What Is a Professional Certificate?

Key takeaways

A professional certificate offers specialized training and education that aligns with industry standards and requirements.

• Many individuals earn professional certificates, from recent graduates looking to gain a competitive advantage in the workforce to experienced professionals seeking to broaden their skills.

• Whether you’re a working professional or new to the job market, professional certificates can expand your job opportunities, increase your earning potential, and demonstrate your proficiency to potential employers.

• You can find a professional certificate program that helps you grow professionally and meets your career goals.

Learn more about professional certificates and whether earning one is the right choice for you. If you’d like to earn a Professional Certificate, consider enrolling in the Google Project Management Professional Certificate. You’ll have the opportunity to gain an immersive understanding of the practices and skills needed to succeed in a project management career. By the end of the program, which can take as little as six months, you’ll have earned a shareable credential for your resume. 

What is a professional certificate?

Professional certificates are training or educational courses and programs designed to equip learners with specific skills in a particular subject area. Certificates confirm that you can demonstrate knowledge in a field of study and have completed relevant courses.

Professional certificates come in many forms, each designed to cater to specific career goals, skill levels, and industry demands. Accredited colleges and universities, as well as many national professional associations, offer professional certificate programs. From technology and business to health care and creative arts, these credentials can validate your expertise and commitment to professional development. While professional certificates do not equate to or result in a college degree, they can qualify you for other credentials depending on your profession, such as a state license.

The type of professional certificate you pursue should align with your career goals. Ask yourself if the skills you’ll gain by completing the program will help advance your career, are relevant to your field or profession, and provide long-term benefits like higher earnings or promotions to better-paying positions.

Learn more: What Are Non-Degree Programs?

Industry-specific certificates

Industry-specific certificates let you focus on specialized skills often required in specific sectors, such as information technology, health care, and engineering. The goal of industry-specific certificates is to show mastery of a specific tool, topic, or concept within a certain industry. Some industry-specific professional certificate programs include:

• IBM Machine Learning Professional Certificate: Designed for professionals who want to prepare for a career in machine learning or deepen their knowledge of the field, the program includes six courses covering topics that range from exploratory data analysis for machine learning to supervised, unsupervised, and deep learning.

• Google UX Design Professional Certificate: This foundational certificate program is ideal for anyone who wants to enter or advance in the field of UX design. You will be able to learn key UX design concepts and gain essential skills, like conducting research to test designs and building prototypes and wireframes.

• SAP Technology Consultant Professional Certificate: Study to become a technology consultant specifically for SAP software systems. This beginner-level program includes seven courses to help you build core skills in understanding the types of software solutions SAP Partners and customers want and how to provide them. You'll explore consulting in general and specific to SAP, discover customer engagement principles, and have the opportunity to design and implement an SAP Solution.

• CVS Health Call Center Customer Service Professional Certificate: Develop job-ready skills as you pursue a call center customer service representative role in the health care field. With four courses that typically take two months to complete, you can learn how to positively interact with customers and create smooth solutions for them.

Skill-based certificates

Skill-based certificates target developing particular skills, including coding, digital marketing, and design. The goal of these certificates is to provide you with skills you can use immediately. Skill-based training can help you master a specific craft and acquire new skills in your industry. Some of these certificates include: 

• Google IT Support Professional Certificate: This IT certificate teaches foundational skills in IT support, system administration, troubleshooting, networking, and more. It is designed for anyone who wants to develop their tech support skills. You don’t need prior experience to enroll in this program, making it a great choice for beginners pursuing IT support careers. 

• Intuit Academy Bookkeeping Professional Certificate: With this program, you can learn key bookkeeping concepts, such as double-entry bookkeeping, bank reconciliations, and financial statements. You'll also be exposed to key accounting concepts, including assets, liabilities, and equity. Earning this four-course Professional Certificate can typically help you qualify for a career in bookkeeping.

• IBM Data Science Professional Certificate: With IBM's beginner certificate program, you can prepare for a career as a data scientist. Learn in-demand AI skills like machine learning, data visualization, data analysis, and SQL. The courses also include hands-on learning in data science skills.

Leadership and management certificates

Leadership and management certificate programs aim to offer educational opportunities for professionals looking to enhance their leadership capabilities and managerial skills. Many professionals enroll in these types of professional certificate courses to continue their education and stay updated on evolving skills and methods in a specific industry. Consider this Professional Certificate: 

• Google Project Management Professional Certificate: This project management program offered by Google focuses on providing a foundational understanding of project management while developing in-demand skills. The seven-course program focuses on tangible skills that include developing a project plan and building a project schedule, as well as principles of Agile project management and pillars of Scrum.

