Microcredentials
We are excited to announce that starting in spring 2026, undergraduate students will have the opportunity to earn course-based, hard-skill microcredentials. These will certify that students have achieved competency in specialized, career-focused skills.
To earn these microcredentials, students are required to take a sequence of courses followed by an assessment separate from the normal course grading process. Course requirements and assessments are subject to change as these opportunities evolve. Assessments vary by microcredential, but consist in some combination of the following: an independent exam, a portfolio review, a reflective cover letter, an oral examination, and a review of course grades.
These microcredential opportunities are available to Brandeis undergraduates at no additional cost and detailed instructions for how to apply for microcredentials are described below in the FAQs.
Seniors graduating in May 2026 must declare microcredentials by April 30th.
Students who declare microcredentials, and who will finish all requirements by the end of Spring 2026, will be contacted by TheCenter@brandeis.edu with further information about the content and details of the required assessment. Please note that graduating seniors will be given priority in the assessment process, which may delay responses to other students.
For the spring 2026 semester, we are piloting five such microcredentials:
Learn more about our microcredential pilot and related courses below, and find answers to common questions.
Spring 2026 Microcredentials
Applied Statistical Analysis
Reflects students’ ability to analyze and interpret data using statistical reasoning and applied methods. By completing coursework in statistics and their application, students learn to make evidence-based inferences and evaluate data from across scientific and social scientific disciplines.
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- 1 course from:
- BIOL 51a: Biostatistics
- BUS 51a: Introduction to Data Analytics with Excel
- ECON 83a: Statistics for Economic Analysis
- ECON 210a: Introduction to Probability & Statistics for Business and Economics
- MATH 8a: Introduction to Probability and Statistics
- MATH 36b: Mathematical Statistics
- POL 52a: Basic Statistics for Social and Political Analysis
- PSYC 51a: Statistics
- SOC 82a: Quantitative Methods in Sociology
- 1 course from:
- AAAS 112a: Survey Design and Analysis
- BIOL 107a: Data Analysis and Statistics Workshop
- HS 256f: Healthcare Data Analytics and Data Mining (2 credit)
- HS 367a: Working with National Data Sets to Inform Policy Analysis and Recommendations
- PHYS 163a: Statistical Physics and Thermodynamics
- POL 51b: Data and Politics
- POL 53b: Quantitative Methods for Policy Analysis
- PSYC 52a: Research Methods
- PSYC 123a: Applied Bayesian Modeling
- PSYC 148a: Applied Statistical Computing in R
- PSYC 160b: Seminar on Sex Differences
Foundations of Data Analytics
Certifies that students’ have foundational quantitative and programming skills for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. Through coursework in statistics and programming, students learn to apply analytical skills and computational tools to a wide range of problems.
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- 1 course from:
- BIOL 51a: Biostatistics
- BUS 51a: Introduction to Data Analytics with Excel
- ECON 83a: Statistics for Economic Analysis
- ECON 210a: Introduction to Probability & Statistics
- MATH 8a: Introduction to Probability and Statistics
- MATH 36b: Mathematical Statistics
- POL 52a: Basic Statistics for Social and Political Analysis
- PSYC 51a: Statistics
- SOC 82a: Quantitative Methods in Sociology
- 1 course from:
- BUS 140a: Sports Analytics
- BUS 215f: Python and Applications to Business Analytics
- BUS 216f: Python and Applications to Business Analytics II
- BUS/FIN 241a: Machine Learning and Data Analysis for Business and Finance
- COSI 10a: Introduction to Problem Solving in Python
- COSI 12b: Advanced Programming Techniques
- COSI 104a: Introduction to Machine Learning
- ECON 148b: Introduction to Machine Learning with Economic Applications
- MATH 125a: Mathematics for Machine Learning
Person-Centered Research and Analysis
Demonstrates students’ ability to design and conduct qualitative research focused on understanding living persons in their social contexts.
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- 2 courses* from:
- AMST/JOUR 113a: Long-form Journalism: Storytelling for Magazines and Podcasts
- ANTH 81a: Conducting Ethnographic Fieldwork
- ANTH 52a: Anthropology Research Lab (formerly ANTH 95a) (2 credit)
- ANTH 182b: Applied Anthropology
- JOUR 25a: The Art of the Interview
- JOUR 13a: Multimedia Storytelling Lab (2 credit)
- JOUR 101a: The Fundamentals of Journalism
- SOC 18a: Doing Qualitative Research
*Courses must be drawn from two different departments or programs.
*Only one two-credit course can count.
- 1 online training:
- CITI Training (Brandeis Human Subjects Research Training)
Policy Analysis and Implementation
Focuses on the skills needed to evaluate, design, and assess policies using evidence, analytical frameworks, and social values.
