BY KAREN PEARLMAN
JANUARY 2, 2024

Earning a college degree is an important part of many people’s life goals, and even a crowning achievement for some. But degrees are not the only way to frame the higher education nexus, especially in a constantly evolving world.

Time commitments and the cost involved can be hindrances on the path to a traditional diploma from an institution — yet more reasons some seek alternative ways to gain knowledge in a subject, and why many take a path via earning a certificate.

The flexibility of certificate programs, often with the option of part-time commitment or online access, also enables students to balance education with other obligations.

Employers are not always looking to hire a person because they have a college degree.

Between 2020 and 2030, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected that about 60% of new jobs in the economy will be in occupations that don’t typically require an associate’s, bachelor’s or graduate degree. According to USBLS data, more than two-thirds of jobs are in occupations that don’t typically require a college degree.

Short-term credentials continue to be a growing business in higher education, especially with regard to community colleges. According to data from the U.S Department of Education, there are nearly 4,000 degree-granting academic institutions in the U.S., and the American Association of Community Colleges says there are more than 1,100 community colleges in the nation.

A report from New America said that in the first decade of the millennium the number of short-term certificates awarded by community colleges increased by more than 150% across the U.S. By 2010, 41% of all credentials awarded by community colleges were non-degree certificates.

Since that time, New America reports that the number of certificates awarded by all public colleges has increased by nearly 30%. This trend coincides with overall increases in U.S. students’ postsecondary attainment. As much as a quarter of the workforce has a noncredit certificate, license or another vocational award.

Certificate programs offered at community colleges and universities play a crucial role in providing skill-specific training, offering focused, practical education in specific fields, making them especially valuable for students seeking quick acquisition of job-ready skills. These programs provide an alternative to longer degree programs and cater to a diverse range of learners.

Choosing a certificate program can be a critical decision for people at different stages of their lives:

Recent high school graduates looking to certificates to offer a fast track to gaining practical, job-ready skills and entering the workforce;

Older adults who are considering a career change or seeking to advance or update their skills in an evolving job market, because of the focused curriculum and shorter duration of certificates — and also a possibility of wage increases;

Working professionals, to leverage certificate programs to upskill or reskill in their current field or a new one, without an extensive time commitment of a full degree program.

Unlike an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree that takes an entire course of study and years of investment and credit needs (typically from 60 for an associate’s degree to 120 for a bachelor’s degree and more for further graduate/post-grad work), a certificate is awarded after completing a shorter program that concentrates on a specific field of expertise.

Certificates can be composed of courses that earn university credits or they can be made up of noncredit courses. More often than not, credit certificates are in the range of six to 18 credits, says California State University San Marcos Dean of Extended Learning Godfrey Gibbison.

“Credit certificates have the advantage that the credits earned could later be applied toward the completion of a degree, and since the courses taken are listed in the university catalog it can be easier to verify the content of the courses and determine what learning took place,” Gibbison said.

CSUSM has offered certificate programs since 2003, some, like cybersecurity management and speech-language pathology prep, for credits toward degrees. The costs are higher than for the school’s career-based certificate programs. CSUSM’s pre-health profession certificate program, which allows for 52 units of credit, costs nearly $26,000.

CSUSM’s career-based certificates are less costly, starting at $549 for essentials of palliative care chaplaincy, and up to $4,500 for human resources management). Several certificates offered by the school in the health and medical academic category, are able to be used for credit as Continuing Education hours.

In some instances, credit certificates can be eligible for federal financial aid, but the main disadvantage of those is that they typically take longer to complete and are potentially cost prohibitive.

Noncredit certificates are usually of shorter duration, cost less and are hyper-focused on skills acquisition. The main advantage is the ability to acquire a new skill quickly and at low cost. However, the course of study does not earn university credits.

But since that’s not the goal of most participants and employers typically don’t care about whether they earned university credits, it’s not necessarily a deal breaker for many, he said.

Many people seek a complete curriculum developed around a chosen field of study en route to a degree, and while degrees are certainly worth the effort, earning a certificate is a consistent choice of those who want to continue learning, says Hugo Villar, dean of the Division of Extended Studies at University of California San Diego.

Villar said most individuals navigate multiple careers throughout their lives.

Villar, who has more than two decades of experience in the life sciences industry and is the president of local consulting firm Altoris, Inc., said that even those with a single career “must periodically update their skills.”

Earning a certificate in a particular skill or occupation can help people get started in a new career in an in-demand or emerging field, bolster a resume and advance careers, he said.

“A certificate… validat(es) that an individual has acquired education, training or new skills in a specific area,” he said.  Learners may seek to reskill or upskill to enter a new or expanding industry.”

Villar used as an example UCSD’s Wireless Engineering certificate, which now includes 5G technology, reflecting the school’s commitment to providing relevant courses in response to industry advancements. UCSD in the 1990s created a certificate in collaboration with Qualcomm, which was the technology of the time.

While certificates do not result in a degree, they are awarded at undergraduate and graduate levels, and most schools allow for the transfer of credits earned from a certificate into a degree program.

