Graduate Micro-credential Policy
A graduate micro-credential is a programmatic or topically-linked course or series of courses that is typically more narrow in scope than a graduate certificate. Graduate micro-credentials can be either from a single field or can cross disciplinary boundaries. A graduate micro-credential provides a focused structure within a course or series of courses that enhance the graduate experience. Creating relevant and academically rigorous graduate micro-credentials presents an opportunity to respond to the evolving environmental conditions in higher education and to address the shifts in student needs, especially adult learners seeking academic credentials that can be completed within a shorter timeframe than traditional academic credentials.
Guidelines
1. Graduate micro-credential programs have specific admission and/or prerequisite requirements. Interested students must apply for admission to a specific micro-credential program.
a. Students may declare a micro-credential before completing degree requirements.
b. Micro-credentials may be declared as stand-alone programs.
2. The total number of credit hours required for a graduate micro-credential may vary by academic discipline but must require a minimum of one (1) credit hour and not more than eight (8) credit hours. At least 50% of the micro-credential requirements must be earned at USI.
3. All University policies apply, including academic, grading, admission, retention, contact hours, and faculty eligibility to teach.
4. Academic departments may determine whether coursework taken to complete a micro-credential can also be applied to a degree program.
5. Coursework taken more than seven (7) years before the micro-credential is awarded cannot be applied, unless a Petition to Validate an Expired Graduate Course has been approved.
6. Micro-credentials may be structured as either discipline-specific or cross-disciplinary. Academic departments applying for micro-credential must consult with and/or obtain support for related programs and departments who ensure the availability of courses required for the micro-credential.
7. An approved micro-credential, due to its narrow scope, cannot include separate concentrations.
8. Micro-credentials may be stand-alone or linked to an existing degree program. Micro-credential, therefore, may be embedded within a larger degree program and stacked with other micro-credentials and certificates toward a degree (i.e. master’s) program.
9. Courses applied to a micro-credential must be legitimate academic courses approved by the University Graduate Council.
10. All micro-credentials must be approved through the University’s curricular review process as a new program.
11. Micro-credentials should enhance existing programs. Sufficient resources must exist to support the micro-credential without penalizing existing academic programs, including concentrations.
12. Officially approved micro-credentials will be posted to University of Southern Indiana transcripts and will be issued by the Registrar’s Office. A Formal Application for Graduation must be completed for micro-credential programs.
For information about proposing a new graduate micro-credential - application procedures and approval process - as well as procedures for managing approved micro-credentials can be found in the University Handbook under Procedures for Changes in Graduate Curricula.