Student Certifications: A Comprehensive Guide

In today's competitive job market, certifications serve as powerful tools for students to validate their skills and knowledge, making them more attractive to potential employers. With a significant 91% of hiring managers considering certifications as a key evaluation criterion, understanding the landscape of available certifications and how to leverage them is crucial for student success. This article explores various certification options, their benefits, and how students can access them.

The Value of Certifications

Certifications offer tangible proof of skills and knowledge acquired through academic or technical training. They demonstrate to employers that a student possesses the capabilities required to perform specific tasks and contribute to their organization's success. Moreover, certifications can help students:

Stand out from the crowd: In a pool of equally qualified candidates, certifications can be the differentiating factor that catches the attention of hiring managers.
Prove technical know-how: Certifications validate a student's understanding of specific software, processes, and industry best practices.
Enhance career prospects: IT certifications, in particular, can significantly boost career opportunities and increase marketability.
Gain a competitive edge: Certifications demonstrate a commitment to professional development and a willingness to go the extra mile to acquire specialized knowledge.

Microsoft Certifications

Microsoft certifications are highly regarded in the IT industry, validating expertise in various Microsoft technologies and platforms. These certifications demonstrate an understanding of specific software and processes, helping students showcase their proficiency to potential employers.

Azure for Students

Microsoft provides opportunities for students to build in the cloud for free with Azure for Students. This program offers USD100 in Azure credit, allowing students to build applications, explore AI, work with big data sets, and more, without requiring a credit card. To access this benefit, students can sign into Microsoft Learn with their personal Microsoft account and select "student" as their role.

Discounted Exam Vouchers and Practice Assessments

Microsoft is committed to ensuring fair access to certification exams for all interested individuals. To support students, Microsoft provides discounted exam vouchers and practice assessments to eligible students, making it more affordable to pursue valuable certifications.

Microsoft Learn Blog

The Microsoft Learn Blog features stories of how Microsoft Certifications have positively impacted individuals' career paths, highlighting the potential benefits of pursuing these credentials, even at the beginning of their professional lives or when starting new careers.

AWS Certifications

AWS (Amazon Web Services) certifications validate an individual's ability to work with the AWS cloud platform. These certifications demonstrate skills in deploying, managing, and operating AWS systems; implementing and controlling data flow; selecting appropriate services based on requirements; identifying best practices; and migrating on-premises workloads.

Cisco Certifications

Cisco's CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) certification is a highly regarded credential in the IT industry, particularly for those pursuing careers in network operations or security fields. A CCNA certification can significantly impact a student's future in these domains.

Other Valuable IT Certifications

Besides Microsoft, AWS, and Cisco certifications, several other IT certifications can enhance a student's resume and career prospects. These include:

ITIL® Foundation certification: This certification provides a foundational understanding of the ITIL framework, focusing on IT services and best practices. It serves as a starting point for individuals seeking to advance to higher certification levels.
Linux certification: This certification demonstrates an understanding of Linux and open-source systems, including the major components of the Linux operating system, command-line proficiency, and basic security principles. It is beneficial for developers, administrators, and engineers. Linux Professional Institute (LPI) offers essential certifications.
CCSP (Certified Cloud Security Professional) certification: This certification validates the technical skills and knowledge required to design, manage, and secure data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud.
SSCP (Systems Security Certified Practitioner) certification: This certification demonstrates the skills to implement, monitor, and administer IT infrastructure, as well as an understanding of security best practices and policies.
ISACA certification: Offered by WGU, this certification is designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of cybersecurity professionals.
CompTIA certifications: A wide variety of CompTIA certifications are available, catering to different IT roles and skill levels.
Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification: This certification, offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), is designed for entry-level IT students with limited project management experience. It covers the basic knowledge and terminology associated with effective project management.

Certifications Integrated into Degree Programs

Western Governors University (WGU) offers information technology degree programs that integrate top industry IT certification exams into the curriculum at no extra cost. This approach allows students to earn both a degree and valuable certifications simultaneously.

WGU offers degrees that include industry IT certifications online. IT certifications enhance your career and make you more marketable. But IT certifications can be expensive and time consuming. At WGU, our goal is to help with that.

