Review our alphabetical index to determine which micro-credential you want to pursue.
Submit an NKU application for the micro-credential of your choice:
Undergraduate Application Graduate Application
Browse the FAQs below for quick answers to common inquiries.
Earning a micro-credential is easy! Simply submit the appropriate undergraduate or graduate application to NKU, take the required courses and earn the required grades. When you are in the last required course, send an email to microcredentials@nku.edu. Once grades are in, you will receive an email explaining how to access your digital credential.
Please note that your micro-credential application must be submitted and approved no later than the start of the session for your final required course in order to be eligible to receive the micro-credential. Applications submitted after graduation from NKU cannot be approved. It is best to apply for the micro-credential as soon as you are ready to begin taking the required courses. You may apply for the semester in which you will begin your first required course for the micro-credential.
Yes. Even if you are already in a degree or certificate program, you need to submit an application in order to enroll in an undergraduate or graduate micro-credential. The application fee is waived for all undergraduate and graduate micro-credential applications.
If you are interested in a professional micro-credential, please refer to the contact included in that micro-credential's description for enrollment information.
Undergraduate micro-credentials require an application to the micro-credential. High school students are not eligible to earn micro-credentials.
Graduate micro-credentials require a bachelor's degree and cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 in addition to the micro-credential application.
Students already enrolled in a degree-seeking program must apply for admission into the micro-credential of your choice, register for the courses required, and earn the required grades.
It is best to apply as soon as you are ready to begin the first of the micro-credential courses. Apply for the semester in which you will take your first course. Once your application is approved, you may register for the first of the classes that are required for your micro-credential.
If you have already started the coursework required to earn a micro-credential, you can still apply. However, your application must be submitted and approved no later than the start of the session for your final required course in the micro-credential.
If you are in a degree program at NKU, do not wait until you are ready to graduate to apply for the micro-credential as this can result in delayed completion. Similarly, please do not wait until after you have graduated to submit your micro-credential application. Micro-credentials will not be awarded for applications submitted after a student graduates.
To earn an undergraduate micro-credential, the grade of each course taken for the micro credential must be a C or better, and the cumulative grade point average of courses taken must be 2.0 or higher.
To earn a graduate micro-credential, the grade of each course must be a C or better, and the cumulative grade point average of courses taken for the micro-credential must be 3.0 or higher.
When you are in the final required course for your micro-credential, send a short email to microcredentials@nku.edu from your NKU email account. Please be sure to indicate which micro-credential you are about to complete.
You will be placed on a list to have your micro-credential coursework and grades evaluated at the end of the term, after grades have been posted.
When your digital credential is awarded, you will receive a confirmation email from microcredentials@nku.edu. You will also receive an email from Credly, our digital credential platform, with instructions on how to access your digital credential.
There are no special fees for micro-credentials. You pay for whatever tuition, fees, and materials are required for the particular courses you are taking, and the digital credential comes to you — at no additional cost — once you complete the requirements and email us at microcredentials@nku.edu.
The tuition for a graduate or undergraduate micro-credential will vary, depending on how many courses make up the micro-credential, how many credit hours each course is worth, whether the courses are online or in-person, your residency status, and other factors. The number of credit hours per course can be found in the most recent undergraduate or graduate catalog. You can find current tuition and fees for undergraduate and graduate courses on the Student Account Services Tuition Schedule page.
Financial aid does not apply to non-degree programs, so if you would be a non-degree student, or if you are a degree-earning student but the micro-credential courses are not part of your degree plan, then you would not be eligible for financial aid to earn the micro-credential. However, if you are already a student in an NKU degree program and the courses for the micro-credential are also part of your degree plan, then your financial aid coverage would not be affected if you applied for the micro-credential.
Unlike undergraduate and graduate micro-credentials, which are based on for-credit courses, professional micro-credentials are based on non-credit courses. Non-credit courses are not eligible for financial aid. To learn about the cost for a professional micro-credential, please reach out to the designated Contact listed in the lower left corner of the micro-credential's web page.
Yes. NKU has partnered with Credly, a secure platform for earning, distributing, and displaying digital micro-credentials. When micro-credentials appear on Credly, LinkedIn, or your favorite social media platform, they are clickable; when one clicks on the micro-credential, it will bring the viewer to an official site describing and certifying Northern Kentucky University micro-credentials.
You may find the full selection of NKU’s micro-credentials in our Program Index. We are always working to add new micro-credentials.
If you don’t find a micro-credential listed in an area that interests you or your employer, please let us know by contacting us at microcredentials@nku.edu.
Yes. Our micro-credentials are stackable. This means you can earn a micro-credential, and then apply those courses toward a certificate, bachelor's or master’s degree.
Here is an example:
Things to keep in mind:
Your micro-credential application must be submitted and approved no later than the start of the session for your last required course, as micro-credentials are not awarded retroactively. Applications submitted after graduation from NKU cannot be approved. You may apply for the micro-credential as soon as you are ready to begin taking the required coursework. However, there is a special situation that may apply depending on when you took some required courses.
NKU's micro-credential program began in Spring 2018; several micro-credentials have been added since that time as described on the launch dates section of the program page. If at least one of the courses you have taken toward a micro-credential was taken during the micro-credential's established launch date term or later, and you have not yet graduated from NKU, you are eligible for the micro-credential. If you took all the required courses prior to the launch date term, and/or graduated from NKU, you are not eligible for the micro-credential.
You also may not retake one course and earn the micro-credential using the older courses.
No. Courses from other colleges or universities do not count toward an NKU micro-credential. Transfer credits are not applicable to micro-credential requirements.
No. Work experience cannot substitute for courses that are required to earn a micro-credential.
There are a few courses that require the consent of the program director or department permission for students who are not already admitted to the corresponding certificate or degree program. The courses requiring consent of the program director or department permission are indicated in the individual micro-credential descriptions. For details, please reach out to the faculty contact listed for the micro-credential.
Yes! Each individual micro-credential web page includes Contact information in the lower left corner. The Contact is a faculty expert who can answer specific, in-depth questions about the courses that make up the micro-credential, how the micro-credential could benefit you, and much more.
If you have general questions about the micro-credentials programs at NKU that aren't covered in the Frequently Asked Questions, please reach out to microcredentials@nku.edu.
