Appropriate listing of academic credentials

Kizmet, sorry but your incorrect. This is not an example of my projecting but my reflecting back to certain posters their questionable motives and behaviors that are being displayed, allegedly in defense of Levicoff!

I did not initiate this nonsensical "debate" nor desired to do so or derive any sense of worth from it at all. In fact, I intensely dislike getting involved in these "discussions". However, I never observe you taking on posters, including Levicoff, who roil and initiate these nonsensical debates, or his "friends" who come in swinging from "left field" to defend Levicoff when they are not involved in Levicoff's ongoing "situation" with me.

 

The American College of Education offers an advanced graduate study certificate program as well as the Ed.S.

Graduate Certificate - Advanced Graduate Studies Online Certificate | ACE.edu

 

FTFaculty, no need to take anything you said back. When individuals are anonymous and not f2f they sometimes engage each other in a manner in which they would never do if they were f2f.

Its always good to hear about a happy event and I wish you and your family the best. Jan

 

You're wrong. I confront members on their behavior all the time. You started the conflict in this thread and you need to stop it. Now.

 

I love Degree Info and dislike it at the same time. Watching threads get derailed can be so wearisome. I'd love to sit down with all of you over a cup of coffee and see how it goes. it might be a fun exchange.

 

Just thought I'd offer my HR opinion to the original topic at hand...

If you've actually been awarded a credential by a school, credit or non-credit bearing, it is generally acceptable to list on a resume. I would, however, urge caution for those that cannot be verified by interviewers.

By that I mean some non-credit coursework results in a certificate being issued but you not having a record with the registrar. So an employer, or their verification vendor, call Villanova (for example) to verify your Master Certificate in Six Sigma but, alas, they cannot verify the degree because your records are non-academic (thus not kept with the registrar) and available through Bisk Education in some manner.

eCornell is a bit like that. You can get a transcript of coursework (complete with PMI and HRCI CEUs) but it comes from eCornell. So even though my certificate says "Cornell University - School of Industrial and Labor Relations" a transcript, official copies are available also, comes from "eCornell." If an employer attempted to verify my Masters certificate at Cornell ILR (the school has its own registrar) they would come up empty.

So even with legitimately earned credentials there can be caveats to how they are listed. Generally speaking, however, I cannot imagine an employer faulting me for listing out ILR on my resume and not mentioning eCornell considering that is what the physical certificate says.

Where things get fuzzy is when people assume a credential or feel that their coursework is equivalent to a credential. The best example would be someone who completes 60 random credits and then proclaims that they have an associate's degree. One former shipmate strutted around base telling everyone he was 3/4 of the way to a Masters. In reality, he had around 150 undergrad credits and was still two years off of a bachelor's. He assumed that once he hit 120 he was justified in claiming a bachelor's and that the additional 30 credits took him at least most of the way toward claiming a Masters.

If the school gives you paper then you can put it on your resume. But always be careful of the verification aspect, as well.

 

Neuhaus, my school provided me with the certificate of "Advanced Graduate Study Recognition" in acknowledgment of completion of all doctoral level courses, including advanced research, with honors. My rationale for possibly including this certificate on my signature line is to indicate that my educational attainment extends beyond the masters level.

 

Sure, you are entitled to the CAGS designation. Let's move on

 

Whoa . . . reality check.

Not that I want to pick on Jan (who would deserve it if I did), I have to cordially disagree with Steve and RF here.

The "Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies" (CAGS) is a specific credential which, for many, is a terminal credential. That's different than what Jan describes as a certificate (lower case) in "Advanced Graduate Study." If I were her (or him or it, since we never ultimately established Jan's gender, not that it would matter), I would simply list "Advanced Graduate Study at [name of school]." That is impressive enough without trying to B.S. it into an actual credential.

The problem here, and it's quite common, is that people get hung up with credentials and with titles. You know, the old "If you've got it, flaunt it." But those who have the real thing don't have to flaunt it. Jan's accomplishment is certainly the real thing, but it's not a CAGS per se.

Just sayin' . . .
__________________________

Adding a P.S. - Perhaps instead of asking all of us opinionated teachers, Ph.D. candidates, and even truckers (not that Jan would stoop so low as to ask a trucker anything, even if he had a Ph.D.), and other forum members, Jan could simply ask her academic advisors or the dean's office at the school which granted the certificate what their protocol would be.

