Microcredential Frequently Asked Questions
For questions, please contact microcred@sunybroome.edu.
About Microcredentials
A microcredential is a skill set focused on a specific career path or discipline, earned in a shorter timeframe than a certificate or degree.
It can be an ideal leg up for those new to the workforce or those looking to pivot in their careers.
A microcredential is not necessarily a self-contained course – it may be a short series of regularly-offered SUNY Broome courses, and students not enrolled in the microcredential may be taking the class as well.
Microcredentials can be for anyone.
If you’re unemployed, a microcredential can help you build a basic set of marketable skills to get your foot into the employment market door, or get a taste for the options available at SUNY Broome and pursue a certificate or an associate’s degree.
If you’re working, a microcredential can help you build on your existing skills to get a new job, a promotion or a raise, or see what certificates or degrees SUNY Broome can offer you to re-tool or re-skill for a new career direction.
Earning a microcredential involves taking one or more pre-selected classes at SUNY Broome and satisfying course requirements such as reading, discussion participation, projects and more.
Courses have a set class time, but will also require independent work, and that amount of time will vary by class.
It depends on the selected microcredential, but most can be completed in one to two semesters of part-time study. Non-credit microcredentials take as little as a couple of weeks.
A semester is half an academic year. The fall semester begins in late August and concludes in mid-December. The spring semester begins in mid-January and ends in mid-May. A summer session is sometimes held, with select courses offered in a shorter time frame. Some fall or spring semester courses may be offered in shorter time frames such as seven weeks.
SUNY Broome does not currently offer any on-demand microcredentials. Credit microcredentials follow the SUNY Broome academic calendar, meaning you must enroll in advance of the first day of classes for that semester.
Registering for Microcredentials
No – microcredentials offer open enrollment. A few have prerequisites, meaning that a lower-level course must be taken first (or you must have approval from the instructor), before enrollment in a higher-level course is allowed.
Several of SUNY Broome’s microcredentials, both credit and non-credit, are part of a series. It’s best to start with the foundation course for each series (spreadsheets, HTML/CSS, medical coding). However, if you have previous experience, you may be admitted to the second or third level of the series with permission of the instructor.
Paying for Microcredentials
The cost varies – some non-credit microcredentials cost as little as $129, while multi-credit microcredentials can range from $2,268 to $6,000. View Microcredential Pricing (pdf) to calculate your credit tuition and fees.
Matriculated students (degree-seeking students enrolled at Broome) may apply their financial aid toward microcredentials.
Non-matriculated students (students not enrolled in a degree or certificate program) seeking a microcredential may apply for part-time TAP (Tuition Assistance Program). View more information about TAP.
Non-credit microcredential courses are not currently eligible for financial aid, whether you are a matriculated student or not.
Leveraging Microcredentials
Microcredentials allow you to build specific skill sets without the time or financial commitment required of a certificate or degree program.
They’re also an ideal way to explore whether a career or industry you’re considering is right for you.
Your microcredential course title can be listed under education, “other professional skills” or “training and certifications” on your print resume.
On LinkedIn or an electronic resume, microcredential badge holders can link to a verified Credly badge to show course completion.
Potential employers viewing your microcredential badge can link to the badge’s corresponding page on Credly.com, which explains course requirements and outcomes in depth.
View more in-depth instructions on showcasing your microcredential.
Types of Instruction
In-person instruction means the microcredential courses are offered only via live, in-classroom instruction on the SUNY Broome campus in Binghamton, NY.
Online instruction means the microcredential course is available fully online — you can live anywhere and enroll, as long as you have internet access.
Asynchronous instruction means you can work at your own pace once the course has been opened for the semester.
Hyflex instruction offers students the option of attending a course in person, online (remote) synchronously, or online asynchronously – and students may choose their preferred option for each class session.
Blended instruction means you attend some class sessions in person and some online.