Coursera
Introduction
Coursera is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) site where the majority of the courses/certificates that are available are only usable for resume padding and/or to assist with receiving PLA credit. Most of the courses will not directly lead to credit that can be used toward getting your degree. However, some organizations have independently sought ACE credit recommendations for certain certificates. These certificates also happen to be available through Coursera.
Although not fully confirmed, based on past experiences, Pierpont should give the full recommended amount of credit for all of the certificates listed below. They are known to give full credits for the Google IT Support Professional certificate.
Access Options
- US Residents: American residents may obtain a handful of free certificates (notably Grow with Google Certificates and the IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Certificate) through The American Dream Academy. Not all certificates are available and other requirements may need to be met. (Available certificates are marked below with TADA.) Students may complete as many available certificates as they are able to within 6 months of signing up for The American Dream Academy.
- California Residents: California Residents can gain access to nearly the full catalogue of ACE recommended certificates through California Public Libraries until September 2023 here.
- New York Residents: New York Residents can gain access to nearly the full catalogue of ACE recommended certificates through the New York Department of Labor here.
- Via company/university: Some universities and businesses offer Coursera for Business, which provides many of these specializations for free.
- Financial Aid: Students can apply for financial aid on a course-by-course basis by writing a 150+ word explanation for requiring financial aid and a 150+ word explanation for how completing the course would help them. By applying for financial aid for each course within a specialization/certificate, it is possible to complete a specialization without paying. Up to 10 financial aid applications are permitted concurrently and each aid application takes 2 weeks on average to be approved.
Advancing Women in Tech
The Advancing Women in Product organization (also known as Advancing Women in Tech or AWIP/AWIT) has the goal of increasing the number of women in technology fields. The Coursera specializations do not seem to be restricted only to women, however. They are included in Coursera Plus, otherwise the cost is $79/mo.
| Certificate | ACE credit recommendations | Excelsior equivalency & credits | SNHU equivalency & credits | TESU equivalency & credits | UMPI equivalency & credits | WGU equivalency & credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real-World Cloud Product Management Specialization | 6 total: 3 UL Product Management, 3 UL Cloud Computing Fundamentals | N/A | 6 GEL 3xx (UL General Elective) | |||
| Real-World Product Management Specialization | 6 total: 3 LL Project Management Strategy in Business Administration, 3 LL Introduction to Business Marketing | N/A | GEL 1xx (LL General Elective) |
DeepLearning.AI
Not included in Coursera Plus. May be included in some institutional subscriptions, otherwise must pay $49/mo. after the free 7-day trial. Students who are interested in machine learning may be interested in the DeepLearning.AI specializations, though only one is currently available for ACE credit.
| Certificate | ACE credit recommendations | Excelsior equivalency & credits | SNHU equivalency & credits | TESU equivalency & credits | UMPI equivalency & credits | WGU equivalency & credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Learning Specialization | 10 total: 2 LL Neural Networks & Deep Learning, 2 LL Improving Deep Neural Networks, 1 LL Structuring Machine Learning Projects, 2 LL Convolutional Neural Networks, 3 LL Sequence Models | COS-299 Special Topics in Computer Sci (6 credits total) |
Google Professional Certificates
The Google Professional Certificates are included in Coursera Plus, which is normally $399/year. There may be sales that drop the cost of Coursera Plus to $299/year. Individually, the certificates are $39/mo. (as of March 2022). While it is cheaper to complete the certificates one at a time (provided you only take 1-2 months per certificate), it may be worth it to get Coursera Plus if any of the included non-credit courses/certificates catch your eye.
If you are a resident of India, or have a VPN set to an Indian location, it is possible to acquire any of the Google Professional Certificates at a significantly discounted rate. You would forfeit the free trial period. The rates (not including taxes) are 1086 INR (~$14 USD) for 1 month, 2173 INR (~$28 USD) for 3 months and 3259 INR (~$42 USD) for 6 months. Simply add the certificate to your cart while connected to an Indian VPN location, and disconnect at the checkout page to avoid triggering fraud warnings with your credit card. The same can be done for other global south countries (e.g. the Philippines, South Africa) for $14 USD.
