UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State University has unveiled its stackable credentials program as a faster way for students, especially working adults, to earn a credential from the university. The program will offer stackable credentials through online learning in 27 areas of graduate study.
To earn stackable credentials, students take courses with stackable credentials to complete a graduate-level certificate of nine or 12 credits. Some of the certificates the program offers can be completed in less than a year.
“Working adults going back to school to learn new skills or a new specialization want to be able to leverage their knowledge for career advancement as soon as they can,” Renata Engel, vice provost for Online Education at Penn State, explained. “This is what the new stackable credential program does. It provides a faster pathway to demonstrate to employers what they learned and what they can do. We are committed to guiding learners through their educational journey, and stackable credentials take us in a direction that both aligns with an evolution in higher education and enhances the accessibility of a Penn State education.”
Students have the opportunity to earn their graduate certificates online through the program. Some of the areas of graduate study include artificial intelligence, engineering, data analytics, human resources, information science and psychology.
The stackable credentials are available through the Penn State World Campus, and according to the press release, the selection is the most comprehensive in graduate study among Pennsylvania universities. Penn State World Campus has been offering Penn State education for more than 25 years online. Penn State World Campus’s mission is to provide an educational experience for anyone, anytime, while focusing on flexibility, convenience and quality.
Students will also be able to combine and stack certificates in the discipline toward the completion of one of eight master’s degrees.
Applications for Penn State’s fall 2024 semester are still being accepted. The fall semester begins on Monday, Aug. 26.
