Review our alphabetical index to determine which micro-credential you want to pursue.
See the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section below for definitions of the three different types of micro-credentials (undergraduate, graduate, and professional).
If you are a current NKU student, submit a short micro-credential enrollment request form for the undergraduate or graduate micro-credential of your choice:
If you are not a current NKU student, submit an application for the undergraduate or graduate micro-credential of your choice:
Undergraduate Application Graduate Application
Browse the FAQs below for quick answers to common inquiries.
A micro-credential is a "mini-certificate" in a specific topic area that demonstrates an individual’s achievement in a particular skill or set of skills. To earn a micro-credential an individual completes 2-4 courses. Once the coursework is successfully completed, a digital credential is awarded.
The digital credential resides on Credly, an external platform from which it can be linked to social media, such as LinkedIn, and included in digital resumes and even email signatures. Earners of digital credentials can use Credly to view employment opportunities related to their verified skills.
Micro-credentials meet a need for individuals who are looking for ways to demonstrate mastery of new skills to employers, to secure a job and/or for professional advancement. Micro-credentials are designed to be accessible to external participants as well as current students.
Undergraduate micro-credentials are made up of for-credit NKU undergraduate-level courses. Undergraduate-level courses are 100-400 and sometimes 500-level courses. Undergraduate micro-credentials are open to those who have a high school diploma or equivalent and qualify for admission as an undergraduate student. This includes anyone who is currently in a degree program at NKU.
Graduate micro-credentials are made up of for-credit NKU graduate-level courses. Graduate-level courses are 500-800-level courses. Graduate micro-credentials are open to those who have an earned bachelor's degree and cumulative GPA of at least 2.5, and therefore qualify for admission to NKU as a graduate student.
Professional micro-credentials are made up of non-credit NKU courses, such as those offered through the Research and Education Field Station (REFS). Admission requirements may vary by micro-credential.
You can earn a micro-credential from NKU if you are not a current student. In fact, micro-credentials were created with you in mind! Micro-credenntials enable those who are not already in a degree or certificate program at NKU to quickly earn a credential. You will need to apply as an undergraduate student if seeking to earn an undergraduate micro-credential, or as a graduate student if seeking to earn a graduate micro-credential. The application fee is waived for all undergraduate and graduate micro-credential applications. If you are interested in a professional micro-credential, please refer to the Contact included in that micro-credential's description for enrollment information.
You can earn a micro-credential from NKU if you are a current degree-seeking student. However, high school students are not eligible to earn micro-credentials. As a degree-seeking student, simply submit a request to enroll in the undergraduate or graduate micro-credential of your choice. If you are interested in a professional micro-credential, please refer to the Contact included in that micro-credential's description for enrollment information.
You may enroll as soon as you are ready to begin the first of the micro-credential courses. In this case, you would enroll for the semester in which you will take your first course. If you are currently enrolled in a degree program at NKU, you may enroll in a micro-credential prior to graduation. It is best to enroll before you have completed the micro-credential coursework, so that you can be issued a digital credential upon successful completion. Please do not wait until after you have graduated to submit a request to enroll in a micro-credential. Micro-credentials will not be awarded for requests submitted after a student graduates.
If you are not a current student, you will need to apply in order to be admitted to NKU and enrolled in your desired micro-credential. Once your application is approved, you may register for the first of the classes that are required for your micro-credential.
If you are a high school graduate (or equivalent), you can earn an undergraduate micro-credential. All graduate micro-credentials require a bachelor’s degree and cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 for admission.
Please be aware that micro-credentials are not open to high school students.
To earn an undergraduate micro-credential, the grade of each course taken for the micro credential must be a C or better, and the cumulative grade point average of courses taken must be 2.0 or higher.
To earn a graduate micro-credential, the grade of each course must be a C or better, and the cumulative grade point average of courses taken for the micro-credential must be 3.0 or higher.
Please reach out to the listed Contact for the professional micro-credential of your choice for grade criteria.
When you are in the final required course for your micro-credential, send a short email to microcredentials@nku.edu from your NKU email account. Please be sure to indicate which micro-credential you are about to complete.
You will be placed on a list to have your micro-credential coursework and grades evaluated at the end of the term, after grades have been posted.
