Understanding Cornell’s Professional Certificates And Non-credit Credentials
In today’s rapidly evolving professional landscape, many individuals pursue learning opportunities beyond traditional degrees. These non-credit credentials demonstrate valuable skills and knowledge to employers, appearing prominently on resumes and professional profiles.
At Cornell University, we recognize the importance of these achievements and are committed to ensuring our non-credit credentials carry meaningful weight in the professional world. While these programs operate separately from credit-bearing degree programs, they maintain the rigorous standards expected of the Cornell name.
Why This Matters
- Employers need clear understanding of what our credentials represent
- Learners deserve recognition for their educational investments
- The value of Cornell-issued credentials must be consistently maintained
Industry Context
In the current learning marketplace, the meaning and usage of terms like “certificate” and “credential” can vary widely. Some providers use these terms for simple one-hour courses, while others apply them to intensive two-year programs. This inconsistency can create confusion about the value of non-credit credentials.
Cornell’s Approach
Through eCornell, we maintain specific standards for our non-credit credentials. This guide provides clear definitions and requirements for each credential type, ensuring employers and learners understand their significant value in the marketplace.
Through these standards, we aim to help both learners and employers better understand the significance of Cornell’s non-credit credentials while maintaining our institution’s reputation for excellence.
How do our certificate programs compare to others?
Cornell’s professional certificate programs tend to be different from other programs with a combination of attributes:
- Real-world projects: Apply what you are learning immediately in the context of your job with feedback from your facilitator
- Small Cohorts – Interact with peers: in asynchronous discussions and optional weekly live sessions.
- Facilitator-Led. Get personalized feedback and support on projects and keep discussions on track
- Flexibility. Certificate programs are designed to provide structured flexibility. Most are organized with multiple 2 week short courses so that you can organize around your work and live schedules.
- Designed for Impact. Rigorous instructional design with clear learning objectives and effective online delivery. Support from facilitators.
Digital Credential
An example of what students earn when they complete a certificate program
The following table outlines key requirements for different types of non-credit credentials from Cornell.
| Credential | Acknowledgement of Completion | Recognition of Achievement | Professional Certificate: Live or In-Person Executive Education Program | Professional Certificate: Online or Blended Program | Professional Certificate with 360 Designation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student Hours | Any amount | 12+ hours | 24-32+ hours | 40-100+ hours | 120-200+ hours |
| Grading | Confirmation of participation or completion, including auto-grading | Confirmation of participation or completion, including auto-grading | Complete Program requirements | Human Grading According to Rubric Defined by Authoring Faculty (Typically includes projects) | Human Grading According to Rubric Defined by Authoring Faculty |
| Active Instructor or Facilitator | Not required | Not required | Required | Required | Required |
A printable acknowledgement for an achievement at the micro-learning level, that is less than 40 hours of effort with validated participation and outcomes. A Letter of Completion is earned after completion of a single short-course, On-Demand lesson or other short learning experience that includes confirmation of participation or completion, including auto-grade.
A printable acknowledgement for a program achievement with validated participation and outcomes, that is a minimum of 12 hours of student effort whereby the student completed a series of mico-learning components in the form of On-Demand lessons or other learning experience that includes a confirmation of participation or completion, including auto-grade.
A printable acknowledgement for a program achievement that is a minimum of 24 hours of live student effort with validated participation, outcomes and completion of the program requirements. Includes both live synchronous online or in-person instruction. Pre and post work or client-led sessions can be included, 1 hour per ½ day session, exceptions to be made with approval by the Vice Provost of External Education. For enterprise groups, a certificate title can include theAn organization’s name or a can be included in the certificate title and is often co-branded with the organization and/or could be a custom name that reflects the program goals. i.e. Github Leadership Excellence.
A printable acknowledgment for a program achievement that is a minimum of 40 hours of student effort required with validated participation and outcomes evaluated through human grading according to a rubric defined by the authoring faculty. An organization’s name can be included in the certificate title and can be co-branded. i.e. Github Leadership Excellence.
A printable acknowledgment for a program achievement that is a minimum of 120 hours of student effort required with validated participation and outcomes evaluated through human grading according to a rubric defined by the authoring faculty. An organization’s name can be included in the certificate title and can be co-branded. i.e. Github Leadership Excellence.
Typically an 8-20 credit, stand-alone academic credential recognized by the Department of Education, comprising a set of credit-bearing courses in a specific area. Completing this block of courses counts toward the course and credit requirements of a degree offered by the same institution.