And while degrees offer an expanded educational experience, certificates allow students a more targeted path because they tend to be specific to a field of expertise. Like degrees, certificates can supplement careers and allow for the expansion of skill sets for those who want to sharpen their skills while working.

“A degree is something that is very structured,” Villar said. “I would argue that while degrees are something very important to your career, certificates give you additional skills that are tailored to you and differentiate you from others and update you in the field.

“A certificate can also complement a degree for someone who’s been working for some time and their field has moved into a different direction, like in computer programming. It can give you the skills to take you to the next level. Someone who’s been doing HVAC work for years may want to elevate it to another level, and with a certificate can maybe earn a higher wage.”

UCSD’s Extended Studies program has been in existence since 1969, with thousands of learners participating in its programs. The school currently serves about 40,000 annually, and Villar said that since the beginning of this year, close to 1,500 learners have earned certificates on nearly 100 diverse topics including arts, languages, business, healthcare, engineering, data sciences, life sciences, and basic sciences.

Certain certificates are developed as part of custom programs where employers approach the school with the need to retrain their workforce in new technologies, adapt to changes in business direction, or create a cohort of future leaders, Villar said.

“Our Department of Corporate Education and Custom Training collaborates with individual organizations to identify skill gaps in their workforce and develop programs aimed at eliminating those gaps,” he said. “This crucial function ensures the availability of a highly skilled and vibrant workforce for our community’s economic development.”

Certificates are typically less expensive due to their shortened time commitment. Villar said UCSD’s certificates can range from $3,000 to $4,000, with individual classes that are part of the certificate program coming in at $500 to $750.

Brandon Gregory, senior director of professional and continuing education at the University of San Diego, said certificate costs come in ranges, “with some being several thousand if they are in partnership with an organization outside of USD.”

He said typically certificates will range from $1,200 to $2,500 for the entire certificate and that the school’s Division of Professional and Continuing Education (PCE) offers more than 30 professional certificates in the areas of education, business, engineering and health care.

“PCE certificates focus on providing learners with specific and real-world skills that are related to their field of interest and provide them the tools and skills that they could use on the job the next day,” he said. “Certificate programs are typically shorter in duration than a typical degree, do not require an application or submission of academic transcripts and are often priced differently than a typical degree program. USD takes great care to design in-demand certificate programs that are immediately applicable to a profession. Certificate programs are not designed to replace degree programs.”

Since offering the first certificate program in 2013, nearly 2,100 students have completed a USD PCE certificate, Gregory said.

San Diego State University currently offers 30 certificate programs through SDSU Global Campus related to topics that include public health, geographic information science, professional writing, data science, meeting and event planning.

The cost of each certificate program varies and ranges from about $3,000 for most professional certificates to about $36,000 for the most advanced certificate programs.

Jamie Brownlee-Turgeon, Point Loma Nazarene University’s vice provost of operations for graduate and professional studies said PLNU currently offers certificates in our School of Education, and has been doing so for more than a decade but more are planned for the future.

“We are actually looking to expand our certificate offerings in the Fermanian School of Business and in our College of Health Sciences in the coming year,” Brownlee-Turgeon said.

Price points are different at other universities across the county, but from a financial investment perspective, none can compete with what San Diego County’s local community colleges are able to provide for those looking to earn certificates.

Anne Krueger, interim director of public information, government and community relations at the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, said that many students can attend for free through the “Grossmont-Cuyamaca College Promise.”

With The Promise, all California residents enrolled full-time are eligible for two years of free tuition and mandatory fees, with no income requirement.

In general, programs at Grossmont College are $46/unit and related fees, and that for non-credit certifications, including Grossmont’s drone flight school, drone cinematography and mapping, the cost is free, said Javier Ayala, dean of workforce and career education at Grossmont College.

Ayala knows firsthand about certificates and what they can do to advance careers.

Ayala started with a certificate in banking at a community college in the 1990s and eventually earned a PhD in Education. He is vice president of the Lemon Grove School District Board, an East County Chamber of Commerce board member, chair of the East County Economic Development Council Skills Workforce Committee and chair of the Grossmont Union High School District Career Technical Education Advisory Committee.

“For those already in the workforce, certificates are invaluable for career advancement and staying aligned with evolving industry demands, particularly in rapidly changing sectors like technology and healthcare,” Ayala said. “This adaptability is essential in today’s dynamic job market. Moreover, certificate programs are generally more cost-effective than longer degree programs, offering a practical and economical path for individuals to enhance their skills.

“These programs often serve as stepping stones to continued education, with earned credits applicable towards associate or bachelor’s degrees, providing a progressive educational path.”

At Grossmont’s sister campus, Cuyamaca College, more than 80 certificate programs across a wide spectrum are available.

Jeanie M. Machado Tyler, vice president of instruction at Cuyamaca College, said that each semester, the school serves nearly 8,000 students and that for the academic year 2022-23, the college awarded degrees and certificates to 1,054 students.

A five-year average, from 2018-19 to 2022-23 shows that Cuyamaca awarded about 200 certificates, which mean that approximately 19% of the awards are for certificate programs, she said.

