Credit or non-credit certificate?

Hi ya'll,

For someone who is not going to apply the credits towards a degree program, are there any good reasons to prefer credit certificates over non-credit ones?

Moneywise, non-credit certificates are obviously much cheaper, and I am the perfect target audience for professional development programs. But I am worried about things like acceptance, actual looks of the certificate etc. Also, I assume that while a for-credit certificate grants student status (use of the library, sporting events, alumni organizations etc.), the professional development programs would not.



More details (if you want them):

I am in a painful decision process between several schools and programs. In terms of content, all appeal to me:

Washington State University - Certificate in Professional Sales (15 credits). This would be a BM program, as WSU grants Portlanders in-state tuition at their Vancouver campus. The program still runs at ~$5,000.

University of Minnesota - Certificate in Applied Business (15 credits). The coolest-sounding but also most expensive one at almost $6,000.

Rutgers University - Non-credit certificate in Supervision, $2,000.

University of Wisconsin, Madison - Non-credit certificate in Distance Ed. $2,900, or $1,900 with scholarship.

Texas A&M - Non-credit certificate in Public Relation Strategies. Dirt cheap at $600 but also much shorter than the others.



Obviously, if I decided for the non-credit rout, I could take two certificates...

 

*bump*

 

I prefer credit programs or non-credit programs because my employer pays for them if they are undergraduate or graduate level certificates.

This non-credit program from Uconn has interested me too…. (Even if I have to pay for it)

Healthcare Information Technology - Online Certificate Program

http://continuingstudies.uconn.edu/professional/health/ithealth.html

 

I would take the certificate that most interests you or the one that will help you get ahead in your career.

I would also opt for credit; some schools do not maintain records for non-credit courses - that happened to me with a non-credit course I took at Penn State.