Specific Certifications Offered at WGU

WGU's IT degree programs offer the opportunity to pursue various certifications, depending on the specific program. Some examples include:

B.S. Cybersecurity and Information Assurance: CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), (ISC)² Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA).
B.S. Cloud Computing: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate, CompTIA Cloud+, ITIL® 4 Foundation.
B.S. Computer Science: Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE Programmer, CompTIA A+, AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner.
B.S. Data Management/Data Analytics: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals, CompTIA A+, CIW Data Analytics.
B.S. Information Technology: CompTIA A+, CompTIA IT Operations Specialist - CIOS, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, ITIL® 4 Foundation.
B.S. Network Engineering and Security: CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Cisco Certified Network Professional Enterprise (CCNP Enterprise).
B.S. Software Development: Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE Programmer, Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®), CompTIA A+.
B.S. Health Information Management: Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT).
M.S. Cybersecurity and Information Assurance: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).
M.S. Information Technology Management: Project Management Professional (PMP)®.
M.S. Data Analytics: Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate.
The MBA Information Technology Management, M.S. Data Analytics, B.S. Health Information Management, and B.S. Business-Information Technology Management do not include any IT certifications. List current as of August 2023.

When you choose to get an IT degree from WGU, you also get top industry certifications at the same time, rolled into your tuition cost. After you've studied the material, you receive a voucher and detailed help from your Program Mentor to find a certification center close to you.* Your voucher allows you to take your certification exam two times for free. *Some IT certifications are completed online.

Cost Savings with WGU

Pursuing IT certifications through WGU can result in significant cost savings. While most IT certification programs can cost close to $3,000, WGU's six-month tuition for bachelor's degrees in IT is approximately $3,725. This tuition covers test preparation, exam fees, and the degree itself.

Udacity Nanodegree Programs

Udacity offers nanodegree programs designed to help students demonstrate their knowledge and skills to employers. These programs incorporate quizzes, lectures, and projects to facilitate learning and showcase expertise. For example, the data analyst nanodegree helps students use Python, SQL, and statistics to uncover insights and communicate critical findings.

Read also: Enrollment at Notre Dame

YouScience Industry Certifications

YouScience creates new exams when industry needs to validate new skills. Build or modify an exam blueprint to define the scope of the exam. The blueprint ensures the exam and questions align to each standard.

Certifications give students tangible proof of the skills and knowledge learned in career and technical education (CTE) courses. They get proof they can use to enter the workforce or skip entry-level college courses. Educators access validated industry standards, exams, and data. They get ready-made tools to help with preparing students for life after school. Pre- and post-tests (where available) let them measure student growth, drive program improvements, adapt to local pathway needs, build stackable credentials, and easily meet and report on funding requirements.

That impact is clear in Yakima School District in Washington. Since implementing YouScience Industry Certifications, the district has administered more than 68,000 certifications, helped students earn over 3,000 college credits, and saved families an estimated $350,000 to $500,000 in tuition. Educators use the data to demonstrate student growth, support teacher evaluations, and secure continued funding-even in tight budget years.

Yes. YouScience Industry Certifications were developed to be used in the secondary education sector as well as colleges and universities. TEC §39.053 requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to account for high school students who earn an industry-based certification as one indicator within the student achievement domain of the state's public school accountability system.

To develop the new list, all IBCs on the 2022-2025 list, credentials on the TWC Inventory of Industry-Recognized Credentials List, state and federal licenses, and newly submitted IBCs were reviewed. Certifying entities with an IBC that was submitted through the application process, reviewed, and not approved for inclusion on the 2025-2030 list may request a re-evaluation. CDT.

Free Certificates from Online Courses

Certificates can motivate learners to complete online courses. When the modern online course movement began, platforms such as Coursera and edX offered free certificates. Fortunately, a few universities including Harvard and Stanford still offer some free certificates. Free certificates can be hard to find. So we compiled them all here, testing each platform, and earning a few certificates ourselves along the way. Please note, Class Central is not involved in running the courses or issuing certificates. This is a dynamic field and you may discover that a course you choose is no longer available, or doesn’t have a free certificate any more. This article is long. To make it easy to navigate, we’ve divided it into sections. But there’s more! The following universities and companies also offer courses with free certificates. In total, we found over 450 courses, covering topics such as digital marketing, Google Analytics, and Google Cloud.

Harvard and Stanford

To get the certificate for free, you’ll want to take the courses through Harvard OCW. For more details, head to Class Central’s CS50 in-depth guide. The core course is one of the world’s most popular MOOCs with over 6 million enrollments on edX. Learners also have access to a formal transcript from Stanford, listing all the training they’ve completed.

Podcasts and Webinars

Podcasts: The Stanford Medcast, a biweekly 30-minute medical podcast. Each episode focuses on a new topic, often related to recent medical developments. Webinars: A series of on-demand webinars, where experts discuss various topics related to healthcare. Below, you can find a selection.