What does a professional certificate do?

Professional certificates serve as a testament to your knowledge and skills in a particular area, making you a more attractive candidate to employers. They bridge the gap between academic education and practical, real-world expertise, enabling you to effectively apply the latest industry practices and technologies.

Professional certificate vs. certification

While a professional certificate confirms that you have completed a course or program of study, certifications confirm that you are “certified.” This means you have acquired certain skills or knowledge by meeting specific requirements like passing an exam or completing a certain amount of training. Earning a certificate does not equate to certification in a skill or topic. In some industries, you may have to earn a certification to enter or advance into other roles in the field.

Educational institutions typically award certificates, while national or international professional organizations and associations grant certifications. 

Is a professional certificate the same as a diploma?

A professional certificate is different from a diploma. A professional certificate is a credential you can earn after completing targeted training in a focused area. Professional certificate programs are usually short, sometimes taking as little as a few months, and are designed to build practical expertise that you can apply to your career.  You can earn a diploma, on the other hand, after completing a structured academic program on a specific subject, often at a college or technical school. Diploma programs are typically longer than certificate programs and provide broader knowledge in a field, often including hands-on training.

Who uses professional certificates?

A wide array of individuals, from recent graduates looking to enter the workforce with a competitive advantage to seasoned professionals seeking to update their skills or pivot to new career paths, use professional certificates. Employers also use certificates as a means of assessing the credibility of candidates during the hiring process. This means professional certificates can also help increase your professional credibility within your industry.

Pros and cons of using professional certificates

Earning a professional certificate has numerous benefits, including increased job opportunities, potential salary boosts, and enhanced professional credibility. However, candidates should also consider factors like the time and financial investment required to obtain these credentials.

Advantages: Career advancement and validation of expertise

Irrespective of whether you hold a degree, whether you’re a seasoned working professional or brand new to the job market, professional certificates can be instrumental in career advancement opportunities and all of the benefits that come with that. Professional certificate programs are typically very attainable and require few prerequisites, if any, for entry into the program. Consider earning a professional certificate to access these career-boosting advantages: 

• Opens up more job placement opportunities 

• Increases earning potential 

• Saves money as a cost-effective way to gain credentials/experience 

• Positions you to enter the job market or make a career change quicker 

• Demonstrates proficiency in desirable skills 

• Acts as a tangible way to demonstrate knowledge and abilities within an industry

Disadvantages: Cost and time commitment may be significant

Professional certificates may not fit everyone’s needs. Depending on many factors, like your financial situation, career goals, and family life, enrolling in a professional certificate program might not match up with your needs. However, even if you want to earn a professional certificate and feel like it’s the right career move for you, it helps to consider a few potential disadvantages. This way, you can better navigate the process of choosing and completing a program. Weigh some of these considerations before choosing to pursue a professional certificate: 

• Some programs can be expensive.

• Programs may take months to complete. 

• Course schedules can be rigorous/time-consuming. 

• Some professions require specific certifications and testing.

How to get started with professional certificates

Starting your journey toward earning a professional certificate involves identifying your career goals, researching relevant certificates, and selecting a program that fits your needs. 

Based on your specific industry or profession, consider researching the current job market to assess the benefits the certification may have for you. Is the certificate one that is in demand in your industry? Does the certificate program teach you the skills and knowledge you need for your current or prospective position? Try to narrow down programs that help you qualify for a specific position, and make sure the certificate is relevant to the roles and responsibilities of that position. Before choosing a program, read course reviews and ratings and course descriptions.

To find specific professional certificates, try looking on the websites of professional organizations within a specific industry or look through reputable organizations or universities/colleges that offer online courses. Another great resource for finding a certificate program is to check with your employer for professional development opportunities. 

Explore our free career resources 

Discover fresh insights and expert advice by subscribing to our LinkedIn newsletter, Career Chat. If you’re looking for more direction on what career path to take, check out our free resources:

• Take a quiz: Career Test: What Career is Right for Me Quiz?

• Watch on YouTube: Gain In-Demand Skills for a Thriving Career with the Microsoft IT Support Professional Certificate 

• Hear from a pro: 6 Questions with a Microsoft Data Analytics Leader

Accelerate your career growth with a Coursera Plus subscription. When you enroll in either the monthly or annual option, you’ll get access to over 10,000 courses.

订阅 Coursera Plus，培养就业技能

开始为期 7 天的免费试用

• 
• 
• 
• 

开始为期 7 天的免费试用