When you want to learn something new, advance in your career, or prepare to follow your dreams, a certificate program can offer just the right length and intensity of study. In a recent article for the Penn Arts and Sciences magazine Omnia, senior staff at the College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) discussed how Penn LPS Online certificates are designed for working adults.
“We survey students on what they want to achieve,” says Tomea Knight, LPS senior director of strategic marketing and outreach. “It can differ from program to program. But many are trying to quickly train while working or managing other responsibilities, and they can use what they’re learning right away.”
For most standalone certificates, students complete four courses online, usually a combination of required and optional classes. They’re taught mostly asynchronously, which lets students—most of whom have other responsibilities—do the work when they have time. Each course is eight weeks, and a certificate can be completed in a year. Despite being online and coming from all over the world, students truly connect with each other and the faculty, says Knight. “There’s such diversity,” she adds. “It’s the most exciting thing.”
Certificate alumni featured in the Omnia article include: Kelley Roark (Certificate in Neuroscience), a lab technician now applying for PhD programs; Robert Marshall (Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology), an Army veteran who leads men’s wellness retreats in Montana; Nile Miller (Certificate in Data Analytics), who leveraged his projects into a full-time career in data analytics; and Katie Shelburn (Certificate in Professional Writing), who pivoted from real estate to a freelance writing career.
