You don’t always need to commit to a full degree program to advance your career. Shorter and sometimes less costly, a graduate certificate might be a better option to get ahead.
Think of a graduate certificate as a set of courses devoted to a specific topic , designed to build on top of a bachelor’s degree. The certificate may be meant to go deeper into topics already explored in the bachelor’s degree — like adding cybersecurity skills to a computer science degree — or to expand in to a new area , like add ing competency in human resources for someone in management with any bachelor’s degree .
Some certificates might not require an undergraduate degree at all — for example, programs may consider work experience instead — and may take 18 or fewer hours of coursework and about a year to complete.
Now, nearly one-fourth of the diplomas awarded by colleges and universities are certificates, according to Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce.
These numbers are increasing in spite of the limitations to earning an online degree, namely the time and money it takes to complete the requirements for an associate, a bachelor’s or a master’s degree.
Cathy Sandeen, then the dean of UCLA’s Extension continuing education program , said in an article on Bankrate that, for many people who already have a bachelor’s degree — even an incomplete one — a certificate can be a more practical solution than a full graduate degree.
[Decide between an online graduate certificate and online degree.]
1. You want to advance in a specific area of your current field. Employers want a well-trained workforce and more are seeking employees with specific expertise — so , a graduate certificate is a good way to expand an existing skill set. Some employers will pay for employees’ certification courses. And many graduate programs will include graduate certificates as preparation for a full graduate degree.
According to Sandeen in the Bankrate piece, some fields — such as homeland security, sustainability and social media — are ideal for gaining certification. A business degree, for example, might include a certificate in human resources or project management. A computer science degree might gain value with a certificate in bioinformatics or information security.
2. You don’t have the time or money for a degree. A graduate degree almost always requires a bachelor’s credential to get in the door and can take 36 or more credit hours of coursework — about two years — to complete. This kind of degree covers a broad array of topics and issues relevant to an entire field of study, business or education, for example. A certificate generally focus es on a particular set of skills within a discipline , and require s less time and money.
But there is a trade-off. In 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that graduate degrees are more sought after by employers and usually degree holders earn a bit more money, compared with graduate certificates, which are not in as high demand and whose holders may earn less. Find out what sort of postsecondary education is required in your career.
[Explore how online certificate programs can help career changers.]
3. You already have a well-established career. A graduate certificate is also an excellent way for people established in their careers — those in their 40s and 50s, for example — to keep their professional skills growing and perhaps protect their position in a tightening labor market.
Online certificates are earned the same way as online degrees. An online application, to begin with, and a conversation with an advis e r — online or in-person — can help you sort out the best certification for you and any prerequisites or preparation you may need to get started. Once you have your first certification under your belt, you may find yourself pursuing others to add to your resume.
The takeaway: Depending on your career aspirations, your line of work and the time and money you can commit to further your education, an online graduate certificate may be the practical — and preferable –alternative to an online graduate degree.
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3 Signs an Online Graduate Certificate Is Enough originally appeared on usnews.com
