Explore degree alternatives

Badges support fast-paced skill development

Badges may recognize completion of a single course or assessment, or may articulate abilities developed in the context of coursework. Badges hold two distinctions from the larger alternative credential landscape: (1) their focus on singular skills, and (2) their wholly digital configuration. Badges are meant to be shared easily on digital platforms to substantiate students’ abilities. Popular topic areas include business, STEM, and communications. Institutions are also experimenting with badges to demonstrate development of universal skills (also known as soft skills), reflecting demand for more graduates with skills like communication and leadership.

The lack of a standard definition of badges and their varying uses has resulted in a range of structures. For example, independently offered badges may charge a fee, such as the $25 assessment fee to earn a badge through the University Learning Store. Institutions may award badges to articulate skills gained within existing coursework, and therefore bestow badges at no charge beyond course tuition. Institutions can also describe course sequences as “badges” instead of certificates. Any individual or organization can award “open badges” tracked by Mozilla. The democratization of digital badges has contributed to a robust, albeit confusing landscape, resulting in questions of their perceived value.

Bootcamps support employer’s fast-evolving demands

Adapt programs with below-average completion rates and above-average course enrollments to attract students who lack time to enroll in a 12- to 18-month program.

Bootcamps allow students to gain concrete skills within weeks, as opposed to the months- and years-long commitments required for certificates and degrees. Intensive bootcamps are typically one to two weeks, allowing students to complete a program rapidly. In exchange for quick, just-in time learning, students are often willing to pay more compared to a more traditional program.

Bootcamps can award alternative credentials (e.g., certificate, badge) upon completion, or award no credential at all. Attendees prioritize skill development over credentials’ recognition or prestige. Skill demonstration during the bootcamp ensures graduates can communicate a program’s value to employers, or articulate skill development to a range of audiences. This demonstration can include portfolio development, mock exercises, or applied learning (e.g., business proposal). While the bootcamp market has experienced notable closures (e.g., Iron Yard’s closure in summer 2017), bootcamp enrollments and revenues have continued to climb, as shown above for the predominant coding bootcamps. More coding bootcamps launched in 2017 than closed, with 15 new providers reported relative to only six closures.

Certificates remain catchall for non-degree learning

Professional and adult education units have reported trouble positioning certificate programs to students and employers. Ultimately, a “certificate” signals the document received upon completion but often lacks information about the academic rigor, experience, learning outcomes, and skills gained by non-degree programs. The market confusion around certificates has resulted in the proliferation of terms that described similar short-format education. Examples include MicroMasters, Nanodegrees, and Diplomas. The lack of standardization in short-format education has further muddled the perceived value of a “certificate.”

Institutions offer an array of terms to describe completion of a course series:

• Badges
• Course Sequences
• Credentials of Readiness
• Diplomas
• E-Credentials
• MicroBachelors
• MicroMasters
• Mini Degrees
• Nanodegrees
• Specializations
• Standalone Concentrations

MicroMasters update, but do not upend certificate model

Students can earn a MicroMasters by completing four- to eight graduate-level courses via edX and its university partners. MicroMasters serve as an independent credential similar to a certificate but can also transfer credit into a master’s programs at edX partner universities.

The fully online credentials require approximately eight weeks per course for the up to eight courses. Students can complete courses at no cost but must pay for all verified course certificates to receive a MicroMasters. As of 2018, the least expensive total program cost was $716 for a Marketing Analytics MicroMasters from UC-Berkeley; the most expensive was $1,500 for the Analytics: Essential Tools and Methods program from Georgia Tech.

Nanodegrees growing but outcomes uncertain

Udacity awards the only credentials branded as “nanodegrees.” Nanodegrees recognize students’ completion of project-based courses, a series of which typically require six to twelve months to finish. Most nanodegrees cost under $3,000. Nanodegrees appeal to students who must develop new skills quickly, and whose employers will place greater value on demonstrated ability than a recognizable credential. Most often programs of this kind benefit professionals upskilling in place or seeking promotion. Most nanodegrees are in technology subjects, and advertise employer collaborators including AT&T, Google, and GitHub. The technology-focused curriculum and industry partnerships inherently support greater brand awareness in technology than other industries.

With focus on employers, available Nanodegrees grew over 500% in four years

Unfamiliar credentials especially require student to communicate skills gained by non-degree programs

Memorial University found that employers were more likely to interview students who discuss coursework in terms of competencies than subject matter or academic field. See how they teach students skills-oriented vocabulary via the syllabus to articulate skills gained by non-degree programs.