Students Turn to Certificate Programs to Stand Out

Employers looking for job candidates with a college degree may want to broaden their expectations to include candidates who hold certificates in the specific skills they’re seeking, ranging from health care to business, technology, and the trades.

More students earned a certificate in 2023 than in any of the previous 10 years, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCR). There were more certificate earners among college-age students ages 18-20 years old than any other age group. Meanwhile, the number of undergraduate students earning a degree fell for the second consecutive academic year in 2022-23, NSCR reported.

The top 10 areas of study for certificate earners in the 2022-23 academic year were:

1. Health care.
2. Business, management, marketing, and related support.
3. Liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities.
4. Mechanic and repair technologies/technicians.
5. Precision?production.
6. Personal and culinary services.
7. Computer and information sciences and support services.
8. Security and protective services.?
9. Construction?trades.
10. Engineering technologies/technicians.

Each of the top 10 major fields for certificate earners experienced a year-over-year increase except for business, management, marketing, and related support, which fell 6.1%. “Notably, there was a 1.6% increase in certificate earners in health professions but fewer bachelor’s (-4.5%) and associate degree earners (-3.3%) in that field,” according to NSCR.

Continue reading .