| Certificate | ACE credit recommendations | Excelsior equivalency & credits | SNHU equivalency & credits | TESU equivalency & credits | UMPI equivalency & credits | WGU equivalency & credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Analytics (TADA) | 12 total: 3 LL databases, 3 LL SQL programming, 3 LL systems analysis, 3 LL R programming | DAD220 Introduction to Structured Database Environments, DAT205 Role of Data Analysis in Organizations, DAT325 Data Validation: Quality and Cleaning, DAT375 Data Analysis Techniques (12 credits total) | ITS-130 Database Fundamentals, ITS-231 Database Programming, ITS-199 Special Topics in ITS, COS-206 R Programming* (12 credits total) * Note, some students have reported that they did not receive credit for COS-206 R Programming. This appears to be inconsistent. | BUS-245 Programming for Managers (3 credits) + COS-1XX elective (9 credits total) | ||
| Digital Marketing & E-commerce (TADA) | 9 total: 3 LL Introduction to Digital Marketing, 3 LL Search Marketing, 3 LL E-Commerce | BUS 433 E-Commerce & Soc Media Mrktng (9 credits total) | ||||
| IT Support Professional (TADA) | 12 total: 6 LL computer information systems, 3 LL cybersecurity, 3 LL computer networking | IT202 Computer Operating Systems, IT212 Introduction to Computer Networks, 6 credits IT Electives (12 credits total) | CMP-202 Foundations of Info Technology (3 credits total) | COS-1XX Elective (12 credits total) | C182 Introduction to IT (4 units total); satisfies admission requirements for some IT degrees | |
| Project Management (TADA) | 9 total: 3 LL intro to project management, 3 UL project management, 3 UL Agile project management | QSO340 Project Management, QSO355 Resource Estimating and Scheduling, QSO420 Integrated Cost and Schedule Control, QSO435 Adaptive Project Management (12 credits total) | MAN-235 Intro to Project Management, MAN-437 Effective Project Management, MAN-438 Mastering Project Management (9 credits total) | BUS 400: Project Management Applications, BUS-1XX Elective, BUS-3XX Elective (9 credits total) | ||
| UX Design (TADA) | 10 total: 3 LL web design, 3 LL user experience (UX) design, 1 LL career development, 3 UL user experience (UX) design | IT270 Web Site Design, IT355 Web and Mobile User Experience, CS319 UI/UX Design and Development, 1 credit Information Technology Elective (10 credits total) | CAP-280 Worldwide Web Development, CAP-281 Multimedia Web Development (6 credits total) | GEL-1XX Elective (3 credits total) |
Purdue University Global has their own mapping for these certificates.
Southern New Hampshire University has clear mapping for these certificates.
CUNY School of Professional Studies has clear mapping for these certificates.
IBM
Unlike the Google certificates, the IBM certificates are not included with Coursera Plus. The IBM certificates are $39 or $49/mo (as of March 2022), depending on the certificate.
Although IBM has several certificates and specializations available on Coursera, as of January 2023 only some of them have been evaluated for credit. It is possible that more will follow in the future, so students may wish to check IBM's active courses in the ACE National Guide before committing to any particular certificates.
| Certificate | ACE credit recommendations | Excelsior equivalency & credits | SNHU equivalency & credits | TESU equivalency & credits | UMPI equivalency & credits | WGU equivalency & credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cybersecurity Analyst Professional (TADA) | 10 total: 2 LL Cybersecurity, 2 LL Networking, 4 LL digital forensics & incident response, 2 UL advanced computer concepts | Cybersecurity Elective (10 credits total) | CAP-295 Intro to Security Basics, COS-199 Special Topics in Computer Sci (6 credits total) | GEL-1XX Elective (10 credits total) | ||
| Data Analyst Professional | 12 total: 3 LL in data analytics, 3 LL in SQL, 3 LL in Python, 3 UL in advanced data analytics | DAT210 - Foundation of Data Analytics, DAT220 - Fundamentals of Data Mining, DAT310 - Data Analytics I, DATELE - Data Analytics Elective (12 credits total) | ITS-130 Database Fundamentals, ITS-199 Special Topics in Information, ITS-231 Database Programming, COS-206 R Programming (12 credits total) | BUS 440: Business Analytics, BUS-1XX Elective (12 credits total) | ||
| Data Science Professional | 12 total: 3 LL in data science, 3 LL in SQL, 3 LL in Python, 3 UL in advanced data science | IT204 Introduction to Data and Information Management, DAD220 Introduction to Structured Database Environments, IT140 Introduction to Scripting, DAT375 Data Analysis Techniques (12 credits total) | COS-205 Python Programming, COS-210 SQL Programming, DSI-200 Interpretive Data Analysis, DSI-299 Special Topics (12 credits Total) | |||
