Which Penn LPS Online certificate is right for you?

Penn LPS Online Certificates are short, focused programs of study designed to combine academic knowledge with practical applications. Certificates are ideal for people who would like to demonstrate professional and academic achievement without committing to a degree program—you can complete the certificate and earn academic credit in less than a year, or take courses at a pace that suits your schedule. Our certificate students join us online from all over the world and bring a wide range of educational backgrounds, careers, ambitions, and interests to the classroom.

What do you want to accomplish? Whether you want to learn a new skill, deepen your knowledge base in a specific subject, position yourself to advance or change careers, or simply feed your intellectual curiosity, you can earn a career-enhancing credential and academic credit in a year or less.

Introducing new skills-focused, career-enhancing certificates

Certificate in Digital Strategies and Culture

• 4 courses to complete
• Asynchronous courses
• Start anytime

Technology has transformed the ways we live, work, and connect with one another—and understanding the context as well as the instruments of that change is increasingly critical for us as consumers and professionals. In the Certificate in Digital Strategies and Culture, you can choose courses that best suit your personal or professional projects, exploring topics from coding to social media to public scholarship. Not only will you gain practice and expertise in digital communication and collaboration, you’ll also develop a practice of thinking critically about what it means to build communities and share information online. To learn more about how this innovative certificate evolved, visit our feature article  To thrive in the new digital landscape, you need to be more than just a user.

Certificate in Global and Regional Studies

• 4 courses to complete
• 2 additional courses to complete advanced certificate
• Asynchronous courses
• Start anytime

Our world is connected with global flows of information, money, and people—and marked by distinct cultures, different economic systems, and other separations. In the Certificate in Global and Regional Studies, you gain greater competence in understanding, analyzing, and communicating the impact of these connections and barriers. This flexible course of study offers global insight for professionals who work with multinational organizations and international clients and workforces—as well as rich historical and cultural knowledge for those driven by intellectual curiosity. 

Certificate in Science Foundations

• 4 courses to complete
• Asynchronous courses
• Start anytime

Whether we realize it or not, we all depend on the scientific method to make decisions in the real world—we use scientific reasoning to decide how to eat, how to observe and assess effectiveness at home and work, and how to manage risk during a global pandemic. The Certificate in Science Foundations is designed to give you the scientific and mathematical tools to evaluate data, apply logic, and communicate complex concepts to your workplace or community. You also gain an appreciation for biology, chemistry, and math that keeps your curious mind engaged and could serve as the foundation for further study. To learn more about the practical applications of science foundations, visit our feature article Explore everyday biology and think like a scientist in Foundations of Life Science.

Upskill Certificate

• 4 courses to complete
• 2 additional courses to complete advanced certificate
• Mostly asynchronous courses; select courses may require synchronous meetings
• Start anytime

Professional expectations and responsibilities are constantly evolving, and adults at every stage of their careers can benefit from brushing up or learning new skills to advance in the workplace or rebrand themselves professionally. “Increasingly, we’re seeing employees and even students utilizing short courses to learn more rapidly as new types of knowledge emerge,” comments Matthew Lasmanis, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at Sage Therapeutics and member of Penn LPS Online’s employer advisory board. “I see these certificates as a vehicle to stay current.”

In the Upskill certificate, you can tailor your curriculum by taking courses that complement your ambitions, choosing from subjects including communication, leadership and team management, and data analytics.

Explore our established online certificate programs

Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology

• 4 courses to complete
• 2 additional courses to complete advanced certificate
• Asynchronous courses
• Start anytime

Founded at the University of Pennsylvania, positive psychology is the scientific study of the strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive. Taught by faculty affiliated with Penn’s Positive Psychology Center, this certificate is ideal for students who want to apply positive psychology concepts to transform their workplace or community. Take Erwin Valencia: as Team Physical Therapist and Wellness Lead for the New York Knicks, Erwin sees mental and emotional well-being as integral to physical performance—and certificate courses gave him the knowledge and resources to enhance his holistic approach without interrupting his demanding schedule. For more information about the science of flourishing, read our feature article Using positive psychology to improve your personal and professional well-being.

Certificate in Climate Change

• 4 courses to complete
• Asynchronous courses
• Start anytime

Acquiring the skills to understand, prepare, and mitigate the consequences of climate change is important in many career areas, including environmental research and science, land management, state and local community planning, and policy-making at all levels of government. This certificate takes a nuanced, multidisciplinary approach to this complex and controversial topic: you’ll gain scientific knowledge to understand how the warming earth impacts the oceans and atmosphere, insight into national and international policies, and practice communicating these concepts in a range of media. To learn more about how understanding climate change can empower you to take action, read our feature article What is climate change, and what should we do about it?

