First round of microcredentials to be assessed as career center consolidation at Brandeis takes shape

Brandeis Stories

First round of microcredentials to be assessed as career center consolidation at Brandeis takes shape

April 23, 2026 • General

The course-based, hard-skill microcredentials program is underway at Brandeis, and the first round of assessments, new offerings and a new hub for career services on campus are in the pipeline.

Three new "extra-curricular" microcredentials have joined the existing pilot and came online during the spring semester: Leadership in Emergency Medicine; Foundations of Financial Operations & Procurement Management; and Foundations of Strategic Budget Analysis & Allocation.

Extra-curricular microcredentials differ from course-based offerings in that the skills students gain are largely outside the classroom. For example, students in the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps can earn the emergency medicine microcredential through the course of their volunteer medical response experience.

"The new extra-curricular microcredentials build on the pilot's goal to more closely align a Brandeis education with the needs of the 21st century workplace," said Lewis Brooks '80, P '16, founding director of the Center for Careers and Applied Liberal Arts. "Graduates will take with them proof they are ready to immediately contribute as they begin their career journeys."

The first cohort of students to pursue microcredentials chose from applied statistical analysis; foundations of data analytics; person-centered research and analysis; policy analysis and implementation; and sound and video media.

As of April 20, there have been 160 registrations for microcredentials, which are a key component of The Brandeis Plan to Reinvent the Liberal Arts, a new vision for the future of the university that blends a rigorous liberal arts education with an intense focus on career readiness.

Students are about to be assessed for the first time for microcredentials. Students interested in pursuing a microcredential can now declare that intention and track their progress in Workday. Seniors graduating in May 2026 must declare microcredentials by April 30.

Students who declare microcredentials, and who will complete all requirements by the end of spring 2026, will be contacted by [email protected] with further information about the content and details of the required assessment. Graduating seniors will be given priority in the assessment process, Brooks said.

He added that now that the microcredentials program is off the ground, his office is turning its attention to the consolidation of career services across the campus. This effort will bring together multiple career centers - the Hiatt Career Center, the Career Strategies and Engagement Center at the Brandeis International Business School, the Career and Professional Development office in Graduate Studies in the Arts and Sciences, and The Heller Career Development Office/Center - into a seamlessly integrated hub for career services overseen by the Center for Careers and Applied Liberal Arts.

"Powered by the centers' combined approach to preparing graduates for their intended paths after they leave Brandeis, the new structure will allow for the implementation of The Brandeis Plan's commitment to career counseling for every student from their first day on campus, through Commencement, and beyond," Brooks said.