microcredential policy

April 2024 SUNY Microcredential Policy

Adopted by the Microcredential Committee April 2025

Reasons for Policy 

SUNY was the first in the country to create a system-wide policy for microcredentials in 2018, launching a program characterized by rapid growth and driven by broad interest. SUNY microcredentials are known for academic rigor, partnership with business and industry, stackability to the certificate and degree, and portability:

  •  There is a clear connection between microcredentials and work.
  • Faculty engage business and industry, degree program advisory boards, and alumni, in developing a microcredential with a specific focus on needed skills and competencies.
  • Bundling coursework with internships and/or preparation for industry certifications is a best practice.
  • Microcredential development is informed by regional and state priority occupations as well as new and emerging industry.
  • Microcredentials for currently enrolled students should offer skillsets complementary to their major that help them stand apart in the job market and/or recognize mastery of complex skills in real time to support their ability to get a part-time job, fellowship or to prepare for graduate school.
  • New State (part time TAP for non-degree credentials) and prospective Federal funding fine tune this connection to work, requiring that the microcredential provide sufficient skills, knowledge and experience that it allows someone to obtain a job, or advance in a job, in a significant/priority industry for the region or state.
  • Broader than traditional workforce development, each SUNY microcredential should also, wherever possible, serve as a steppingstone, a pathway to related certificates and degrees (initial and advanced).
  • This connection to getting or advancing in a job and providing a path to additional credentials is the value-add that SUNY’s microcredential program provides.
  • Existing students and non-matriculated students complete an application to sign-up for a microcredential so that their persistence and completion can be followed and to ensure that successful completion is recognized in real time through the award of a digital badge and transcript notation.
  • As of this writing, in SUNY’s system-wide catalogue, there are microcredentials, credit and non-credit that stack to the certificate, associate, bachelors, advanced certificate, master’s, Ph.D., PharmD, DDS, OD and MD.

A local policy ensures alignment with SUNY Trustee policy, answers common questions, and facilitates consistent messages and progress toward goal completion.

Policy

Types of Microcredentials 

A.     Credit-Bearing

A credit bearing microcredential stacks into an existing academic certificate and/or degree and can also stack together with other microcredentials in a series that all stack to a certificate or degree.

Credit microcredentials have learning outcomes, assessments and result in student work product.

A credit bearing microcredential should, in its entirety, stack into one or more existing academic certificates and/or degrees.

As part of the development process, specific skills and competencies to be mastered should be identified and aligned to business and industry need, regional and state priorities.

Students who earn credit-bearing microcredentials receive a notation on their transcript upon completion and receive a digital badge.

Credit-bearing microcredentials must be a minimum of two courses and must contain a minimum of six/eight credits and no more than 15 credits. Note: Financial aid is now available (Part-Time TAP for Non-Degree Credentials) for microcredentials at community colleges and technology colleges, capped at 11 credits per semester.

A microcredential that takes three semesters to complete is likely not a microcredential.

Credit-bearing microcredential naming conventions may not resemble certificate or degree program names that have been approved by NYSED.  

B.     Non-Credit

While recognition of participation, community building or soft-skill development alone can be essential components of the student experience, those things are not, by definition, microcredentials.

“Quick” training that can be delivered in a few hours or a few days is generally considered continuing education or executive education.

A non-credit microcredential is a substantial learning experience offered to existing degree holders or as part of an effort to transition non-credit activity to a non-credit to credit pathway.

Here again, the principles of getting a job or advancing in a job apply.

Campuses may use non-credit microcredentials to provide specialized skills to those who already have degrees (Note: Microcredentials can stack to graduate degrees so consider stackability if possible. Stackable pathways to the master’s can be dynamic tools to meet adult learner needs).

Campuses may create pathways from non-credit to credit, assessing an existing non-credit experience to stack into an existing certificate or degree program via the award of academic credit by evaluation process or an articulation agreement – provided that it meets the below criteria:

Non-credit microcredentials consist of specific learning experience(s), which lead to attainment of multiple discrete, assessable skills and/or competencies.

Non-credit microcredentials have learning outcomes, assessments and produce student work.

Non-credit microcredential naming conventions may not resemble certificate or degree program names that have been approved by NYSED.  

Guiding Principles of Microcredentials

Principles guide the development and review of all microcredentials:
  • Academic quality is paramount for microcredentials, and faculty governance participation is required.
  • Microcredentials are designed to meet market needs and developed in partnership with and informed by business and industry, regional and state economic development priorities.
  • Microcredentials are initiated locally, developed and approved according to local governance policies and procedures, consistent with campus mission and strategic goals.
  • Microcredentials are inherently flexible and innovative.
  • Microcredentials are portable and stackable.
  • Microcredentials can be delivered online, in the classroom, or a hybrid combination of both.

