Insights into Post-baccalaureate Certificates

Nationally, microcredentials are receiving increasing attention as avenues for reskilling and upskilling. Postsecondary institutions have begun to explore new models of master’s education built on “micro-master’s” degrees or other stackable credentials. Over the last several years, there has been an increased enrollment in graduate certificate programs. Using data from the Council of Graduate Schools’ Master’s Exit Survey project, this brief provides insights into post-baccalaureate certificates and the role they play in entry into master’s degree programs.

Key Takeaways

• Certificate students represent a diverse group in terms of gender and race/ethnicity.
• By field of study, certificates are particularly concentrated in data analytics, data science, project management, and teaching.
• Students are pursuing certificates in fields that meet workforce demands, particularly in fields like data analytics and data science. Certificates likely play a role as credentials for entering the workforce as well as reskilling and upskilling to meet current workforce needs.
• Earning credentials can be a way for students to initiate a master’s degree and earn credits toward the degree. However, findings from this study suggest that very few students used this pathway to enter master’s programs. Only 10% of survey respondents held certificates before pursuing a master’s degree and 6.5% of those reported transferring certificate credits toward the master’s degree. The idea that earning credentials could be a cost-effective way of moving into a master’s program may not be the case. It’s important for higher education institutions to pay more attention to how certificate programs and master’s programs could align.
• Master’s students pursued graduate certificates while enrolled in their master’s program. As such, only 9% of survey respondents indicated that they were interested in pursuing certificates after completing a master’s degree.