Other Platforms Offering Free Certificates

The Open University offers 900+ free online courses via their OpenLearn platform.
Semrush Academy offers 90+ free courses on various aspects of marketing and SEO, many with free certificates.
CodeSignal offers 1500+ courses and learning paths with free certificates in coding, AI & ML, data science, interview prep, and more.
Class Central’s catalog of Digital Marketing courses has grown to 7,500+ courses, but most of them either do not offer a certificate or require you to pay for a credential.
freeCodeCamp is a nonprofit that can teach you how to code online for free. It includes thousands of hours of learning content exploring topics ranging from web development to machine learning. Some content does not offer certificates, while other courses are structured into certifications.
FutureLearn offers 70+ online courses with a free “digital upgrade”, which includes unlimited access to the course and quizzes. A digital Certificate of Achievement will be available upon completion.
IBM Cognitive Class offers over 100 courses and more than 30 learning paths in data science, AI, big data, cloud computing and blockchain. Around 60 courses offer a completion badge or certificate. Some of the 24 free learning paths and 582 free courses from IBM Training have free certificates and badges available from IBM Training or via Credly.
Kaggle is an online community for data scientists and aspiring data scientists alike. In addition, the platform offers a series of courses to learn the fundamentals of data science.
Also available is Equip Aged Care Learning Modules, a series of 10-minute modules each offering a free certificate of completion. Three of these courses have been ranked among Class Central’s Best Free Online Courses of All Time.
HackerRank, a platform for learning algorithms and data structures and preparing for coding interviews, provides skills certifications tests in topics such as problem solving, Python, and JavaScript.
The Hasso Plattner Institute offers a range of self-paced courses with free certificates of participation and achievement.
Marginal Revolution University (MRU) now provides 18 economics courses and series to everyone for free, some with a final exam and certificate. Learning videos (without a certificate) are also available on their Youtube Channel.
X Ads Academy offers free courses and badges on practice tips for advertising and campaigns on X. An e-Certificate of Completion is provided in 30 days after you successfully finish all the modules within your program.
HubSpot Academy provides a number of free courses, 26 of which provide free certificates.
Wolfram U offers more than 40 courses with free certificates across various subjects, including Programming, Mathematics, Data Science and Machine Learning, Computational Thinking, and Signal and Image Processing.
The OPEN vhb site lists over 100 free courses in German and English, from a range of universities. To receive your certificate, complete 70% to 80% of the tasks correctly.
Established by Spain’s Banco Santander, Santander Open Academy offers 40+ online courses in a range of languages with free completion certificates.
Complexity Explorer currently offers 5 self-paced courses with free certificates, and a range of free tutorials without a certificate.
Saylor Academy offers 130+ college level courses with free certificates in History, Business, Chemistry, Economics, Computer Science, and many more.
185 free courses and specializations with free certificates in Arabic.
Stepik, an interactive computer science education platform in Russian and English, offers 100 free courses with free certificates. Информатика ЕГЭ 2022.
The FAO elearning Academy offers 100+ free courses in food and nutrition security, social and economic development, and sustainable management of natural resources.
The UN CC:e-Learn platform offers 116 free courses with certificates in climate change, sustainability, and green economy. Courses are in English, French, Spanish, and other languages.
PhilanthropyU offers 20 free courses with free certificates.
The Global Campus of Human Rights offers several MOOCs. One ongoing MOOC Promoting and Protecting Human Rights: a Global Overview offers free enrollment and certificate.
Acumen offers 30 free scheduled team certificate courses about social change. You can receive a Statement of Accomplishment after completing the course.
ITCILO offers 50 free courses in sustainable enterprise development, labor laws, and gender equality in the workplace. Certificates or badges can be earned by meeting course requirements.
Cisco, the IT and networking giant, offers a series of self-paced online courses through its Networking Academy platform; some include free badges for skills learned.
The University of Urbino offers 10 courses with free certificates in Italian.
EC-Council Learning currently offers 9 free cyber security courses with certificates.
Administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Watershed Academy offers a series of training modules about watershed management. When you complete 15 modules and pass the self-tests with a grade of 70% or higher, you are eligible for a free Watershed Management Training Certificate.

Choosing the Right Certifications

When deciding which certifications to pursue, students should consider their career goals and the specific skills and knowledge required for their desired roles. It's essential to focus on quality over quantity, selecting certifications that are highly valued in their field. You may be wondering which are the best IT certification programs for you to seek. You may think that the more IT certifications you have, the better. The reality is that top IT certifications focus on quality, not quantity. Depending on the career path you want to take, there are specific IT certifications you'll want to earn. Other kinds of IT certifications won't be as important, so it's best to pursue the most valuable IT certifications for your specific field.

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