Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
4/4/03
For immediate release
Contacts:
Kris Phelps, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515) 294-7329,
kphelps@iastate.edu
Lynette Spicer, Continuing Education and Communication Services, (515)
294-1327, lspicer@iastate.edu
ISU Certificate Programs Boost Careers
AMES, IA - Martha Hulscher, 28, a police officer in Perry, received her Certificate in Public Management from Iowa State University in December. The certificate marked two major accomplishments for Hulscher: proof of her increasing abilities as she works her way into higher levels of a law enforcement career and 15 course credits toward her goal of obtaining a Master of Public Administration degree.
For Dan Fluharty, 27, of Waldorf, Maryland, the graduate Certificate of Information Assurance received last May from Iowa State's electrical and computer engineering department has given him increased credibility serving U.S. government customers and helped him gain a job promotion.
Certificate programs offered within academic departments at universities are a growing trend nationwide. According to John Mayfield, associate dean of the Graduate College at ISU, it is the fastest growing segment of graduate education.
Mayfield oversees credit-based graduate certificate programs at ISU. The program at Iowa State is set up so that all credits earned toward a certificate also apply toward a master's degree in the department offering the certificate. Certificates range from 11 to 18 credits; graduate degrees most often require 30 to 40 credits.
"It is a rapidly increasing arena here," Mayfield said. Four years ago, there were five certificates offered in various colleges and departments. Now, 15 programs have been approved with another two or three in the pipeline, he added.
"For a lot of people who contemplate graduate school, the certificate
is a way to augment their credentials. Thirty to 40 credits is a lot for
some people to take on," he said. There is also, he noted, a market
impetus to obtain a certificate in certain fields. It can help elevate
the status of an employee, and it demonstrates new skills learned.
In some cases, such as in the area of family financial planning, there
is added market demand for the certificates because some of the classes
are necessary to take a recognized national certification (CFP) exam.
The increased variety of delivery modes for distance education has made certificate (as well as degree) programs more accessible to students across the state, nation and world. Certificate program courses are offered via the Web including in streaming media form, on CD-ROM and videotape and through the National Technological University (NTU). For Iowa students, Iowa Communications Network (ICN) and on-site delivery also are used.
Graduate certificate programs Iowa State offers off-campus include Certificate in Electric Power Systems; Certificate in Information Assurance; Certificate of Family Financial Planning; Certificate in Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy; Certificate in Dietetics Communication and Counseling; Certificate in Dietetics Management; Certificate of Public Management; and Certificate of Advanced Studies (School Superintendent Certification).
Mayfield indicated there is steady effort to offer more certificate programs, particular in areas of rapid change such as computer security issues.
Another timely development will be a Certificate in e-Government, coming from the public administration program next fall. Kurt Thurmaier, professor and director of the program, said this is a growing area of interest as government officials look at ways to use information technology to improve citizen access and to provide more effective and efficient services.
Whether it is a printed certificate framed on the office wall or a line in a listing of credentials on a resume, ISU officials and students alike see programs as providing benefits to people already in the workplace.
"Through this program I am getting exposure to a lot of different public management issues. I have become a lot more analytical," explained Hulscher, who added that the exams for sergeant, detective, etc., levels include increased analytical emphasis. Her certificate and eventual master's degree also will increase her options in terms of careers.
Fluharty said the improved knowledge he received in the information assurance program was directly relevant to his work, especially in areas of security engineering, vulnerability assessments and advanced networking. He took courses by videotape, streaming media and online.
Fluharty already has a master's degree in computer information systems, but found the new and quickly evolving discipline of information assurance to be one in which he needed to stay current. "The instructors I had for this program provided a great mix of theoretical and practical instruction that made the program very worthwhile."
For more information on Iowa State's certificates, as well as degree programs offered off-campus, visit the continuing education Web site at www.lifelearner.iastate.edu/degree.htm or call (800) 262-0015.
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