Find a graduate certificate program

What are Graduate certificate ?

Graduate certificate programs are short term programs that can range from a few weeks to a year. These are short term programs taken by students who hold a bachelor's degree and are looking to get a specialization without committing to a full Master's program.

Graduate certificate usually takes a lot less time to complete when compared to full master’s degree.

The reason to take a graduate certificate program are completely different from that of a master’s degree.

Graduate certificate: A lot of people are really interested to upgrade their skills to either get better at their job are learn new skills to get promoted to a new job. Graduate certification is the best option for this kind of people. This not only allows them to learn the specific skill they want to learn at considerably low cost compared to a full master’s degree, it will allow them to learn it in short amount of time like in 12 months or less in some cases.

Although, the certification comes at a low cost and in short time, comparing to Masters will allow people to qualify a lot of high pay jobs that doesn’t take certification into consideration. Graduate masters will take a lot of financial resources and more time compared to graduate certification programs. However, at the end of it all, graduate masters will help develop a lot more comprehensive skill set to qualify for high level jobs.

Opting to take either the certification program or master’s degree depends if you’d like to learn a new skill set for a promotion or if you’d like to get a completely new high-level job. Most organizations require a master’s degree even for entry level jobs.

Example: You can get certification to be a paralegal, however, you need to get a law degree certificate to practice as a lawyer.

So, before deciding whether to pursue a certification, you need to research if you need to decide if you need to get a higher at your current job in your current field or you want to take a leap and find an entirely new high-level job.

What is the value of a graduate certificate program? Are graduate certificate programs worth it?

Graduate certificate programs are of a great value in reality. According to Bureau of Labor statics, most of the entry level jobs on many fields requires a master’s degree and more in some cases.A graduate certificate is a worthwhile investment for your career. Investing in your graduate education can really set you apart as a distinguished professional that prioritizes staying current on industry-related topics.

For a Career change on the horizon ,considered how focused course of study and the graduate certificate program and it helps the professional transition and realize promoting new career opportunities.Graduate Certificate programs,the today's professionals can invest in graduate education in a way that works with not against their already busy lives.

You can follow the link below for further information on this research:

Is Graduate certification same as summer program?

The summer programs are different from certification. Usually, one takes a summer program to complete some credits towards the completion of their graduate program. However, as in case of certification, they’ll only get a certificate for a specific skill they’re trying to master.

Does graduate certificate help in your career?

Absolutely! Millions of Americans have a master’s degree at least 43 percent increase since 2002. Master’s degree helps you specialize in your chosen field of study and helps you stay ahead of others to get a get better job compared to bachelor’s degree. Almost all the master’s degree graduates also help you get a better pay compared to a college graduate or a bachelor’s degree graduate.

According to US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18 percent of all jobs will need a master’s degree.

Graduate Certificates offered online or in campus?

Graduate certificates are offered both online and on campus. They both require students to complete assignments and research and meet new people from around the world from different fields.

The benefits of earning a graduate certificate are as follows:

• Flexibility-Complete your certificate on campus or online.
• Affordability- Committed to making education accessible and affordable, SNHU keeps tuition low and offers financial aid to those who qualify.
• Expert instruction- Learn from accomplished faculty who bring real-world experience to the classroom.
• Dedicated advising- From day one, you can count on support from dedicated academic and career advisors.
• Student support- Take advantage of tutoring and tech support.

A graduate certificate can be an opportunity to learn new skills that support your career or keep your existing skills up to date.Earning a microcredential, like a certificate from an accredited university, is just another step you can take to gain a competitive edge in your field. Graduate certificate both the undergraduate and graduate levels, giving you the opportunity to refresh your skill set and your resume at any point in your career and educational journey.

There are many graduate certificate programs Online and On Campus and few are listed below as follows:

• Online

1. Forensic Accounting & Fraud Examination
2. Project Management
3. Public Administration
4. Biochemistry
5. Genetics
6. Mechanical Engineering

• On Campus

1. Ethics
2. English
3. Information Technology
4. Psychology
5. Communicating in Engineering and Science
6. Principles of Computer Systems

Cost and Time to do Graduate Certificates Program

Master’s degree is usually expensive compared to certifications. Master’s degree usually takes about 2 years to complete the credits.Students can generally earn a graduate certificate by taking four to six courses in a variety of fields.There are more than 58 different graduate certificate programs in only the health sciences,business and education. Without taking any extra fees for the specific program.A certificate program would eliminate the cost of at least one semester, maybe two.The certificate programs offer evening classes that are easy to fit into students schedule and the deadlines keep students writing practice honest

For the graduate Certificate Programs Financial aid and scholarships are offered by the universities and government. But those are rare. You are better off finding an employer who pays for your cerrtification. Students may have complications for no-full time and non-degree students to qualify for financial aid.The cost and investment in the resources are less far than the degree program and can have financial benefits.The problem is that a school must get U.S. Department of Education approval for each of its certificate programs individually for a program's students to be eligible.

