If you’re a staff member or educator seeking to create and deliver microcredential opportunities, this webpage provides information and resources to support you in your work
Over the past five years, McMaster has seen a steady rise in microcredential offerings to meet the growing demand for professional development from non-traditional learners and employers. These flexible learning opportunities support current and prospective undergraduate and graduate students, upskill individuals in the workforce, aid recent immigrants, and address the needs of emerging labour sectors.
To further advance and centralize this institutional commitment, the INSPIRE Office of Flexible Learning has recently hired an Educational Specialist, Aynur Rabbani, who can support staff and faculties from the initial ideation stage through to the submission of a new non-academic microcredential. This work aligns with McMaster’s broader vision to expand access to high-quality, flexible learning pathways that foster innovation, support workforce readiness, and enhance the university’s role as a leader in lifelong learning. To book a consultation, please contact Aynur at rabbaa7@mcmaster.ca.
As a result of campus-wide consultations that took place over the 2024/2025 academic year, INSPIRE has created an initial microcredentials strategic framework to guide a 2-year pilot approach to developing microcredential infrastructure via a microcredentials hub housed within INSPIRE. The framework includes 5 strategic goals:
This strategy will guide the development of microcredential infrastructure and processes over the coming years.
McMaster University defines a microcredential as a “designation of achievement of a coherent set of skills, competencies, or knowledge, specified by a statement of purpose, learning outcomes, and potential need by employers and/or in the community”. Microcredentials typically consist of one or more short courses focused on retraining, upskilling or expanding learners’ education, with each course typically between 6-18 hours in length. McMaster offers Academic and Non-Academic Microcredentials, each with different requirements. Academic Microcredentials are further divided into Graduate and Undergraduate Academic Microcredentials. More details can be found below and in McMaster’s Certificates, Diplomas and Microcredentials Policy (2023).
McMaster offers two distinct types of microcredentials—academic and non-academic. Non-academic microcredentials can also be stacked toward a Certificate of Completion or Certificate of Attendance.
Academic requirements
Assessment
Admission requirements
Student and learner supports
Stacking and transfer of credentials
Non-academic microcredentials can be stacked toward a Certificate of Completion or Certificate of Attendance. Certificates of Completion involve programming with a minimum of 30 contact hours and with learner assessment. Certificates of Attendance do not involve learner evaluation. They cannot be stacked towards a Certificate of Completion. Further similarities and differences between the two types of certificates are outlined below:
The following examples give a sense of the different ways that McMaster is delivering microcredentials.
Type: Non-Academic Certificate of Completion
Description: Whether you want to launch a career in Sustainability or expand your knowledge of sustainable environment, economic and societal best practices, our online program can help.
Lead: McMaster Continuing Education
Approach: Upon successful completion of three out of four courses (minimum of 30 course hours), students receive a non-academic certificate of completion. Students receive a digital credential that lists all the skills acquired during the courses to share and showcase to present and future employers.
Timing and Delivery: Students enrol in 3 parallel course over the course of 5 weeks. Each course is comprised of 10 instructional hours. All courses are offered online.
Application-based? No
Type: Non-Academic Microcredential or Certificate?
Description: This program is designed for industry professionals, whether you entered the working world with a college diploma or earned a PhD. As a specialized, skill-building further education opportunity in advanced manufacturing, the program will complement your prior experience and education, and challenge you to find solutions to today’s problems.
Lead: Faculty of Engineering – McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute
Approach: The MMRI Industrial Training Program offers over 30 modules of specialized training in nine core areas: Materials, Machining, Processes, Design, Industry 4.0, Surfaces, Polymers, Programming and Management.
Timing and Delivery: Students earn a course certificate in one area by completing 4 modules from that area, 2 other modules of their choice and a relevant project representing 8-10 hours of effort. All courses, consultations and project work are currently being offered online.
Application-based? Yes
Microcredentials are offered by various Faculties and central units across campus. This page provides a comprehensive list of resources to further explore all microcredential offerings at McMaster.
If you oversee microcredential offerings, and do not see them listed here, please contact/complete the form here:
To launch a microcredential at McMaster, a proposal must be put forward and approved according to the following general process:
The CDM Committee and Undergraduate/Graduate Council will look for:
Academic microcredentials must:
Microcredentials can be hosted with Faculties or McMaster Continuing Education (MCE). McMaster Continuing Education (MCE) will host non-academic microcredentials, whereas academic microcredentials will go through faculty pathways. The INSPIRE Office can help you identify and connect with the appropriate contacts.
If your concept is geared towards undergraduate students, graduate students, or professionals from your discipline augmenting their education within the workforce, bring your microcredential proposal through the faculty that aligns most with the course content
Example: a microcredential relating to nuclear engineering could be brought forward through the Faculty of Engineering
If your concept is geared towards external learners through professional development and continuing education broadly, it can be offered as a non-academic microcredential and brought forward through MCE.
Example: A microcredential related to using AI for project management
Microcredentials typically tend to be 6-18 hours in length. For academic microcredentials, one academic unit typically corresponds to 10-15 academic contact hours.
Certificates of Completion require a minimum of 30 contact hours whereas Certificates of Attendance have no minimum contact hours.
For Academic Microcredentials, any changes to the course description or requirements must be approved by the CDM committee and Undergraduate or Graduate Council.