Potential Target Audience for Microcredentials 

  • Current Students
  • Prospective Students
  • Adult Learners
  • Alumni
  • Business/Industry Partners
  • K-12 Partners
  • Community Partners
  • Faculty/Staff

Requirements for Microcredentials 

General Requirements 
  • Microcredentials are awarded upon successful completion of its specific requirements.
  • Microcredentials should have clear, measurable outcomes, assessments aligned to the outcomes, and evidence of mastery of the outcomes through reliable and valid assessments.
  • Microcredentials are covered under SUNY’s Seamless Transfer policy. For transfer outside of SUNY, courses in credit microcredentials will be considered according to the receiving institutions’ transfer policies.
  • To ensure alignment to workforce, microcredentials must be developed in partnership with business/industry, P-12 or community organizations; or be informed by feedback from same.
  • Where there is an essential pre-requisite, be clear and transparent. A three course microcredential where each class has two pre-requisite courses becomes a nine-course offering and is no longer a microcredential. For non-matriculated students, consider advanced standing based on experience or education and applicability of award of credit by evaluation. Try addressing the issue by bundling pre-requisites as part of a Level I of the microcredential.
  • Your local policy can institute minimum GPA or passing of a certifying exam for the award of the microcredential. Again, just be clear and transparent about this.
  • Your local policy may include a Grandfather Policy. For example, no course may be applied to a microcredential that was completed more than three years prior to the student’s microcredential application. Departments may determine any length requirement under three years as specific disciplines deem necessary.
  • All microcredential proposals must follow college wide curriculum committee/faculty governance process.
  • All microcredentials, credit and non-credit, are to be approved by faculty governance.

Binghamton University Microcredential Policy

Adopted by Faculty Senate May 12, 2020

SUNY has issued a policy to allow local campuses to develop and issue micro-credentials for our learning programs. This document proposes the Binghamton University policies for the development and approval of micro-credentials. SUNY directs that micro-credentials are competency-based, meaningful and of high quality, endorsed by the issuing campus and developed through faculty governance procedures. https://system.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/academicaffairs/microcredentials/SUNY-Micro-Credential-Policy-Summary.pdf

What is a microcredential?

Microcredentials verify, validate, and attest specific skills and/or student demonstrated competencies. They are generally shorter than degrees or certificates, and can be implemented through local campus approval procedures. They may incorporate classes within the typical semester schedule or use shorter or more flexible options. They may be made up of credit-bearing courses (and additional experiences) and appear on a student’s transcript, or they may be not for credit. In either case, they are generally associated with a digital badge that includes evidence of student learning or demonstrated competency.

Binghamton microcredentials

Binghamton microcredentials have a clear purpose of preparing students for the workforce, helping students stand out to employers, bridging to larger credentials, supporting life-long learning opportunities for professionals, and enhancing professional skills through continuing education. As defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), career readiness is the attainment and demonstration of requisite competencies that broadly prepare college graduates for a successful transition into the workplace. Each microcredential has a demonstrated relationship to at least one the NACE competencies of critical thinking/problem solving, oral/written communications, teamwork/collaboration, digital technology, leadership, professionalism/work ethic, career management, and global/intercultural fluency. https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/competencies/career-readiness-defined/

There are two types of microcredentials – credit-bearing and non-credit

  • Credit-bearing microcredentials consist of completion of coursework – generally at least two courses but not more than 12 credits – and may also require additional experiences. The microcredentials will be transcripted. They will also be associated with digital badges issued by Binghamton University through Credly Acclaim https://www.youracclaim.com/ which requires submission of evidence that the bearer has attained the learning objectives of the micro-credential. 
  • Non-credit microcredentials are typically smaller learning opportunities which will earn badges issued through Credly Acclaim. The digital badges are high quality learning experiences that provide demonstrated value for recipients.
  • Only programs approved by this policy are authorized to use the Binghamton University badge. 

Approval process

The high quality and relevance of Binghamton microcredentials is assured through a review process approved by Faculty Governance (Faculty Senate). Help in developing strong proposals will be offered by an Office of Microcredentials initially located in the Center for Learning and Teaching. A committee of faculty and instructional design professionals will review proposals that have successfully gone through the regular School, College or unit curriculum approval procedures. Credit-bearing microcredentials proceed through an internal approval process involving review by the Graduate Council (if at the graduate level) and the Faculty Senate process for internally approved items (EPPC and FSEC review). Non-credit microcredentials can be implemented after local unit and Office of Microcredential review.

Any additional fees beyond tuition associated with credit-bearing microcredentials are subject to the normal fee review processes. It is possible that non-matriculated students can participate in credit-bearing microcredentials at the discretion of and according to the policies of the originating units. Fees for non-credit bearing microcredentials must be included in the proposal submitted to the Office of Microcredentials.

Implementation issues

Proposing departments and programs are responsible for establishing criteria for the microcredentials, advising students, tracking progress, qualifying instructors, and evaluating evidence for badges and for transcripting (credit-bearing).

Supporting documentation for proposal approval includes demonstration of a clear purpose and benefit, articulation of NACE learning objectives, evidence of importance to employers, clear links between the learning outcomes and learning activities and plans for assessment of the learning evidence for the digital badge.

Additional implementation issues, such as support and incentives for microcredential development, details of tracking systems, qualification for non-BU instructors, issuance and design of non-credit micro credentials that may stack into credit-bearing experiences and issuance and design of microcredentials that may stack toward larger certificates and degrees will determined after the basic policy is approved. Interdisciplinary micro-credentials are encouraged and may result in additional issues.

Approved Motion

Microcredentials at Binghamton are a collection of courses and experience that help students develop and document professional skills and competencies. Credit-bearing microcredentials appear on a student’s transcript and both credit-bearing and non-credit microcredentials result in issuance of a digital badge including evidence of the competencies achieved. Credit-bearing microcredentials have a maximum size of 12 credits and normally involve at least two courses, in addition to other required experiences in some cases. Non-credit microcredentials are typically smaller experiences but must demonstrate high quality and value added for the recipient.

Both types of microcredentials go through review processes before submission to the Office of Micro-Credentials for an approval process that involves faculty. Credit-bearing microcredentials proceed through the regular internal review process of Graduate Council for graduate level micro-credentials and review by the EPPC and FSEC of the Faculty Senate.

Approved by Faculty Senate May 12, 2020