When your digital credential is awarded, you will receive a confirmation email from microcredentials@nku.edu. You will also receive an email from Credly, our digital credential platform, with instructions on how to access your digital credential.
There are no special fees for micro-credentials. You pay for whatever tuition, fees, and materials are required for the particular courses you are taking, and the digital credential comes to you — at no additional cost — once you complete the requirements and email us at microcredentials@nku.edu.
The tuition for a graduate or undergraduate micro-credential will vary, depending on how many courses make up the micro-credential, how many credit hours each course is worth, whether the courses are online or in-person, your residency status, and other factors. The number of credit hours per course can be found in the most recent undergraduate or graduate catalog. You can find current tuition and fees for undergraduate and graduate courses on the Student Account Services Tuition Schedule page.
Financial aid does not apply to non-degree programs, so if you would be a non-degree student, or if you are a degree-seeking student but the micro-credential courses are not part of your degree plan, then you would not be eligible for financial aid to earn the micro-credential. However, if you are already a student in an NKU degree program and the courses for the micro-credential are also part of your degree plan, then your financial aid coverage would not be affected if you applied for the micro-credential.
Unlike undergraduate and graduate micro-credentials, which are based on for-credit courses, professional micro-credentials are based on non-credit courses. Non-credit courses are not eligible for financial aid. To learn about the cost for a professional micro-credential, please reach out to the designated Contact listed in the lower left corner of the micro-credential's web page.
Yes. NKU has partnered with Credly, a secure platform for earning, distributing, and displaying digital micro-credentials. When micro-credentials appear on Credly, LinkedIn, or your favorite social media platform, they are clickable; when one clicks on the micro-credential, it will bring the viewer to an official site describing and certifying Northern Kentucky University micro-credentials.
You may find the full selection of NKU’s micro-credentials in our Program Index. We are always working to add new micro-credentials.
If you don’t find a micro-credential listed in an area that interests you or your employer, please let us know by contacting us at microcredentials@nku.edu.
Yes. Our micro-credentials are stackable. This means you can earn a micro-credential, and then apply those courses toward a certificate, bachelor's or master’s degree.
Here is an example:
Things to keep in mind:
It is wise to enroll in a micro-credential as soon as you are ready to begin taking the required coursework. That way, you can be counted and notified if there are any changes to that micro-credential while you are enrolled. You should enroll before the micro-credential coursework is concluded to avoid a delay in issuing your digital credential. Please be aware that micro-credentials are not awarded retroactively, so if you are currently a degree- or certificate-seeking student, do not wait until after your program of study has concluded (i.e., after you have graduated) to apply for a micro-credential.
Because new micro-credentials are created on a regular basis, it may be possible that a student would have taken some or all of the coursework for a micro-credential before it was launched. Normally you would not be eligible for the micro-credential if you completed the courses before the launch date. However, there is a special situation that may apply depending on when you took some required courses.
NKU's micro-credential program began in Spring 2018; several micro-credentials have been added since that time. If at least one of the courses you have taken toward a micro-credential was taken during the micro-credential's established launch date term or later, and you have not yet graduated from NKU, you are eligible for the micro-credential. If you took all the required courses prior to the launch date term, and/or graduated from NKU, you are not eligible for the micro-credential.
You also may not retake one course and earn the micro-credential using the older courses.
No. Courses from other colleges or universities do not count toward an NKU micro-credential. Transfer credits are not applicable to micro-credential requirements.
No. Work experience cannot substitute for courses that are required to earn a micro-credential.
There are a few courses that require the consent of the program director or department permission for students who are not already admitted to the corresponding certificate or degree program. The courses requiring consent of the program director or department permission are indicated in the individual micro-credential descriptions. For details, please reach out to the faculty contact listed for the micro-credential.
Yes! Each individual micro-credential web page includes Contact information in the lower left corner. The Contact is a faculty expert who can answer specific, in-depth questions about the courses that make up the micro-credential, how the micro-credential could benefit you, and much more.
If you have general questions about the micro-credentials programs at NKU that aren't covered in the Frequently Asked Questions, please reach out to microcredentials@nku.edu.