For non-academic microcredentials, the phrase Non-Academic Microcredential must appear in the credential name (e.g. Non-Academic Microcredential in Outdoor Leader Training).
For academic microcredentials, the phrase Microcredential must appear in the credential name (e.g., Microcredential in Project Management)
For Certificates of Completion, the phrase Certificate of Completion must be included in the credential name (for example, the Teaching and Learning Foundations Certificate of Completion).
For Certificates of Attendance, the phrase Certificate of Attendance must appear in the credential name (for example, the Medical Acupuncture Program Certificate of Attendance)
Access to McMaster services and learning management systems (e.g., Microsoft 365 and Teams) vary depending on whether learners are enrolled in academic or non-academic microcredentials
Students enrolled in an academic microcredential have access to specific University resources (such as library resources, Learning Management Systems, Microsoft 365 and Teams). If they are paying supplemental fees alongside tuition, they also have access to other University services. Students have rights and responsibilities under Student-specific University policies and the ability to appeal under Student Appeal Procedures.
Students taking nonacademic microcredentials do not have access to many of these university resources (including library resources, Learning Management Systems, Microsoft 365 and Teams) or other services for which students pay a supplemental fee alongside tuition.
A microcredential can be issued by McMaster Continuing Education (MCE), the Faculty in which the microcredential is based, or the INSPIRE Office.
Student recognition of microcredential completion may come in different forms, such as a parchments, recognition on student transcripts, or digital credential.
Recognition of microcredentials on student transcripts varies by the type of microcredential
Nonacademic microcredentials do not appear on student transcripts. Academic microcredentials only appear on transcripts unless they are approved as part of a degree program.
Students enrolled in academic microcredentials have access to existing Student appeal procedures while students enrolled in non-academic microcredentials must request a review from the Faculty Standing Committee on Microcredentials or McMaster Continuing Education.
Learners enrolled in non-academic microcredentials may request a review of their evaluation to the Faculty Standing Committee on Microcredentials or to MCE within 4 weeks of submission of their final grade. Learners will not have access to existing Student appeal procedures behind the Faculty or MCE standing committee. The learner must be informed of the decision within 3 weeks from the date of the review request.
Microcredentials charging a fee must submit fee proposals to the University Student Fees Committee (USFC) for approval. This approval should be sought before submission of the microcredential proposal to Undergraduate or Graduate Council.
Tax forms should be issued to students in accordance with CRA guidelines.
INSPIRE offers proposal support and issues microcrentials to those looking to host a microcredential through INSPIRE. INSPIRE also offers consultation for those in the initial processes of developing a microcredential and identifying which group (INSPIRE, MCE or Faculty) to house the microcredential in.
Key supports: Advice on concepts; guidance on governance and approvals; information on upcoming grants
The MacPherson Institute offers a range of supports and resources to relevant to teaching and learning scholarship, including education and course design.
Key supports: curriculum and course development supports, professional development programming for teaching excellence
McMaster Continuing Education (MCE) hosts a range of microcredential programs across areas such as business, health, technology, and professional development.
Key supports: guidance on proposing and hosting microcredentials through MCE
To promote alignment of a microcredential with real-world needs, consultation and collaboration is encouraged with community partners and/or employers. The Office of Community Engagement (OCE) may be able to connect educators with relevant community partners.
Key supports: facilitating connections with local employers, community organizations, and community-engaged campus groups
The eCampus Ontario Micro-credential Framework was developed by post-secondary institutions, employers, and public agencies and encourages alignment with the following principles when designing microcredentials:
Explore the eCampus Ontario Micro-credential Principles and Framework here.
Learn about upcoming deadlines, who to connect with, and resources that can help you get started.
Moving your microcredential proposal through McMaster’s microcredential governance and approval processes usually takes about 4 months from approval at the Faculty level. The following scenarios and timelines have been created to help you determine approximately when to move your concept into the approval process. Please reach out to the INSPIRE Office of Flexible Learning (see below) for the most up-to-date guidance on timing based upon where you’re currently at. Please also note that you are not able to advertise a microcredential until it has been approved by the Board of Governors.
If you are aiming to launch a new microcredential for Fall 2025, you should be moving your concept through the proposal and approvals process as soon as possible in early 2025.
If you are eyeing the launch of a new microcredential for Fall 2025, you should be moving your concept through the proposal and approvals process as soon as possible in early 2025.
If you are aiming to launch a new microcredential for Winter 2026, you should be moving your concept through the proposal and approvals process as early in 2025 as possible with Spring 2025 being the latest window you should be aiming for.
If you are eyeing the launch of a new microcredential for Winter 2026, you should be moving your concept through the proposal and approvals process as early in 2025 as possible with Spring 2025 being the latest window you should be aiming for.
If you are aiming to launch a new microcredential for Spring 2026, you should be moving your concept through the proposal and approvals process by Spring 2025 with Fall 2025 being the latest window you should be aiming for.
If you are eyeing the launch of a new microcredential for Spring 2026, you should be moving your concept through the proposal and approvals process by Spring 2025 with Fall 2025 being the latest window you should be aiming for.
If you have questions about creating or delivering microcredentials at McMaster, contact the INSPIRE Office below.
Educational Specialist
Microcredentials