Jul 25, 2016 - Partners

Fast-track career moves: 3 unique Graduate Certificate programs at UNC Charlotte

Lizzy Sirkin

(Note: This content was co-created with UNC Charlotte.)

Overview

Ready to take your education to the next level? Ready to advance your career? UNC Charlotte wants to help. The university offers graduate certificates, some of which consist of a subset of courses required for a master’s degree.

And a graduate certificate is…

A graduate certificate is a stand-alone credential that typically consists of 12-15 credit hours of graduate coursework in a focused area of study. The graduate certificate or post-master’s graduate certificate may provide individuals with specialized training in a particular academic and/or occupational area, as well as augment professional skills to help advance their careers.

TL;DR
These enable individuals to quickly gain admission and begin a program of study before committing to a master’s degree.

Bioinformatics Technology

Overview:
A recent study of the biotechnology community in the Charlotte metro area alone identified 700 companies, nearly one-third of which have the need for bioinformatics professionals. This unique demand for talent with a biology interest and computing skills, work on a variety of problems in the genomic biology industry.

Applicable usages:
Genomics are used to advance our understanding of human disease such as cancer or Zika virus; or ecological issues like deforestation of rain forests and global warming.

The student perspective:

Our degree is unique in that it is completely taught within our department. UNC Charlotte has one of the few stand alone Bioinformatics departments in the country, so students have the chance to be in small classes taught by faculty members who are involved in federally funded research programs in varying research areas from Metabolmics and Genomics to Computational Modeling and Systems Biology.
It’s designed for students who have backgrounds in both Life Science and Computing/Mathematics.

The Bioinformatics Technology Certificate is truly an interdisciplinary program that opens the doors to having the experience to pursue careers in agriculture, pharmaceutical, biomedical and biotechnology as well as continuing on into a Master’s degree.

If students enter the Master’s after completing the Certificate they only have a year of course work left to obtain their Master’s degree.

Lean Six Sigma

Addressing the need to ensure quality, this certificate provides professionals with the opportunity to reach a demonstrated level of competence in the lean manufacturing and six sigma quality management techniques.

The graduate certificate may act as a standalone graduate option for post-baccalaureate and post-masters students, or may be pursued concurrently with a related graduate degree program at UNC Charlotte. The twelve credit hours in the certificate may be applied to the graduate programs in the Systems Engineering and Engineering Management (SEEM) department per approval of the department Program Director.

Applicable usages:
Students learn techniques to identify and eliminate waste systematically to help companies improve their bottom-line.

The student perspective:

Flexible program that can be completed within a year following a part-time schedule online, on campus or a mixture of the two.
The Online Program is ranked by US news with Nationally and Internationally recognized faculty in the area of lean six sigma.
Project oriented with strong application emphasis, with a good balance between theory and practice.
Provides insights into advanced topics in lean six sigma such as Design of Experiments and Lean Supply Networks.
Competitive program to get in as it requires minimum 3.0 undergraduate degree GPA and graduate school requirements for admission.

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Nonprofit Management

As part of the Master of Public Administration program, the Certificate provides education and training for the public and nonprofit sectors. By serving the community and/or other not for profit organizations, students conduct scholarly discourse and applied research to advance the field of public administration.

Applicable usages:
Classes include management training, grant writing and financial analysis and budgeting.

The student perspective:

This certificate is perfect for anyone who believes in the transformative role of nonprofits in our society and feels passionately about the nonprofit world, whether as an employee or volunteer. It provides a practical foundation learning about the trends, challenges and opportunities facing nonprofits.
Without knowledge of best practices and government regulations, even a smart, well-intentioned individual can make mistakes that damage a nonprofit’s reputation as well as make their own board or employee experience a painful one.
The courses are taught by extremely knowledgeable and capable professors who care about their students’ success.
The certification is nicely flexible with diverse course offerings appealing to the varied interests and roles one may wish to pursue in this space.
The program will easily fit your lifestyle as you not only choose the courses but also the pace to pursue them.

Interested in these not-so-average, fast-track career moves?

Make sure to stop by one of UNC Charlotte’s Graduate Certificate information sessions this month.

Can’t make it to any information sessions? Visit the Graduate Admissions website to search for certificate programs and areas that may interest you. There, you can learn about the admissions process, and begin your application.

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