| IBM Applied Data Science Specialization | 12 total: 3 LL in data analytics, 3 LL in data visualization, 3 LL in data mining, 3 LL in Python for data science | DAT205 Role of Data Analysis in Organizations, 4 credits CS electives (7 credits total) | COS-205 Python Programming, DSI-200 Interpretive Data Analysis, DSI-299 Special Topics Data Sci/Analytics (9 credits total) | |||
| IBM Data Analysis and Visualization Foundations Specialization | 9 total: 3 LL in introduction to data analytics, 3 UL in advanced data analytics, 3 UL in intermediate data visualization | DSI-200 Interpretive Data Analysis, DSI-299 Special Topics in Data Sci/Analyt, and DSI-399 Special Topics in Data Sci/Analyt. (9 credits total) | BUS 345: Database Management Systems, BUS-1XX Elective, BUS-3XX Elective (9 credits total) | |||
| IBM Data Analytics with Excel and R Professional Certificate | 15 total: 3 LL introduction to data analytics, 3 LL introduction to databases & SQL programming, 3 UL R programming fundamentals, 3 UL advanced data analytics, 3 UL data visualization | COS-206 R Programming, DSI-150 Intro to Database Queries, DSI-200 Interpretive Data Analysis, DSI-299 Special Topics Data Sci/Analyt, DSI-322 Interactive Data Visualization (15 credits total) | ||||
| IBM Data Engineering Professional Certificate | 12 total: 3 LL introduction to Python, 3 LL introduction to database systems, 3 UL advanced SQL programming, 3 UL data mining |
IT140 - Introduction to Scripting, DAD220 - Introduction to Structured Database Environment, DAD334 - Oracle SQL Fundamentals, DAT220 - Fundamentals of Data Mining (12 credits total) |
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| IBM Data Science Fundamentals with Python and SQL Specialization | 8 total: 1 LL data science, 3 LL intro to python programming, 2 LL intro to SQL programming, 2 LL intro to statistics in Python | IT140 - Introduction to Scripting, MATELE - Mathematics Elective, DATELE - Data Analytics Elective (8 credits total) | ITS-130 Database Fundamentals (3), COS-205 Python programming (3), DSI-199 Topics in DS(2) | BUS 1XX Elective (7 credits total) | ||
| IBM Full Stack Software Developer Professional Certificate | 18 total: 3 LL cloud computing, 3 LL web development, 3 LL server development, 3 UL cloud applications, 3 UL python for data science, 3 UL SQL applications | DAD220 - Introduction to Structured Database Environments, IT270 - Web Site Design, IT140 - Introduction to Scripting, ITELE - Information Technology Elective (18 credits total) | ITS-399 Special Topics in Info Technology, CLD-110 Intro to Cloud Computing, ITS-231 Database Programming, CLD-420 Architecting Cloud Solutions, ITS-299 Special Topics in Information Technology, COS-205 Python Programming (18 credits total) | GEL 1XX & GEL 3XX Electives (18 credits total) | ||
| IBM Introduction to Data Science Specialization | 7 total: 3 LL data sciences, 1 LL introduction to programming, 1 introduction to statistics, 2 introduction to database & SQL programming | DAT205 - Role of Data Analysis in Organizations, CSELE - Computer Science Elective (7 credits total) | DSI-199 Special Topics in Data Science/Analytics (6 credits) | BUS 1xx (LL Business Elective) |
Meta (formerly Facebook)
As of March 2022, Meta has exactly one ACE-recommended certificate on Coursera. This certificate costs $49/mo. or it is part of Coursera Plus.
| Certificate | ACE credit recommendations | Excelsior equivalency & credits | SNHU equivalency & credits | TESU equivalency & credits | UMPI equivalency & credits | WGU equivalency & credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Media Marketing Professional (TADA) | 2 total: 2 LL in Marketing | GEL 1XX Elective |
After finishing the Coursera certificate, students may complete the Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate exam for 1 additional credit in marketing. This exam costs up to $99 (depending on student location).
SAS
SAS is a company that offers data analytics solutions. The SAS certificates are targeted at data analysts or people who want to be data analysts, but anyone may take them. They are included in Coursera Plus or students pay $49/mo for these courses.
| Certificate | ACE credit recommendations | Excelsior equivalency & credits | SNHU equivalency & credits | TESU equivalency & credits | UMPI equivalency & credits | WGU equivalency & credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAS Advanced Programmer Professional Certificate | 3 Total: 3 UL in Software Engineering | STA-399 Special Topics in Statistics | ||||
| SAS Programmer Professional Certificate | 4 total: 4 LL in Intro to Computer Programming | STA-199 Special Topics in Statistics (4 credits) |