'Stackable' Credential Options Rise in Online Education

When David Anderton, who owns a Web development company based in London, decided he wanted more business knowledge, he realized he didn't have the time to pursue a full-length master's degree program. So he signed up for the "MicroMaster's" online program offered through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and edX, a provider of massive open online courses, or MOOCs.

The program allows students to complete five MOOCs and earn a verified certificate from each, and then complete a capstone exam and receive the MITx MicroMaster's credential to illustrate expertise in supply chain management.

Though he doesn't plan on it, Anderton could choose to stop after completing just a few MOOCs, and the school would still recognize him for what he achieved up until that point.

"Should you have a family reason or something unexpected happens, you're still going to walk away with, 'This is how far I've gotten. I did classes one, two and three. Here's my certificate to prove completion,'" the 27-year-old says.

Credentials that recognize achievement on a smaller scale than degrees, ranging from digital badges to credit-bearing certificates, have gained momentum in online higher education, experts say. Now, some universities are implementing online programs, like the MicroMaster's, that are "stackable" in nature, so students can earn a series of smaller credentials as they progress toward their final goal.

[Learn how online courses are experimenting with digital badges.]

Online students can use the smaller credentials for immediate career advancement and decide whether or not to continue in their program, or stop where they are and still be recognized in some way.

"Employers are showing trends of paying more attention to those levels of education and completion," says Deborah Seymour, chief academic innovation officer at the American Council on Education, an organization representing more than 1,700 college and university presidents, in reference to microcredentials.

Seymour says the trend of stackable credentials is still in its early stages, especially in online education, but believes it will continue to catch on and remain an option for online learners in the future.

The University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign, in collaboration with the MOOC provider Coursera, recently launched a stackable online MOOC-based Master of Computer Science in Data Science program. Students can, for instance, first earn a MOOC specialization certificate in data mining or cloud computing, and then choose whether to go on to finish the full master's degree. Overall, the degree costs less than $20,000.

[Discover four features you can now get by paying for MOOCs.]

John C. Hart, a professor of computer science at the university, says this stackable credential is particularly suitable for non-traditional students balancing their education with other responsibilities like full-time jobs.

"Students can step out and step back in as necessary," Hart says. "There may be a semester where they don't take courses, or there may be a semester where they double up on courses, so they can complete the degree at whatever pace their current environment allows them."
This isn't the University of Illinois' first run with stackable credentials. Last year, the university and Coursera launched an iMBA online program that gives students a variety of options for progression through the program. They can audit classes for free online, get certificates for individual MOOCs or specializations comprised of multiple MOOCs, or finish the full MBA.

Meanwhile, at DeVry University, students in the online medical coding and billing program can work their way through an undergrad certificate, then an associate degree, and ultimately, a bachelor's, depending how far they want to go. And the University of Kansas has a stackable online MBA program that's split into three certificate programs.

"There seem to be a number of folks who need components of a business education -- maybe not all of it," says Dee Steinle, executive director of MBA and MSB programs for the University of Kansas School of Business. "And sometimes they think they want to just try something before they commit, and this seemed to be a perfect way to manage that need for folks."

Traci Lepicki, associate director of Ohio State University--Columbus' CETE, which provides research and services in education, workforce and community development, says stackable credentials can allow students to boost their careers in small increments as opposed to waiting a few years to get a full degree.

[Read about how online certificate programs offer a fast track to a new career.]

"Those smaller or more stackable credentials or certificates allow them to advance inside the organization they're already in and start going on a longer career path," she says.

But experts like Seymour, of the American Council on Education, say prospective online learners should ensure that the stackable credential they want to pursue comes from an accredited institution and will truly help them achieve their goals.

"It's really important that the prospective student makes sure the badge or the certificate or whatever stackable credential it is that's offered online will actually either add value to them in terms of their career pursuits, or will add value in terms of a college's acceptance of that credential toward a degree," she says.

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Jordan Friedman is an online education editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at jfriedman@usnews.com.