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- 3 courses* from:
- Economics
- ECON 65b: Governance, Bureaucracy, and Economic Development
- ECON 69a: The Economics of Race and Gender
- HS 110a: Labor, Work, and Inequality
- Education
- ED 155b: Education and Social Policy
- ED 172a: Race Theories and Education
- Environment
- ENVS 111a: Environmental and Climate Justice
- ENVS 114a: Ethics, Policy, and Implementation in Landscape Scale Conservation
- ENVS 39b: Climate Change: Causes, Impacts, Responses and Solutions
- SOC 121a: Inequality and Environmental Justice in the City
- Health
- ANTH 140b: Critical Perspectives in Global Health
- ANTH 142b: Global Pandemics
- HS 104b: American Healthcare
- HSSP 106a: Managing Medicine
- HSSP 128a: Disability Policy
- HSSP 107b: Health Care Technology
- HSSP 135a: Public Health: History, Policy, and Social Justice
- LGLS 114a: American Health Care: Law and Policy
- LGLS 121a: Legislation for Change - Research, Policy, and Social Determinants of Health
- Law/Politics
- AAAS 159a: Identity Politics in the United States
- AAAS/IGS 112a: The United Nations and Global Peace and Security
- HIST 161b: American Political History
- IGS 104a: Seminar in International Order
- IGS 138a: China in the World
- LGLS 118a: Gender, Justice, and Legislation
- LGLS 123b: Immigration and Human Rights
- LGLS 142b: Law and Psychology
- LGLS 161b: Advocacy for Policy Change
- PHIL 128b: Philosophy of Race and Gender
- POL 51b: Data and Politics
- POL 111a: The American Congress
- POL 120b: The Politics of Policymaking
- POL 166a: Japan's Grand Strategy
- PHIL 128b: Philosophy of Race and Gender
- Populations/Disparities
- AAAS 127a: African Refugees
- HS 125a: Contemporary Antisemitism
- POL/WGS 125a: Gender in American Politics
- SOC 157b: Urban Sociology
*Courses must be drawn from three separate policy areas (i.e. economics, education, environment, health, law/politics or populations/disparities) .
Sound and Video Media
Reflects the students capacity to design, produce, and edit multimedia works that integrate sound, image, and narrative.
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- 2 courses from:
- AMST/JOUR 109b: Reinventing Journalism for the Local Level
- AMST/JOUR 113a: Long-form Journalism: Storytelling for Magazines and Podcasts
- ANTH 130a: Filming Culture - Ethnographic and Documentary
- FA 8a: Introduction to Video Art
- FILM 110a: Film Production I
- FILM 110b: Motion Picture Editing
- JOUR 111b: Advanced Multimedia Storytelling Workshop
- JOUR 112b: Social Journalism: The Art of Engaging Audiences
- MUS 107a: Introduction to Electro-Acoustic Media
- MUS 160b: Electronic Music Composition and Production
Frequently Asked Questions About the Microcredential Pilot
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To obtain a microcredential, you need to satisfy the course requirements laid out above and pass an assessment.
Assessments vary by microcredential, but consist in some combination of the following: an independent exam, a portfolio review, a reflective cover letter, an oral examination, and a review of course grades.
Students who declare microcredentials, and who will finish all requirements by the end of Spring 2026, will be contacted by TheCenter@brandeis.edu with further information about the content and details of the required assessment. Please note that graduating seniors will be given priority in the assessment process, which may delay responses to other students.
Yes. All courses taken previously can satisfy the course requirements for these microcredentials.
Yes! These pilots are available to students graduating in May 2026 - however graduating seniors must declare these microcredentials by April 30, 2026.
Yes. The same course may satisfy the requirement for more than one microcredential, as well as any other curricular requirement.
Assessments vary by microcredential, but consist in some combination of the following: an independent exam, a portfolio review, a reflective cover letter, an oral examination, and a review of course grades.
Students who declare microcredentials, and who will finish all requirements by the end of Spring 2026, will be contacted by TheCenter@brandeis.edu with further information about the content and details of the required assessment. Please note that graduating seniors will be given priority in the assessment process, which may delay responses to other students.
You will sign up through Workday. Starting March 24th undergraduates may declare a microcredential by logging in to Workday and typing "Manage My Microcredentials" in the Workday search bar. From that task, students need to click the Add Microcredential button, then select the microcredential they want to declare from the drop-down, and then press OK.
Shortly after you declare a microcredential you will see it reflected on the Academics page of your Student Profile in Workday. You will be able to track your progress through the requirements with the "View My Academic Progress" task.
Students can drop a microcredential by using the Delete button to the right of the listed microcredential.
Questions about the process should be directed to registrar@brandeis.edu
Yes. All students must sign up, regardless of whether they have already completed the coursework.
No. Only the designated courses count for microcredentials.
Employers will know in two ways. First, microcredentials will show up as a component of your official transcript. Second, you will receive a digital badge that can be shared on platforms such as LinkedIn.
No. There is no additional cost to obtaining these five microcredentials.
No. These microcredentials are meant for undergraduates currently enrolled at Brandeis, and the course sequences are made up of courses that are part of the regular undergraduate curriculum.
This is different from Brandeis Online microcredentials, which are meant for professionals and earned through a different process.
Yes. These are just the first offerings that we are using as part of our pilot. Expect more in the 2026-2027 academic year.