Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Do Undergraduate Certificates add any value?
#1
I'm just curious if undergraduate certificates add any value in the real world?

I personally have one and it is in marketing and I haven't had much success in terms of getting jobs or anything with it.

But I don't have years of experience and knowledge and also I'm just one person. Just wanted to know if anyone else had any thoughts.

I was thinking of maybe earning a certificate or two along with my TESU degree, but now I'm thinking that seems pointless. But also I'm just curious about undergraduate certificates in general.
Reply
#2
There aren't many jobs that require an undergraduate or graduate certificate. Many times, people just need the additional credits, and it makes sense to just get the certificate. There are some cases when having a certificate is necessary to show employers that you meet the educational requirements. 

For example, you have a business administration degree without an accounting concentration. You want to apply for a job that requires an accounting or an equivalent degree. Putting an undergraduate certificate in accounting on your application might prevent the HR software from screening you out. If a human is reviewing your application, then he or she will likely come to the conclusion that a BBA plus an undergraduate certificate in accounting is equivalent to a BBA in accounting. 

In a small number of fields, the undergraduate certificate has more direct value. Many paralegals and legal assistants only have an undergraduate certificate in paralegal studies. Many have an unrelated bachelor's degree plus an undergraduate certificate in paralegal studies. So, you'll see many job ads in this field list an undergraduate certificate or a bachelor's degree plus an undergraduate certificate as an educational requirement.
Graduate of Not VUL or ENEB
MS, MSS and Graduate Cert
AAS, AS, BA, and BS
CLEP
Intro Psych 70, US His I 64, Intro Soc 63, Intro Edu Psych 70, A&I Lit 64, Bio 68, Prin Man 69, Prin Mar 68
DSST
Life Dev Psych 62, Fund Coun 68, Intro Comp 469, Intro Astr 56, Env & Hum 70, HTYH 456, MIS 451, Prin Sup 453, HRM 62, Bus Eth 458
ALEKS
Int Alg, Coll Alg
TEEX
4 credits
TECEP
Fed Inc Tax, Sci of Nutr, Micro, Strat Man, Med Term, Pub Relations
CSU
Sys Analysis & Design, Programming, Cyber
SL
Intro to Comm, Microbio, Acc I
Uexcel
A&P
Davar
Macro, Intro to Fin, Man Acc
[-] The following 1 user Likes sanantone's post:
  • Muldoon
Reply
#3
In most instances, it's not of value - especially in and of itself. A certificate in Marketing isn't going to help much if you don't have a BSBA, for instance. Taking a few marketing courses isn't going to make you a top candidate for a marketing job, if they want a degree - a cert just isn't going to cut it. I don't think I've ever seen a company specifically ask for a marketing cert.

For some occupations, a cert is more than enough - they just want to know that you took all of the qualifications for the job. Many jobs in the medical field only require a cert for instance. But it's a terminal degree - meaning there isn't an AA or BA to get after that. For example, a Phlebotomist. You don't need an BA or even an AA to get a job. You just need to take the classes and pass an exam, and you get a certificate that you can then get a job with.
TESU BSBA/HR 2018 - WVNCC BOG AAS 2017 - GGU Cert in Mgmt 2000
EXAMS: TECEP Tech Wrtg, Comp II, LA Math, PR, Computers  DSST Computers, Pers Fin  CLEP Mgmt, Mktg
COURSES: TESU Capstone  Study.com Pers Fin, Microecon, Stats  Ed4Credit Acct 2  PF Fin Mgmt  ALEKS Int & Coll Alg  Sophia Proj Mgmt The Institutes - Ins Ethics  Kaplan PLA
Reply
#4
(12-02-2018, 03:58 AM)dfrecore Wrote: In most instances, it's not of value - especially in and of itself.  A certificate in Marketing isn't going to help much if you don't have a BSBA, for instance.  Taking a few marketing courses isn't going to make you a top candidate for a marketing job, if they want a degree - a cert just isn't going to cut it.  I don't think I've ever seen a company specifically ask for a marketing cert.

For some occupations, a cert is more than enough - they just want to know that you took all of the qualifications for the job.  Many jobs in the medical field only require a cert for instance.  But it's a terminal degree - meaning there isn't an AA or BA to get after that.  For example, a Phlebotomist.  You don't need an BA or even an AA to get a job.  You just need to take the classes and pass an exam, and you get a certificate that you can then get a job with.

Do you mean a certificate or certification? You can earn a certificate in pharmacy tech at a college, and you can earn a certification in pharmacy tech from various organizations (PTCB is the only one that matters). The certification is what you really need to get a job and comply with state laws.
Graduate of Not VUL or ENEB
MS, MSS and Graduate Cert
AAS, AS, BA, and BS
CLEP
Intro Psych 70, US His I 64, Intro Soc 63, Intro Edu Psych 70, A&I Lit 64, Bio 68, Prin Man 69, Prin Mar 68
DSST
Life Dev Psych 62, Fund Coun 68, Intro Comp 469, Intro Astr 56, Env & Hum 70, HTYH 456, MIS 451, Prin Sup 453, HRM 62, Bus Eth 458
ALEKS
Int Alg, Coll Alg
TEEX
4 credits
TECEP
Fed Inc Tax, Sci of Nutr, Micro, Strat Man, Med Term, Pub Relations
CSU
Sys Analysis & Design, Programming, Cyber
SL
Intro to Comm, Microbio, Acc I
Uexcel
A&P
Davar
Macro, Intro to Fin, Man Acc
Reply
#5
(12-02-2018, 02:19 AM)natshar Wrote: I'm just curious if undergraduate certificates add any value in the real world?

I personally have one and it is in marketing and I haven't had much success in terms of getting jobs or anything with it.

But I don't have years of experience and knowledge and also I'm just one person. Just wanted to know if anyone else had any thoughts.

I was thinking of maybe earning a certificate or two along with my TESU degree, but now I'm thinking that seems pointless. But also I'm just curious about undergraduate certificates in general.

Value-add in the real world? Impossible to say.

But, should you add one with your TESU degree?

I think that's a valid question, and my answer would be that most traditional college students have a major in something. A major would represent roughly 10 classes. A minor may represent 4-6, so a certificate that includes 4 classes would be similar in depth as a minor.

Now, if you take away the degree and ONLY come at a job with a certificate (of roughly 4 classes) you can see how that represents a lot less education than someone with a degree/major/minor - and when you compare that way, it looks a lot less useful. (that's a generalization of course)

In my opinion, a degree is the biggie- you want that. If you don't have a major, then certificates may fill that need, especially if they are specific to the kind of field you're really interested in.

Ex- degree in business with a major in marketing and a certificate in social media marketing.

That string of credentials would show me exactly what kind of specialization you have and what kind of job you want.
Reply
#6
(12-02-2018, 11:32 AM)cookderosa Wrote:
(12-02-2018, 02:19 AM)natshar Wrote: I'm just curious if undergraduate certificates add any value in the real world?

I personally have one and it is in marketing and I haven't had much success in terms of getting jobs or anything with it.

But I don't have years of experience and knowledge and also I'm just one person. Just wanted to know if anyone else had any thoughts.

I was thinking of maybe earning a certificate or two along with my TESU degree, but now I'm thinking that seems pointless. But also I'm just curious about undergraduate certificates in general.

Value-add in the real world? Impossible to say.  

But, should you add one with your TESU degree?  

I think that's a valid question, and my answer would be that most traditional college students have a major in something.  A major would represent roughly 10 classes.  A minor may represent 4-6, so a certificate that includes 4 classes would be similar in depth as a minor.  

Now, if you take away the degree and ONLY come at a job with a certificate (of roughly 4 classes) you can see how that represents a lot less education than someone with a degree/major/minor - and when you compare that way, it looks a lot less useful.  (that's a generalization of course)

In my opinion, a degree is the biggie- you want that.  If you don't have a major, then certificates may fill that need, especially if they are specific to the kind of field you're really interested in.  

Ex- degree in business with a major in marketing and a certificate in social media marketing.

That string of credentials would show me exactly what kind of specialization you have and what kind of job you want.


I have seen a few colleges starting to use “Certificates” as stackable credentials building to a degree in all three levels (AS, BS, MS).   These are the neatest versions.
 
I have numerous professional “Certifications” with continuing education requirements.  I find undergraduate Certificates a very useful focus for these and not just talking random courses without any credentials.  I call this a two for one deal.
 
I find undergraduate Certificates a useful focus for Life Long Learning.  
Non-Traditional Undergraduate College Credits (634 SH): *FTCC Noncourse Credits (156 SH) *DSST (78 SH) *CPL (64 SH) *JST Military/ACE (48 SH) *CBA (44 SH) *CLEP (42 SH) *FEMA IS (40 SH) *FEMA EM (38 SH) *ECE/UExcel (30 SH) *PLA Portfolio (28 SH) *EMI/ACE (19 SH) *TEEX/ACE (16 SH) *CWE (11 SH) *NFA/ACE (10 SH) *Kaplan/ACE (3 SH) *CPC (2 SH) *AICP/ACE (2 SH) *Sophia/ACE (2 SH) and *FRTI-UM/ACE (1 SH).
Non-Traditional Graduate College Credits (14 SH): AMU (6 SH); NFHS (5 SH); and JSU (3 SH).
 





[-] The following 1 user Likes Life Long Learning's post:
  • hsfamfun
Reply
#7
Natalie, I would think a certificate will get the ball rolling in many occasions, it's not the "ideal solution" for the future, but for the "right now" crowd. If I was in your shoes, I would work on three things - the same three I tell everyone. 1) Certificate 2) Degree, 3) Experience

1) Certificates/Certifications - these are the credentials for those smaller commitments/educational hurdles to get a better/faster paycheck or raise. These are the things that get you in the door for entry level and let you go beyond that first step. I've been upgrading myself with cheap biz & it certificates/certifications.

