National University to offer Google Career Certificates to help students, alumni and employees boost digital skills
SAN DIEGO, CA (October 6, 2023) – National University — a nonprofit Minority Serving Institution that serves more than 43,000 students annually through its degree programs and another 130,000 through its workforce and professional training programs — today announced an initiative that will integrate a suite of industry-recognized Google Career Certificates across its undergraduate and graduate programs. The collaboration with Google will enable current students, employees and alumni to learn job-ready skills across six in-demand fields: Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Project Management, Digital Marketing and E-Commerce, IT Support, and UX Design.
“Digital skills are increasingly the currency of career advancement. In today’s tech-driven economy, these skills matter in an ever-growing number of careers, not just in the tech industry itself,” said Dr. Susan Zukowski, vice president of professional and continuing education at National University. “The addition of these new certificates across multiple pathways and degree programs is reflective of our commitment to meeting students where they are—and creating a credential-rich pathway for every learner.”
The announcement comes as the job outlook for careers in digital and tech fields remains strong. Job openings for information security analysts, data scientists, and web developers and digital designers are projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The credentialing initiative marks the first example of a university integrating Google Career Certificates at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Certificate instruction will be offered across a diverse range of non-academic and academic programs through a combination of standalone offerings, elective classes, and courses with the skills training directly embedded into the curriculum.
In addition, students who have already completed a Google Career Certificate will be able to earn in some cases up to five courses toward a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including information technology, engineering, business, human resources, and marketing. The innovative approach to academic credit will dramatically reduce the cost-per-students and time to degree, saving students up to six months of seat-time and between $1,300 and $6,900 in tuition costs.
Students can complete each credential in six months or less. Courses will be taught in a fully asynchronous format that leverages curriculum built by industry experts, including engineers, technologists and learning and development experts.
“Emerging technologies continue to change our jobs and the way we do them. Putting tech and digital skills within reach of our students will help them not only get their next job, but ultimately navigate the challenges of an increasingly dynamic labor market for many years to come,” said Dr. Mark D. Milliron, president and CEO of National University. “We’re finding strategic ways to embed and integrate industry-recognized credentials throughout our degree pathways because it can unlock time, resources and career opportunities for the students that we serve.”
The offering of Google Career Certificates is an extension of National University’s longstanding commitment to educating working adults through its signature credential-rich pathways initiative, which leverages stackable credentials to ensure that individuals have multiple on- and off-ramps to career opportunities throughout their academic experience.
“Google is thrilled that National University is offering the Google Career Certificates program to undergraduate and graduate students throughout the country,” said Bronagh Friel, Head Partnerships, Grow with Google. “We’re proud that this offering will help students gain job-ready skills for growing fields as they pursue a degree.”
Research and evaluation will be a core component of this offering. National University plans to closely monitor certificate completion rates over time and assess how these certificates contribute to individual career advancement for learners who participate.
As a veteran-founded Minority Serving Institution, National University has a student population that reflects the shifting — and highly diverse — demographics of higher education today. Well-known for its distinctive focus on serving adult learners, educators and veterans, the university has for more than 50 years honed its unique expertise in developing workforce-relevant degrees and credentials designed specifically for working adults.
Enrollment will open this fall at no or low-cost to current students, current employees and alumni.
About National University:
National University, a veteran-founded nonprofit, has been dedicated to meeting the needs of hard-working adults by providing accessible, affordable higher education opportunities since 1971. As San Diego’s largest private nonprofit university, NU offers over 190+ online and on-campus programs with flexible four-week and eight-week classes and one-to-one graduate education models designed to help students reach their goals while balancing busy lives. Since its founding, the NU community has grown to 43,000 students and 240,000 alumni around the globe, many of whom serve in helping industries such as business, education, health care, cybersecurity, and law and criminal justice. To learn more about National University’s new possibilities in education including next-generation education, credential-rich education, and whole human education, visit NU.edu.