C.36 Undergraduate Micro-Credential Policy

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Micro-credential Policy

An undergraduate micro-credential is a programmatic or topically-linked series of courses that is typically more narrow in scope than a certificate or concentration. Micro-credentials can be either from a single field or can cross disciplinary boundaries. Micro-credentials provide a focused structure within a set of courses that enhance the undergraduate experience. Creating relevant and academically rigorous micro-credentials presents an opportunity to respond to the evolving environmental conditions in higher education and to address the shifts in student needs, especially, but not limited to, adult learners seeking academic credentials that can be completed within a shorter timeframe than traditional academic credentials.

Guidelines

    1. Micro-credential programs may have specific admission and/or prerequisite requirements. Interested students must apply for admission to a specific micro-credential program if warranted by the offering academic unit(s).
      1. Students may declare a micro-credential before completing degree requirements.
      2. Micro-credentials may be embedded within a particular program of study, negating the need for students to declare the micro-credential when enrolled in a subsuming program.
      3. Micro-credentials may be declared as stand-alone programs.
    2. The total number of credit hours required for an undergraduate micro-credential may vary by academic discipline but must require a minimum of six (6) credit hours and not more than nine (9) 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. Credit hours earned for a micro-credential may be applied toward another degree program. A micro-credential, therefore, can be embedded within a larger (e.g. certificate, minor, or major) undergraduate degree program.
    5. Academic departments may determine whether coursework taken to complete a micro-credential can also be applied to a degree program.
    6. Coursework taken more than four (4) years before the micro-credential is awarded cannot be applied.
    7. 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.
    8. An approved micro-credential, due to its narrow scope, cannot include separate concentrations.
    9. Micro-credentials may be stand-alone or linked to an existing degree program, allowing for stackability with other micro-credentials and certificates toward a degree (i.e., certificate, minor, or major) program.
    10. Courses applied to a micro-credential must be legitimate academic courses approved by the University Curriculum Committee.
    11. All micro-credentials must be approved through the University’s curricular review process as a new program (New Program Development Committee).
    12. Micro-credentials should enhance existing programs. Sufficient resources must exist to support the micro-credential without penalizing existing academic programs, including concentrations and/or certificates.
    13. 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 undergraduate 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 Undergraduate Curricula.