2) Degree - longer-term commitment/educational goal that will get you to the place you want to be in down the road. Even those check in the box degrees (like a BALS no concentration) is required for most companies, since you have a couple of Associates, working on the Bachelors is a no-brainer to get up that corp ladder.

3) Experience - in order to get into the "ideal" position you want, they look at the experience portion. This is what I tell people to work on most if they're at a younger age. Individuals can pursue their educational goals while getting the exp they need by doing co-ops, or working f/t and getting an online education by test-out or competency-based programs.
In Progress: Walden MBA | TESU BA Biology & Computer Science
Graduate Certificate: Global Management & Entrepreneurship, ASU (Freebie)

Completed: TESU ASNSM Biology, BSBA (ACBSP Accredited 2017)
Universidad Isabel I: ENEB MBA, Big Data & BI, Digital Marketing & E-Commerce
Certs: 6Sigma/Lean/Scrum, ITIL | Cisco/CompTIA/MTA | Coursera/Edx/Udacity

The Basic Approach | Plans | DegreeForum Community Supported Wiki
~Note~ Read/Review forum posts & Wiki Links to Sample Degree Plans
Degree Planning Advice | New To DegreeForum? How This Area Works

[Image: e7P9EJ4.jpeg]
Reply
#8
(12-02-2018, 03:58 AM)dfrecore Wrote: In most instances, it's not of value - especially in and of itself.  A certificate in Marketing isn't going to help much if you don't have a BSBA, for instance.  Taking a few marketing courses isn't going to make you a top candidate for a marketing job, if they want a degree - a cert just isn't going to cut it.  I don't think I've ever seen a company specifically ask for a marketing cert.

For some occupations, a cert is more than enough - they just want to know that you took all of the qualifications for the job.  Many jobs in the medical field only require a cert for instance.  But it's a terminal degree - meaning there isn't an AA or BA to get after that.  For example, a Phlebotomist.  You don't need an BA or even an AA to get a job.  You just need to take the classes and pass an exam, and you get a certificate that you can then get a job with.

Yeah for sure I already knew about skills certificates that get you a job without a degree. My CC had a bunch of them in fields like construction, video production, dental assisting, medical billing, etc. I know they can be good for someone doesn't want to waste their time with gen eds and get right to work.

But I was more focusing this post on getting certificate in addition to a Bachelors degree.

Truth is my certificate was only 12 credits, 4 courses. And I CLEP'ed out of one, substituted one for a course having nothing to do with marketing, and one was taught by the worst teacher I ever had and I didn't learn a thing. So I don't think my knowledge in marketing is that great.
Reply
#9
Certificates on their own add little value, but they are good at boosting a BA/BS. Let's say you have a management degree but also completed certificates in accounting and finance. That would help.
MA in progress
Certificate in the Study of Capitalism - University of Arkansas
BS, Business  Administration - Ashworth College
Certificates in Accounting & Finance 
BA, Regents Bachelor of Arts - West Virginia University
AAS & AGS
Reply
#10
Someone on this forum (davewill?) does hiring and said that a certificate in something is better than an Associates in that, because certificates require UL courses and Associate degrees don't.

I think that a certificate with a BSBA is similar to adding a concentration, although not quite as good as a concentration.

(12-02-2018, 01:20 PM)natshar Wrote: Truth is my certificate was only 12 credits, 4 courses. And I CLEP'ed out of one, substituted one for a course having nothing to do with marketing, and one was taught by the worst teacher I ever had and I didn't learn a thing. So I don't think my knowledge in marketing is that great.

Yeah, true, some certificates are even less than 12 credits. But others are 15, 18, or more credits.

Even if you don't know too much, I think it shows that you have some interest and aptitude for learning the subject.

Reply


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  10 Certificates To Put On Your Resume In 2024 LevelUP 0 97 03-27-2024, 09:15 AM
Last Post: LevelUP
  Inexpensive Certificates, Diplomas, Degrees bjcheung77 1 404 02-20-2024, 01:13 AM
Last Post: mancheseter24
  Meta to offer new professional certificates through Coursera MNomadic 9 1,278 06-23-2022, 06:22 PM
Last Post: MNomadic
  Google's new $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund MNomadic 19 2,074 05-03-2022, 09:41 PM
Last Post: MNomadic
  Business Certificates Alpha 7 1,269 11-01-2021, 11:15 AM
Last Post: sanantone
  U of the People Launches First Certificates harrypotter 9 1,686 06-18-2021, 10:54 AM
Last Post: sacredrain
Thumbs Up How do you list certificates on Resume and LinkedIn? Vle045 2 674 05-04-2021, 04:05 PM
Last Post: dfrecore
  University of Pennsylvania is offering a fully online undergraduate degree program. nyvrem 38 3,693 02-25-2021, 02:16 AM
Last Post: Kab
  Harvard Extension's new online Academic Gap Year and undergrad certificates DIGI-212 4 1,466 06-26-2020, 01:56 AM
Last Post: Stoic
  The 90 Credit Limit and Multiple Undergraduate Degrees retro 16 2,684 11-10-2019, 05:57 PM
Last Post: tjguitar85

Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)