Purdue’s Stackable Online Graduate Certificates Can Help Professionals Get More Return-On-Investment
When it comes to investing in higher education, professionals are focused on maximizing their return-on-investment (ROI). The benefits of earning a graduate degree are well-documented: graduate programs can increase career mobility, increase earning potential, and provide valuable networking opportunities. However, in today’s skills economy, many professionals are seeking out training that is quick, affordable, and focused on building specific career skills. They want to reap the benefits of a graduate degree – but for less cost and less of a time investment than traditional master’s and doctoral programs.
While traditional graduate programs are still a great option for developing specialized expertise, graduate certificates – which offer fast-tracked training – can be a great jumping-off point for professionals who want to upskill on a short timeline. Graduate certificates can be completed quickly, they focus on specific career competencies, and they’re affordable and accessible to most professionals.
According to Forbes, graduate certificates can help professionals prove their skills to potential employers and increase ROI by providing targeted job training. Whether completed on their own, added to a master’s or doctoral program, or used as a stepping-stone to a traditional graduate program, graduate certificates provide busy professionals with another way to advance their careers.
How Graduate Certificates Can Increase Return-On-Investment
Online graduate certificates help universities provide value for working professionals who want to build new skills quickly and affordably. Read on to learn why:
- Graduate Certificates Require Less of a Time and Money Commitment than Full Degrees
Since graduate certificates require fewer credits than master’s and doctoral programs, they can be completed more quickly – and for less money. In most graduate programs, students pay by credit, meaning the more credits they take, the more money the program will cost. For a graduate certificate, students pay for a fraction of the credits in a traditional graduate program, making the certificate more affordable. They also finish the certificate program faster. For professionals who want to showcase a higher level of educational attainment and add specific skills to their resume without committing to a longer, more expensive program, graduate certificates provide significant value at less-imposing prices.
- Graduate Certificates are Stackable Credentials that Teach Impactful Skills
Graduate certificates are short, skill-based programs that typically consist of three to four courses. Since they can be completed in less time than a traditional degree, students can take multiple graduate certificates at once and stack credentials easily or add them to a master’s or doctoral degree. Students can choose graduate certificates that fit with their career goals and quickly add them to their resumes, demonstrating new competencies that can help them stand out in the job market. They are also career-specific – students only take courses that are relevant to their goals, rather than completing a broad range of courses. This makes graduate certificates a great option for professionals who want to gain specific skills quickly and design their education around their career goals.
“I think of graduate certificates as time- and cost-effective career advancement pathways,” said Dimitri Peroulis, senior vice president for Partnerships and Online at Purdue University and the Reilly Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “They are stackable and customizable for busy working professionals who want to see immediate benefits towards their professional goals.”
- Graduate Certificates Can Help Students Work Towards a Full Degree
Graduate certificates are not only valuable credentials on their own; they also help professionals work toward master’s or doctoral degrees. Since committing to a full degree is a big investment, graduate certificates can act as an on-ramp, giving potential master’s or doctoral students exposure to graduate-level coursework and helping them earn credits that can be applied to a full degree in the future. Many graduate certificates will specify which credits earned by completing the certificate can be applied to relevant master’s or doctoral programs. For example, credits from Purdue University’s online Communication and Leadership Graduate Certificate can be applied to Purdue’s online Master of Science in Communication.
But what if your plans to earn a master’s or doctorate change? No worries – even if you don’t complete any other graduate coursework, a graduate certificate still shows potential employers that you’ve attained a specific skill or studied a subject at a higher level than college graduates.
“I started my journey toward an online graduate degree by earning a graduate certificate first,” said Mitchell Farmer, director of student experience for Purdue University’s online programs. “This allowed me to quickly signal new skills and knowledge to the market. Whether you continue seamlessly into a degree program or move forward on your professional path, certificates provide a targeted, flexible option for meeting your educational goals.”
Get Job-Ready Skills with Purdue University’s Online Graduate Certificates
Purdue University, a leading institution in providing practical graduate education, offers over 35 fully online graduate certificates designed to give professionals focused career training in in-demand areas like aviation, business and economics, communication, engineering, healthcare and more.
Visit our website to learn more about graduate certificate options and how you can build in-demand skills in a fast and affordable format.