Expand Your Professional Knowledge
Looking to add more instructional knowledge or endorsements to your resume? An online micro-credential in education could get you exactly what you need in a short amount of time. Learn how to support different groups of students to become a stronger, more well-rounded educator.
Upon completion, you’ll earn a digital badge that you can use to showcase your mastery of the knowledge and skills that you’ve learned. You’ll also get the added perk of becoming an ACE alumnus, which grants you benefits you can apply toward your next ACE program, like reduced tuition.
Skills and Knowledge Gained
Our micro-credentials are short, focused programs designed to help you develop skills and knowledge in a particular area within education or accomplish a specific goal. Here are some things you can do with a micro-credential from ACE:
- Learn how to support specific populations of students
- Learn new or updated instructional strategies
- Meet coursework requirements for various educator endorsements for Illinois residents
Education Career Alignment
Micro-credentials are a great way for educators to stay up to date on best practices within the field or expand their instructional knowledge into new areas. Some of ACE’s micro-credentials consist of coursework that’s been approved to help you earn state-specific teacher endorsements, giving you the ability to expand your career into more or new education jobs.
Micro-credential in Education Admission
Along with ACE’s general admission requirements, our micro-credentials have minimum GPA requirements that must be met for admission. For most micro-credentials, you must hold a degree at the bachelor’s level with a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for full admission. However, this varies from program to program. Find detailed admission requirements for your program of interest on the program’s page.
*Source: Student Right to Know
Micro-credential FAQs
What is a micro-credential in education?
A micro-credential in education can help you learn new skills in the field, stay up to date on current best practices and earn additional teaching endorsements. Structurally, they typically consist of a handful of courses, allowing you to complete the program much faster than a certificate or degree.
How are micro-credentials different from certificates and degrees?
When compared to certificates and degrees, micro-credentials are highly focused in the scope of what they cover. Degrees cover a field of study in a broader, more comprehensive manner, requiring more coursework and time to complete. Certificates are more focused than degrees but still provide more background and context to their subject matter than micro-credentials.
How long does it take to earn an education micro-credential?
Our micro-credentials in education take around five to six months to complete.
Can micro-credentials count toward teacher licensure or continuing education?
Sometimes. For teacher licensure, it will depend on whether the micro-credential contains the coursework your state requires for licensure, as well as whether the program has been approved by your state as either a direct or out-of-state licensure pathway. It’s more likely for micro-credentials to count toward continuing education requirements already licensed educators must meet. However, this typically also requires the program to have prior approval from either your state or district. If you’re searching for a micro-credential program that can satisfy licensure or continuing education requirements, it’s always best to check with your school or state first for approved programs.
Can credits from micro-credentials be applied toward a certificate or degree?
In some cases, yes! Some of our micro-credentials contain coursework that can be applied toward a certificate or degree program. If you’re curious about how a certain micro-credential’s courses stack toward our other programs, reach out to an Enrollment Counselor at [email protected].
Can I earn education micro-credentials online while teaching full-time?
Yes. Our micro-credentials are flexible and designed to fit within your schedule as a busy working educator.
1This is an estimated time to completion. Actual completion time may vary depending on the number of transfer credits applied, availability of courses, a satisfactory pace, multiple course requests, successful course completion and meeting program milestones as required.
2All values shown are an estimated value of the cost of tuition and fees. Actual amounts may vary depending on the number of transfer credits applied to the selected program hours, the pace and satisfactory completion of the selected program, the receipt of scholarship or grant amounts, or adjustments to tuition or fees as described in the Catalog Right to Modify Tuition section. State sales and use tax will apply where required by law.