are geared toward helping aspiring professionals and working adults improve their marketable skill set in order to advance their careers. Since many corporations now use online training for their own employees, they readily accept the online graduate certificate credential awarded by other reputable institutions.
One of the most salient benefits of online certificate programs is that they provide students with the most current, up-to-date knowledge in a specific field. Additionally, they are very flexible, enabling students to advance their education and improve their skill set without putting their career or personal life on hold.
Graduate certificates are perfect for managers (and aspiring managers) who want to advance their career and develop additional expertise.
Information Technology Certificates
Online technology certificates are some of the most popular and beneficial certificate programs available. Like most professional certificates, online technology certificates allow students to study online where they’ll be working in the future – online and on the computer.
There are a large variety of technology and IT certificate programs to choose from. IT certificates provide students with extremely current, relevant certification in programming, networking, database, e-commerce, web development, management and more.