What is a graduate certificate? I’m looking at distance education programs offered by various U.S. universities, and sometimes they will include undergraduate certificate or graduate certificate programs in their list of offerings. Some of these are presented as the next step after obtaining your G.E.D., while others appear to be just extra education – not as good as an MS, but something in addition to a BS. What is the purpose of these programs? Some do look rather interesting, but would they just be a waste of time and/or money?
They are generally special-purpose programs that are smaller in scope than true degrees but are a program of study that people may want documentation for anyway. The education field often has certificate programs consisting of a certain number of credits consisting of specific classes that teachers may complete to maintain proficiency and possibly increase their pay. In other fields like information technology, certificate programs teach people a limited range of specific skills that may be useful to know and to have on a resume. You can complete certificate programs on top of a degree you already have or take it as a standalone program that is much faster to complete than a whole graduate degree.
That makes sense…thank you!
Graduate certificates do not have the standardization of graduate degrees (not that graduate degrees are all that standardized). If you get a Master of Science in Computer Science from an accredited university, there is a fair amount of consistency, but if you show up at an employer’s door with a Graduate Certificate it’s like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates.