Should You Complete a Graduate Certificate?
A graduate certificate can give your bachelor’s a boost. If it’s been a few years since earning your degree and you would like to showcase new skills or a deeper specialization, a postsecondary certificate may be a great fit. It can be a fast track to gaining an edge in interviews and reaching your next career goals. Here’s what you should know about earning a graduate certificate.
Why Earn a Graduate Certificate?
Get many of the big perks of a graduate degree without the big commitment. Some students opt for a graduate certificate because it can be easier to fit into busy schedules. Others may choose this non-degree path to gain new skills or meet continuing education (CE) requirements. Either way, it reflects a mastery of a key focus area.
Benefits of a Graduate Certificate
Shorter Application Process: Prospective students are not required to provide Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores.
Shorter Timeframe for Completion: Such certificates can be completed in as little as two semesters. It’s a big difference when compared to a traditional master’s degree, which can take two years to complete.
Lighter commitment: It’s a lighter course load than most graduate-level degree programs. For instance, a thesis or internship is usually not necessary.
Buildable: Certificates can often be applied toward a master’s degree down the road.
Graduate Certificates for Growing Career Fields
Accounting Graduate Certificate: Crunch those numbers with new credentials.This graduate-level courseworkcan help you earn and showcase new skills, such as advanced auditing, federal taxation tactics, cost accounting, ethics, regulatory principles, and more. It can also help you work toward earning your CPA.
Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Graduate Certificate:Become a FNP specialist. Sharpen your physiology, pathophysiology and pediatric skills. And take steps toward your role as an advanced care provider. Such programs are commonly offered to Registered Nurses (RNs).After completion of the program, you’ll also be eligible to take the FNP national boards.
Business Intelligence and Analytics Graduate Certificate: Dive deeper into data.This certificate program is a great match for business analysts, digital marketers, project managers, and other IT professionals. The coursework may cover analytics of all kinds: supply chain, marketing, social media, and more. It’s everything you need to help businesses make data-driven decisions.
Admissions Requirements of a Graduate Certificate
Graduate-level certificate programs require a bachelor’s degree. Prospective students may also need to be accepted to the graduate school. That said, it is typically an abbreviated application process. Consisting of approximately 14 credit hours of coursework, it is certainly a lighter overall program than a graduate-level degree.
BE MATCHED WITH A GRADUATE CERTIFICATE FOR YOUR CAREER GOALS
Amp up your earning power! With a graduate certificate, you can enter an emerging field or head toward career advancement. It opens a new door of possibilities. Let us help you find that door. These are just a few of the countless postsecondary options and in-demand career paths available. Enrollment Advisor features the top schools and flexible degree programs to fit busy adult student schedules and so much more.
