Degrees & Certificates • Certificates

Certificates

Total Credit Hours 12-36

The primary purpose and features of certificate programs of study are to provide marketable, entry-level skills. Certificates qualify students to take external licensure, vendor-based, or skill standards examinations in the field. If standardized external exams are not available in the field of study, certificates prepare students at skill levels expected of employees in an occupation found in the local economy.

1. Certificates will address one or more general education competencies.
2. Certificate curricula will be approved through the KCTCS Curriculum process.
3. Certificates will be applicable toward at least one associate degree.

The above are minimum general education requirements; additional hours may be required in specific program curricula.

Requirements for a certificate are applicable to the requirements of a diploma or associate degree in the same or a related field of study. Requests for exceptions must include appropriate documentation to justify approval. Certificates may contain general education courses emphasizing the skills identified in the SCANS report that are critical to entry-level workforce success for persons prepared at the certificate level, and associated with the diploma or associate degree program. The Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) identified three foundation skills and five competencies necessary for success in the workplace.

Foundation Skills

Basic Skills: reading, writing, arithmetic and mathematics, listening, and speaking;

Thinking Skills: thinking creatively, making decisions, solving problems, knowing how to learn, and reasoning;

Personal Qualities: individual responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, and integrity/honesty.

Competencies

Resources: allocating time, money, materials, space, and staff;

Interpersonal Skills: working on teams, teaching others, serving customers, leading, negotiating, and working well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds;

Information: acquiring and evaluating data, organizing and maintaining files, interpreting and communicating, and using computers to process information;

Systems: understanding social, organizational, and technological systems, monitoring and correcting performance, and designing or improving systems;

Technology: selecting equipment and tools, applying technology to specific tasks, and maintaining and troubleshooting technologies.