NYU Diploma Programs

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by LearningAddict, Jul 29, 2016.

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  1. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    NYU appears to be phasing-out their old certificate program and are now focusing on a Diploma program:

    https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways.html

    The programs are competitive with limited seats available per class, requiring an essay, a resume, references, and most programs requiring a prior degree, so many of the programs appear to be targeted at experienced/mid-career professionals. Some courses are blended requiring in-person attendance.

    What I'm curious to gauge from you all is, what value do you see these programs having for people? Real? Imagined? Name recognition/resume-padding?
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I n general I like Diploma programs. I think they are good for a burst of focused learning either for specific job-related skill development or even as a way to transition from one field to another. At 5 courses it's almost half a Masters degree and sometimes that's all you need.
     
  3. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    Good points, Kizmet.

    I think NYU has picked some great programs that are very relevant to today's market and some emerging markets, not that I'm surprised, it is NYU after all. Some of the few schools I've seen that do offer Diploma programs have offerings that are usually not so relevant so I was a little skeptical about the move when a friend of mine told me about it, but seeing for myself what's being offered has changed my mind.
     
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I's also add that in some schools you can take those Diploma credits and roll a bunch of them into a Masters program if you're interested in continuing on.
     
  5. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    With NYU however, their Diploma programs are all non-credit in the same way their undergrad certs were. Only their grad certs bear credit now. I suppose their entire position is on offering something that leads more favorably to employment instead of continuing education. Kind of ironic though considering that their professional studies arm is all about continuing education. That said, it's not uncommon for a Diploma to be non-credit.
     
  6. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I'm sure you're right in regards to NYU. I've got the University of London programs on my mind. There you can earn a cert, a diploma and a Bachelors with one seamlessly setting up the next.
     
  7. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    I haven't seen many setups like that here in the states. I suppose it's not as trendy to the market here, but that sounds great! I know Nations University used to have a setup of going from Cert to Associate and up, but they got rid of their Associate degree program.

    With a non-credit diploma being from a school so highly ranked as NYU I would imagine the name recognition would be useful for a person wanting to break into one of those fields with recent and relevant skills, or perhaps have a leg up on others when competing for a higher position if all other things are equal. But on the other hand, I have a feeling that a credit-bearing certificate could also be just as beneficial while at the same time having the advantage of bearing credit so one could further their studies with credits to work with.

    I guess what makes me ponder the value is that some of my own prior schools had diploma programs that didn't bear credit either but none of them were on NYU's prestige level. Maybe the value for a program like this is more in the name (and of course what you learn as always) when compared to diploma programs from other lesser recognized/regarded schools.
     
  8. Neuhaus

    Neuhaus Well-Known Member

    Diplomas and certificates can be useful but they only serve so much as far as resume padding. A good many people misuse them (I.e. A master certificate becomes a masters degree, a mini-MBA presented as a real MBA, or a person holds themselves out as an alumnus of a school based only upon a cert etc). They do not replace degrees. But they can expand your educational reach.

    For example, you have a BS in Accounting and an MBA but want to work for a non-profit so you tack on a relevant diploma or cert to try to broaden your education to where that leap seems a bit less drastic.

    I would try to avoid what I personally call "name stacking." This is when people get the same, or very closely related, certificates from multiple top name schools. If you have a certificate in project management from Stanford, that's great. But if you also have one from Cornell, NYU, Harvard and Penn State it looks a lot less like you are committed to your craft and a lot more like you wanted to stack those school names on your resume without having to expend much effort. That clutters your resume, makes you look vain and actually begins devaluing your education a bit. If a person came in with an undergraduate degree from every one of the Ivys it would probably be less impressive than someone with a PhD from a state school. Why earn the same credential at multiple schools? What are you trying to prove? Or is it all a lie? It just becomes distracting at a certain point.

    NYU is a good school. And if a diploma from NYU will complement your current resume then go for it. But if it's a repetition of work you've already done and you're only doing this to add NYU to your resume then I think you will find you won't get nearly as much mileage as you had hoped for.
     
  9. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    The mini-MBA situation is an interesting one. That's a credential that I've always been skeptical of and how it's viewed. I see more schools popping up offering it and see many people defending it. I'm not against the idea of obtaining education that gives one a taste of the larger experience, but I'm not sure how the mini-MBA in particular measures up exactly. You take The University At Buffalo's mini-MBA program for example, it's non-credit (it doesn't even count for CEU's like some diploma programs do) there are no prerequisites AFAIK, and I've heard of people finishing it in a day. To that end, I highly question how well that can prepare people for a real MBA program.
     

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