“Historically, due to certificate programs being directly related to a specific job or career, you would primarily find certificate programs concentrated in career education,” Machado Tyler said. “Cuyamaca offers certificate programs in both career education and academic transfer areas.”

Offering just over 80 certificate programs, CC offers certificates across the spectrum of programs of study, including accounting, water treatment/wastewater, automotive technology, computer aided drafting and design, Kumeyaay studies, ornamental horticulture and real estate.

Ben Gamboa, associate dean of career education at MiraCosta College, said the average age of students at the school is “over 25 — indicating that students are starting and returning to college at different times of their lives.”

MiraCosta, which will celebrate its 90th year in 2024, offers more than 100 credit certificates that prepare students for employment in high-wage, high-demand jobs — not just in coastal North County San Diego where the school is located, but also across the broader San Diego region.

“These fields include accounting, administration of justice, automotive technology, biotechnology, business, early childhood education, computer science, cybersecurity, design and engineering, digital media, horticulture, hospitality and tourism, kinesiology and nursing,” Gamboa said.

Many students at MiraCosta are considered “short-term career education students,” Gamboa said, meaning they intend to take just a few classes toward a certificate of proficiency to develop new skills and improve their employability. Those students, on average, boost their wages by 20% after that short time at MiraCosta, he said.

He said that certificates of achievement are designed to prepare students for employment in specific career areas, and in developing certificates, MiraCosta faculty collaborate with industry and employer representatives to identify the knowledge, skills and competencies needed for success in all aspects of a trade or occupation.

“This helps ensure that the certificates are designed to meet employer needs so graduates are highly competitive in the labor market upon graduation,” Gamboa said.

By adding general education to coursework, students can often turn their certificate into a full associate degree in that career area. For example, he said that in the case of biotechnology, students can stack their certificates to gain admission to MiraCosta’s biomanufacturing baccalaureate program.

With seven campuses in San Diego, from Barrio Logan to Mira Mesa, the San Diego Community College District’s College of Continuing Education is one of the leading providers of tuition-free workforce training in the region.

Career training certificates from SDCCD’s College of Continuing Education include many skilled and technical trades like plumbing and welding in high-demand sectors such as healthcare, information technology (including cybersecurity and system and server administration) and automotive technology.

It also offers business-focused certificates, including small business planning, small business growth and business sales.

Students completing a certificate program at the San Diego College of Continuing Education earn on average $4,700 more annually than someone with just a high school diploma, said Dr. Tina King, the college’s president.

Its career education programs pump nearly a quarter-billion dollars annually into the regional economy.

The most recent numbers shared by the National Center for Education Statistics show some changes in the number of certificates conferred between 2010-11 and 2020-21, and noted that they differed by control of institution – public, private nonprofit or private for-profit.

Between 2010-11 and 2020-21, the number of certificates conferred increased at public institutions by 34% (from 519,700 to 696,200); decreased at private for-profit institutions by 43% (from 474,200 to 268,000); and showed no consistent trend at private nonprofit institutions.

At private nonprofit institutions, the number of certificates conferred peaked at 46,100 in 2014-15. Between 2014-15 and 2020-21, this number decreased by 41% to 27,200, which was lower than the number conferred in 2010-11 (36,500).

With these changes in the number of certificates conferred, the proportion of certificates conferred by institutional control also changed between 2010-11 and 2020-21. Specifically, the proportion of all certificates conferred increased at public institutions (from 50% to 70%); decreased at private for-profit institutions (from 46% to 27%; and showed no consistent trend at private nonprofit institutions.

Over this period, the proportion of certificates conferred at private nonprofit institutions peaked at 5% in 2014-15 and then decreased to 3% in 2020-21.

While academic certificates are different from certifications – which are typically awarded by a professional association or independent organization to certify a worker in a particular industry – National University offers both, and the school is working to fit both into degree programs.

Embedding certificates and certifications into degree programs is another way National University president and CEO Mark Milliron says the school creates the “most deeply valuable and rich experience in education.”

National University is a veteran-founded nonprofit school which caters to veterans and those who are working while studying. The school has been offering certificates in different spaces for about 10 years and currently offers nearly 125 different certificate programs.

“Certificates can be great opportunities for students of all ages and serve different purposes for people,” Milliron said. “For some, a certificate is the first step on the road to their academic journey. It is a low-lost, shorter commitment that allows people to try out learning, gain some workforce skills and knowledge that can be applied to jobs, such as entry level positions.”

The majority of NU’s certificate offerings include courses with the school’s Workforce Education Solutions Professional and Continuing Education. The school also offers certificates with its Sanford Academies as well as academic certificates.

NU’s 20-week/200-hour professional certificate in construction management costs $3,450, leading to the industry-recognized construction manager in training certification, while also stacking for academic credit into the B.S. in construction management, allowing students to earn credit for three academic courses.

One of its offerings is free: a suite of six-week Google Career Certificate courses across its undergraduate and graduate programs. Because of NU’s collaboration with Google, current students, employees and alumni can be certified as they learn job-ready skills across six in-demand fields: cybersecurity, data analytics, project management, digital marketing and e-commerce, IT support and UX design.