The school must then show the credential would lead to gainful employment in order for students to qualify for student loans. Students who are in programs to update skills for a present job would not be eligible.There are other government options that may pay for graduate certificates.

Do you get a loan for Graduate Certificate program?

Federal aid, which can include grants, scholarships and loans, is typically reserved for degree-seeking students.Since graduate certificates are not degrees, many programs are ineligible for federal financial aid.Yes, most students do qualify for a loan. Most graduate students are qualified for the unsubsidized loans. However, the subsidized loans are only available for undergraduate students.When federal financial aid is not available, students seeking graduate certificates can still find ways to pay for their educations. Non-federal forms of financial aid, like private loans, scholarships through clubs and organizations and private grants are also available to certificate students. Before applying for these forms of aid, students should make sure they meet all application criteria and, in the case of private loans, make sure they have a good understanding of the loan’s interest rate and repayment process.

Companies offering incentive for graduate certificates.

Yes, most companies do offer incentives for graduate certificates.

The financial services company (most notably known for their insurance products) offers tuition assistance to employees seeking certificates, bachelor's or master’s degree. USAA values education it offers intensive training and professional development programs as well.

Employees are eligible for the benefit after being employed for 90 days. It’s reported that the tuition reimbursement is up to $10,000 per year. In the past, USAA employees have received generous bonus packages in addition to the many other benefits.

Any Financial aid offering for graduate certificates program?

Yes, grad school students are offered financial aid. To get this financial aid, they need to submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). This is essential for students in America to get any form of the financial aid. Financial aid could in the form of Scholarships, grants, Work-Study and Federal student loans. Students must fill out the FAFSA every year they’re in graduate program.

Eligibility to qualify for financial aid:

• US citizenship or green card
• SSN (Social Security Number)
• Enroll in an eligible graduate degree program or certificate program.

Some universities offer financial aid to graduate students who qualify. It could be merit based or need based.

Does employers sponsor graduate certificate programs?

This usually depends on the employer, but students most likely to receive sponsorship if the course students hoping to study is relevant to your current job and benefits the company in some way. This may be to learn new skills, or as part of continuing professional development (CPD).

Employers sponsor CPD courses for their employees to progress into more senior positions, or to keep up-to-date in fast-moving professions.If you’re currently employed at the company, some companies in USA do sponsor or reimburse the for the student loans. Companies understand the value of a well-educated employee. So, they do sponsor in some cases.

To be successful in securing employer sponsorship for courses such as MBAs, professional qualifications or conversion courses. These qualifications in particular aid an individual's career progression and the knowledge, skills and contacts gained from such programmes can enhance an organisation's success.

Pre-qualification required for certifications?

To be qualified for any graduate certification programs, following steps as follows:

1. Find a graduate certificate that interests you.
2. Browse the current certificate course offerings.
3. Enroll in a course for graduate credit when registration is open.
4. Applicant must have a bachelor’s degree.

Students outside US can take the certificate programs?

Most of our certificates can be earned completely online. However, if you would like to study on campus, you may request an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for full-time study in the summer at the all he universities.

To be eligible for the I-20 certificate, students must be registered for a total of eight on-campus graduate credits in the 7-week summer session, or four on-campus graduate credits in a 3-week summer session.

Qualified international students can apply for the certification programs as well. However, the programs to which these universities offer i20 are very limited.

Is there ratings, reviews or feedback for these certification programs?

Yes, there are few websites that offer reviews for these programs. However, these programs are limited and the only legitimate or clear information is available on usnew.com.

Can it be taken any time of the year?

Universities have specific time period for all the certificate programs. They do different time periods for different programs. However, they do have different programs throughout the year.

Students must complete courses within three years from the first day they start taking applicable courses towards their certificate. See chart below for specific start and completion semester information.

Is it prerecorded or live?

Yes,Some of the lectures are prerecorded and some are live. Online certificate programs generally follow the same basic curricula as on-campus programs. Lectures are given through video or audio recordings or transcriptions, which are available on a class website. Assignments are turned in via e-mail or other Web-based tools, and quizzes and exams are administered through the website, usually during a closed time frame. It is important to note that some online or distance learning programs have periodic on-campus meetings.

the same faculty members who teach on-campus classes also teach online certificate courses. Distance education students might benefit from interaction with their professors and classmates via online tools, such as:

• Message boards
• Chat rooms
• Email
• Video chats

In order to complete an online certificate program, students need to have specific computer hardware and software. Specific requirements vary by program, but in general, students need to have a personal computer with the following features:

• An up-to-date operating system
• A certain amount of memory
• Office software
• Antivirus software
• Speakers
• Video camera
• CD/DVD drive

However, most universities have the live lectures recorded and are available for the enrolled students.