Certificate in Creative Writing

• 4 courses to complete
• 2 additional courses to complete advanced certificate
• Asynchronous courses
• Start anytime

Whether you want to try your hand at storytelling, expand your communication skills in the workplace, or polish your current creative practice, your writing skills can be enhanced with experimentation, peer feedback, and revision. The Certificate in Creative Writing offers hands-on, intensive workshops which benefit experienced writers as well as students who are new to the craft. You can learn more about this interactive course format in our feature article Skill, style, and substance: How creative writing workshops fuel personal and professional growth—but don’t take our word for it! Our students, including recent college graduate Felicia Grable as well as multiple master’s degree holder Tamaira Rhodes, say that they found peer workshops welcoming and enriching.

Certificate in Data Analytics

• 4 courses to complete
• Pre-course module (3-5 hours) required
• Some synchronous meetings required
• Start by enrolling in DATA 101

Data analytics is more than manipulating large data sets; it’s a way to interpret and see relationships in information, a skill set with valuable applications in any field. In the Certificate in Data Analytics, students learn key tools and concepts by putting them to work in real-world situations, such as the exit polls and surveys analyzed by Penn’s Program for Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES). Students are also invited to develop applications that address their particular professional or personal interests. For example: for her final project, Susan Hassett created an interactive app that illustrates the correlation between zip code and school suspension rates amongst public school students in Philadelphia. For more details about how this certificate approaches complex qualitative thinking skills, read our feature article How to become a data-oriented thinker and problem-solver in the Certificate in Data Analytics.

Certificate in Leadership and Communication

• 5 courses to complete
• 2 additional courses to complete advanced certificate
• Some synchronous meetings required
• Start anytime

Leadership is essentially an interdisciplinary field, and this 5-course certificate draws from best practices in social sciences, the humanities, and even mathematics to prepare you for leadership at work or in your community. The certificate prepares you to make data-driven decisions, communicate effectively, and leverage your strengths to achieve personal and professional success—all with a deeply personalized approach that helps students identify and enhance their unique strengths and skills. To learn more about this unique program, read our feature article How to be a leader in the workplace.

Certificate in Neuroscience

• 4 courses to complete
• Pre-course module (2-10 hours) required
• Asynchronous courses
• Start by enrolling in NEUR 100

The field of neuroscience blends a strong biological knowledge of the vertebrate nervous system with psychology’s focus on behavior and perception. While this scientific field has obvious applications for those working or interested in health professions, understanding the biological basis of behavior is valuable in a wide range of fields—from social workers and human resource specialists to lawyers and journalists who specialize in issues relating to substance abuse or mental health. To learn more about the applications of neurological knowledge, read our feature article Your mind at work: Applying neuroscience in the classroom and outside of the lab.

Certificate in Organizational Anthropology

• 4 courses to complete
• Asynchronous courses
• Start anytime

Workplace culture plays a significant role in how organizations succeed in their missions, and understanding the group dynamics—from colleagues to corporations—means understanding how people form cultural norms and social expectations. There’s no better academic discipline to understand these dynamics than anthropology—and few better ways to practice team-building strategies than in an interactive online classroom among peers from all over the world. For example, in the course ORGC 201: Virtual Collaboration, students get hands-on experience forming effective groups online. Ahmad Alothman, a senior manager at a leading Islamic bank, says he was struck by the instructor’s ability to establish a culture of trust in the group so quickly. “From the first two minutes of class, I was fully engaged,” he says. “It felt like we were all on campus together in one room. Suddenly I was surrounded by strangers who it felt like I had known for a long time.” To learn more about how anthropology can enhance your understanding of workplace culture, read our feature article What Is Organizational Anthropology?

Certificate in Professional Writing

• 4 courses to complete
• 2 additional courses to complete advanced certificate
• Asynchronous courses
• Start anytime

Everyone uses professional writing skills at work, whether that involves external communications and presentations or internal interactions like text messages and email. This collaborative, hands-on certificate is designed to increase your expertise in the genres and strategies of effective communication while providing opportunities to practice and revise with focused feedback. With courses focused on topics from social media to data visualization to professional branding, you can expand your field of experience or focus on the specialized skills most relevant to your career path. To learn more about how professional writing can enhance your communication skills in any field, read our feature article In the modern workplace, everyone employs professional writing skills.

Ready to get started?

Unlike a degree program, certificates do not require a formal admissions process—all you need to get started is to complete an enrollment form. You can also enroll as a general course-taker and appreciate the flexibility of taking courses on your schedule without committing to the entire certificate—you will still be eligible to earn a certificate once you complete the requirements.

Dive deeper into all the opportunities available through Penn LPS Online by visiting our homepage.