Hi there everyone, I was hoping I could get your opinion on which school sounds better. I have a BA from a recognized Canadian university (Trent), a Masters (from UoP) and I am interested in taking a certificate course from either Notre Dame or Penn State. Both Notre Dame's online Executive Cert in Negotiation and Penn State's Undergrad Cert in Human Resources would cost about the same (approx 6 grand). I want to add the extra punch of a major U.S. school for effect (I'll be honest; I thought the Masters would have been enough, but I'm afraid the whole "UoP thing" may leave a bad taste in a potential employer's mouth. I am willing to spend a bit more if I can reverse this effect somewhat). Also, do any of you have any other info regarding these certificates? Any other reasons why I should lean towards one or the other? Thanks!
Really it all depends upon what your Masters is in and what your undergrad is in. For instance a BA in Human Resources with a certificate in Human Resources looks silly if not suspect. But a BSBA with a certificate in Human Resources looks good. Here's the thing that got me wondering.....the Notre Dame Cert. is in Negotiations, correct? The U of Penn Cert is in Human Resources, these are not similar certs, so what is it that you are using them for? Is it to put a big name school on your resume? If so, ECornell is much cheaper than both and is still ivy league, if you so must....... http://www.ecornell.com/catalog/certificates/ Plus Cornell has a huge list of offerings. If you are hell bent on spending 6K or more check out Tulane University's online Master Certificate in Management as well. Not ivy league but if you live in the South, it'll get you more than U of Penn probably would. So I ask, what's the cert for?
Notre Dame. Their football team is better as of late. In all seriousness, both schools are well-regarded, as you know; however, Penn State World Campus is over marketing themselves these days, in my opinion. For some people like me that is a big red flag. I find myself closely scrutinizing the faculty credentials under such circumstances.
I'd go with Notre Dame without even a second thought. Penn State is fine, but ND's Mendoza College of Business is widely recognized, and the materials are brought by some of the top business experts/analysts in the field. The other thing is, the Notre Dame name has a connection with this country (although I believe you said you're from Canada) that no one can match other than maybe Harvard. The bottom line is, when name recognition matters, you gotta go with the best bang for your buck and I'd go with Notre Dame over even Cornell for a certification, because even though Cornell is Ivy league, Notre Dame's name is far more well-known amongst the general public (probably because of its football team).
No kidding. You can find the answer to your question on Saturday, at 3PM EST, on NBC ND football better than PSU? Certainly not last year. As far as the World Campus, realize that Penn State is a state university system with almost twenty campuses. University Park is the only one with high prestige. While Notre Dame is simply one school. Also consider that Penn State has the largest alumni association of any school in the US.
While I think that would be helpful for a full degree, I don't think this would be as relevant for a certification. The point is that prestige/name recognition in this endeavor is of great important, and Penn State does not even come close to Notre Dame in that regard. On a side topic, I don't think either Penn State or Notre Dame's football teams were great last year regardless of the records they posted. But right now if we're talking talent, Notre Dame has a more talented group of players, especially on offense... they even have some players that can play solid both ways.
The ND offense may have more talent, but none of it showed up to play at GT. Penn State's defense is much better than Georgia Tech's (4th in yards per play, 2005). ND is going to have to step up their game if they want to score enough points to win tomorrow.
Notre Dame has the more prestigious "brand name." For example, the current U.S. News & World Report rankings, which are the most widely known rankings for US schools, put Notre Dame at #20 among National Universities (above UC Berkeley), while the main Penn State campus (at University Park) is at #47. And technically, the certificate in question may be issued by the Penn State "World Campus", not the University Park campus. But this should not be an important factor in your decision. Notre Dame and Penn State are both highly reputable and respected names, and will both look good on a resume. You should be more concerned with other factors. For example, the difference in content between "Negotiation" and "Human Resources" certificates is probably much greater than the difference in prestige between the names "Notre Dame" and "Penn State."
Very true. ND's offense was disappointing. I think GT is a better team than the Nation gives them credit though... after all they did beat some ranked teams last year, whereas Notre Dame I don't believe beat any. Like you said, ND can't make the same mistakes this week against that PSU defense. ... This should be a great game
Just to be repetitive, I agree that while Notre Dame edges out Penn State as a brand, both are great schools and the focus of the specific certificate you want to do probably matters a lot more.
Judging from the first post, the original poster's greatest desire is to go with the school whose name is the most recognized and has the most impressive effect. I'd also like to mention to the original poster, that you don't have to complete all of the courses in the Notre Dame program to earn a certificate. You earn a certificate each time you successfully complete a course. If you finish them all (I think there are 5), you get an Executive Certification, but that might be overkill considering that all you need is a certification from a prestigious school to improve your resume... and to be honest, just one certification will do what you're desiring. I mean, unless you really feel an Executive Certification is the best option, I'd just pick one certificate course, pass it, and then get on with other things.
Thanks everyone for your input. I am not normally the kind of person who would promote education simply for the "face value" it offers, but I think I speak for many UoP grads when I say that I feel as though my Masters seems to be lacking some shine when compared to others. I worked VERY hard to get it, but UoP gets such a bad rap that, unfortunately, the university's reputation tends to speak louder than the work I put in. What do you all think of an "Executive Certificate in Negotiation?" The reason I liked the Penn State certificate is because "Human Resources" is a bit more recognized, and can be applied a bit more easily (every business to some extent understands that HR is necessary and is an important part of a business). But I have to admit, the ND certificate sounds a bit gimmicky, and may not be received quite as easily. What do you think?
What are your career aspirations? Perhaps the members can help you find a certificate program with name recognition which also matches your career goals. For example, if you have project management experience you may want to consider the SCPM certificate. http://apm.stanford.edu/certProgram.html
Since labour laws differ from the US it would seem you'd be better served with a HR cert from a Canadian University? ...just a thought, since I'm not an HR person but plan on taking a HR cert in a short while as well... and I'm in .ca
Yup. Good job Notre Dame. Although there is still much improvement to made before the elite level. A Heisman candidate on a potential national championship team can not throw two sure interceptions in the first quarter.