 

I realize that in some cultures it is the norm to list everything. I have colleagues from Dubai, for example, who always include their degrees in their signature lines on documents.

In the U.S., I roll my eyes whenever a freshly minted MBA insists on using the post-nominal.

 

I contacted my university today to clarify this issue and was informed that in fact my certificate was a CAGS and that "This is a university wide recognition."

I will be listing this credential on my signature line until I complete my doctorate. Thanks to all for your feedback.

 

Not really, a certificate is not a degree and in my opinion looks very silly in a signature but the OP is entitled to do it. Over my career, I have accumulated about 20 certificates from vendor, institutes and universities. It would look very silly if I listed them all.

It is common to just list the highest degree and relevant professional designation in an email signature (e.g. MBA CPA). Some people with a doctorate like to list Masters degrees in particular if they are in a different field (e.g. PhD MBA MSc).

The OP is entitled to use it as Adv.Cert. or CAGS or Super certificate or Post MAsters certificate or whatever he wants to use as these post nominals are not legally protected nor he or she is lying because he or she has a certificate that he or she can list with any designation that he or she wants as long as he or she can back it up with a paper. For example, I have a graduate certificate in Computer Security, should I list it as CCS or Cert.CSec or CCSec? The school does not have designations for certificates, it is just a certificate so it really does not matter how you list it.

In few words, he is just displaying a credential in an email and it is very unlikely that someone would sue him or her or would even care what a CAGS is.

In today's market with tons of people with MSc, MBAs and PhDs, it does not impress much to say that you earned a certificate even if it is a graduate and advanced.

Maybe the OP is very proud of his or her achievement and wants to display it but this feeling will vanish soon after he or she realizes that nobody would give two cents for this new post nominal.

 

RFValve, Perhaps you don't give "two cents" but I know many others who do, as well as professionals in my field who display their CAGS.

As for my purposes, listing the CAGS is not a matter of being proud of my achievement but an indication to others that my education to date extends beyond the masters degree, and a reflection of an investment of three and a half years of intense and difficult doctoral coursework beyond the masters degree, including completion and approval of my literature review and methodology for the dissertation.

 

Professionals in your field? Jan, you’ve been so anonymous that we don’t even know what your field is. Perhaps if you were a bit more open (and you can do that without revealing your identity) we’d share in your apparent lack of pride.

“. . . at which point I crapped out.” (That’s the missing part of your history here.)

Hard is you might find to believe, Jan, I actually do wish you the best, and am sure that once you earn a doctorate you will be more than competent in, um, your field. Whatever it is. Meanwhile, now is a good time to get off the defensive, practice a little humility (which we are taught in any good doctoral program), and then complete your journey to becoming a scholar (which is what all people who ultimately earn a doctorate are presumed to become).

Meanwhile, as the late Ricky Nelson put it so well in Garden Party, “If memories are all I sang, I’d rather drive a truck.” Hey, come to think of it, I do.
:wiggle:

 

Listing M.Sc. as MCJ?

Would it be appropriate to list an M.Sc. in Criminal Justice using the post-nominal letters MCJ?

Eg. John Q. Public, MCJ, MBA

or should it be

John Q. Public, M.Sc., MBA

I know M.Sc. is not regarded as a terminal degree and for that reason, I don't think it should be used as post-nominal letters. I could be wrong. I always thought only degrees that are considered or were once considered terminal should be listed, eg. MBA, MLS, MFA, M.Arch., etc.

 

I'm always curious about these threads, which come up a lot.
List the credential you earned. The rest is a lie. The end.

 

The degree has an official title and abbreviation and that is what should be used. Nothing else. As an example, if you earn a Masters degree in Management and the designation is MA, you can't just shift it to MBA because you like the looks of it better. Once upon a time UNISA used to award doctoral degrees where the designation was D.Lit.et Phil. Some people wanted to shift it to read PhD. The argument was "well, after all, they are equivalent." which may be true but the specific degree that was awarded was D Litt et Phil not PhD and you can't just decide to change it on your own.

 

Lol.. :haha::haha: