{"id":11463,"date":"2024-10-17T09:12:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T14:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=11463"},"modified":"2024-10-17T15:18:55","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T20:18:55","slug":"uw-madisons-5-hottest-certificates-students-seek-skills-with-real-world-value","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/uw-madisons-5-hottest-certificates-students-seek-skills-with-real-world-value\/","title":{"rendered":"UW-Madison\u2019s 5 hottest certificates: Students seek skills with real-world value"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
A student shares a resume with a potential employer at a campus job fair. Getting a certificate in a specialty area can make a student\u2019s resume more attractive to employers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison students are increasingly enrolling in certificate programs that can give their future careers a boost.<\/p>\n

The five fastest-growing certificates at UW are in a variety of sought-after fields, from data science to sports communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdvisers encourage students to get the most of their UW\u2013Madison experience, and completing a certificate program is one way to do so,\u201d says Kelley Harris, director of Cross-College Advising Service. \u201cCertificates provide students the opportunity to develop additional expertise in an area of study outside of a major, which could aid their potential on the job market. UW\u2013Madison faculty and staff have excelled at highlighting the breadth and depth of expertise we have on campus by developing over 100 certificate programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Overall, more students are getting certificates, with 4,210 undergraduate certificates awarded in 2022-23, compared with 1,544 a decade earlier.<\/p>\n

A certificate, like a minor at other universities, supplements a major and focuses on a specific subject area, or can integrate multiple subject areas. Certificate programs typically span 15-24 credits but are not required to graduate.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0undergraduate certificates<\/a>\u00a0adding the most students from fall 2019 to fall 2023:<\/p>\n

No. 1:\u00a0Certificate in Data Science<\/a>\u00a0(+522)<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe data science certificate provides students with knowledge and skills in computer programming and data analysis, which supplement learning in a wide variety of subject areas across all of campus,\u201d says Bret Larget, chair of the Department of Statistics and director of the Data Science Program. \u201cStudents report these skills have proved to be useful in other courses, in obtaining internships, and in finding jobs after graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n

No. 2:\u00a0Certificate in Disability Rights and Services<\/a>\u00a0(+334, established in 2019)<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe certificate\u202fis designed to provide students across campus with the knowledge and skills to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities, which is the primary mission of our department,\u201d says Rebecca\u202fBradbury, undergraduate program manager in rehabilitation psychology and special education.\u202f\u201cWe recently surveyed our certificate\u202fstudents and found that students were interested in pursuing a variety of health and helping careers: speech language pathology, occupational therapy, counseling, social work, and medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n

No. 3:\u00a0Certificate in Sports Communication<\/a>\u00a0(+251)<\/h3>\n

The culture of sports is strong at UW, with many students eager to be part of the field because they understand the key role sports content plays in the future of media, says Matt Hermann, adviser for the Certificate in Sports Communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung adults are power users of social media and streaming, two areas where sports are massive drivers of attention and innovation,\u201d Hermann says. \u201cThe Certificate in Sports Communication program prepares them to enter the industry by providing them basic skills in shaping sports narratives, marketing sports brands, and understanding the influential role sports plays in society.\u201d<\/p>\n

No. 4:\u00a0Certificate in Consulting<\/a>\u00a0(+196)<\/h3>\n

\u201cWe have put together an excellent career services team and a deep curriculum to support this. We emphasize and bring a \u2018real-world\u2019 perspective to this certificate,\u201d says Tom Burkard, a former industry executive and management consultant who is the career pathway director of consulting at the Wisconsin School of Business, noting that the certificate opened for enrollment in 2022 and now has 319 students. \u201cWe provide a lot of support to help all UW students get into management or the tech consulting space, and this certificate provides them with a big advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

No. 5:\u00a0Summer Certificate in Business Fundamentals<\/a>\u00a0(+188)<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe Summer Certificate in Business\u202fFundamentals provides students the opportunity to develop foundational business knowledge, while maintaining a level of flexibility that is desirable for the busy college student,\u201d says Alexis Steinbach, assistant dean for undergraduate student affairs for the Wisconsin School of Business. \u201cStudents immerse themselves in invaluable concepts such as finance, accounting, marketing management, and other key subjects. This certificate allows students to make connections between the world of business and their specific fields of interests \u2014 gaining traction with various majors across campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Written by Mike Klein<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/news.wisc.edu\/uws-5-hottest-certificates-students-seek-skills-with-real-world-value\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

University of Wisconsin\u2013Madison students are increasingly enrolling in certificate programs that can give their future careers a boost. The five fastest-growing certificates at UW are in a variety of sought-after fields, from data science to sports communication. \u201cAdvisers encourage students to get the most of their UW\u2013Madison experience, and completing a certificate program is one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":11520,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[103],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-11463","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-madison"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/11463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11463"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=11463"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=11463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}