How to Apply

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.  

Anyone who is eligible to take the required courses may earn a micro-credential. Undergraduate courses only require an application to the micro-credential; graduate courses require a bachelor's degree and 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.

To apply for an undergraduate micro-credential, use the undergraduate application and select "micro-credential" as your degree type.

To apply for a graduate micro-credential, use the graduate application and select "micro-credential" as your degree type.

For a professional micro-credential, please reach out to the contact provided in the micro-credential description for information on how to enroll.

Yes. Simply apply for admission into the micro-credential of your choice, register for the course(s) required, and earn the required grades.

To apply for an undergraduate micro-credential, use the undergraduate application and select "micro-credential" as your degree type.

To apply for a graduate micro-credential, use the graduate application and select "micro-credential" as your degree type.

For a professional micro-credential, reach out to the contact provided in the micro-credential description for information on how to enroll.

Your application must be submitted and approved no later than the start of the session for your final required course in the micro-credential.

It is best if you do not wait until the last course--you can apply as soon as you are ready to begin the first of the micro-credential courses. You may apply for the semester in which you will begin your first required course for the micro-credential.

If you are already a student in a degree program at NKU, 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.

Once your application is approved, register for the classes that are required for your micro-credential.

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 whatever tuition and fees are required for the particular courses you are taking, and the micro-credential comes to you — at no additional cost — once you complete the requirements and email us at microcredentials@nku.edu. 

The tuition for a micro-credential will vary, depending on whether the courses are at the undergraduate or graduate level, 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. You can find current tuition rates for undergraduate and graduate courses on the Student Account Services Tuition Schedule page. 

Unlike undergraduate and graduate micro-credentials, which are based on for-credit courses, professional micro-credentials are based on non-credit courses. To learn about the tuition 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.

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.