Micro-Credentials and

Stackable Credentials

By: Lisa Covington

The basics of micro-credentials

Micro-credentials are bite-sized chunks of education. They take a learning opportunity and simplify
it into specific skills and content.

Micro-credentials are of value on their own but they are also often stackable - when a specific set
of micro-credentials is earned, it can lead to additional certifications and/or degrees.

Typically, Badges are used to demonstrate that a student has completed a particular micro-
credential.
Why micro-credentials?
Micro-credentials serve a wide range of purposes and student populations. Some of those include:

Non-Traditional Students
Higher education institutions find themselves serving larger and larger numbers of non-traditional
students who are not only pursuing a college degree, but are also working and/or raising a family.
Given these additional responsibilities, it can frequently take them longer to complete a traditional
degree. Microcredentials that can stack into certifications or degrees give students something to
show for their work while they progress through a program (hopefully assisting them with job growth
in the meantime).

Workforce
Micro-credentials do not only serve those who are pursuing degrees but also those in the workforce
and likely already have degrees. Micro-credentials provide opportunities for those in the workforce
to upskill, specifically in areas where technology advances might have changed the skills needed to
do their job.
 The University of Houston
Utilizing funds from the Governor’s Emergency
Education Relief Funds, UofH is participating in
the Accelerating Credentials of Purpose and Value
Grant Program. Their goal is to upskill and reskill
the Texas workforce in areas of digital skills, data
analytics, and front-line healthcare.
Though UofH has been using some from of micro-
credentials since 2020, this grant is extending the
credentials being offered to better serve the Texas
workforce.
UofH also offers the
Upstream Energy Data Analytics Program, where
each Badge can be earned through a 15 hour
module delivered over a three week time period.
The Bush School at Texas A&M
Though not offered a micro-credential program of
its own, the Bush School has partnered with
Credly to assist students in their program
demonstrate to current and potential employers
concrete evidence of what their students are have
learned and the process they had to go through in
order to earn that credential.
Credly also utilizes the data from badges earned
to help students identify which jobs they are
qualified to apply for.
 The University of Texas System
They have launched
Texas Credentials for the Future which they
describe as “an initiative designed to facilitate
the expansion and creation of short-term,
industry-recognized credentials.”
As a part of the initiative, they have partnered
with Google to leverage Google Professional
Certificates for their students in a variety of
ways.
Another focus is providing micro-credentials
in data analytics and digital skills for students
in traditionally liberal arts disciplines.
The State University of New York
SUNY’s focus is on both helping students round out
a degree program and helping those who are looking
for a way to upskill in their career. They emphasize
that all of their microcredentials are high quality,
stackable, portable, and designed to meet in-demand
skills and competencies.
They offer more than 500 micro-credentials 60+
disciplines.
The majority of the micro-credentials they offer are
comprised of three courses. Others pathways
towards a micro-credential could be an applied
learning experience or a series of workshops.
 The University of North Texas

UNT offers micro-credentials via their

Career Connect department. They
utilize micro-credentials as a part of
students’ ePortfolios.

There emphasis is on awarding Badges

for skills that employers have
identified as being important in the
hiring process. These include Badges
in Critical Thinking, Teamwork, Oral
Communication, and Written
Communication.
Conclusion
Micro-credentials, Badges, and Stackable Credentials are being used in a variety of ways to support
both traditional learners, non-traditional students, and those with degrees who find themselves
needing to learn new skills, particularly in the digital and data fields, in order to strengthen their
current careers or move into new ones.

This type of learning can serve students as they seek to be life-long learners. Though there might be
concerns about the reduction of learning to particular skills, this type of learning environment and
resulting credential is a way for higher education institutions to serve their students and community
well.