Beyond Degrees
Learn more about us and our mission to help meet your education and training needs in an ever-changing landscape.
Building on the expertise and online infrastructure of Penn State’s College of Engineering, Go Beyond is a premier provider of industry-relevant, high-quality engineering microcredentials. As engineering education professionals with extensive experience in online learning and workforce development, we understand the importance of learner-centered, targeted professional development that swiftly adapts to your evolving training and education needs.
What is Go Beyond?
The College of Engineering Go Beyond microcredential program delivers the high-quality education you expect from Penn State in a flexible online format.
In each course, you’ll learn on your own schedule while also enjoying the opportunity to connect with live PSU faculty and industry experts.
Penn State’s College of Engineering is built on a reputation for hands-on, practical education and we bring that same spirit to our microcredential offerings.
Our highest goal is to ensure the timely delivery of new, quality courses to immediately impact your skill set and job performance. To ensure that we are always rapidly deploying topical and quality micorcredential courses, we:
- Align industry needs with faculty expertise
- Prioritize high-quality learning experiences
- Design for competency, not completion
- Adapt instruction to different audience needs
- Combine asynchronous learning with live session experience
- Evaluate and iterate continuously
Go Beyond Leadership
Andrea Gregg, Ph.D.
Director of Learning Experience Design
Associate Research Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Gregg has a long history in online education and learning experience design. Her PhD is in learning, design, and technology, and she ensures that every microcredential course offered is high quality, engaging, and promotes maximal learning.
You can read more of her ideas in High Impact Design for Online Courses (HIDOC): A Practical Guide for Every Online Instructor, a book she co-authored with Bethany Simunich and Penny Ralston-Berg.
Meg Handley, Ph.D.
Associate Director of Engineering Leadership Development Programs Associate Teaching Professor
School of Engineering Design & Innovation
Dr. Handley is excited to expand the reach of Penn State COE beyond the boundaries of the campus. Her PhD in workforce education, experience with growing initiatives from the ground up, and her background in career services not only gives her the necessary skills, but also helps her maintain her passion for developing targeted microcredentials that meet organizations’ unique needs.
Dr. Handley’s research focuses on leadership development in a technical context where she has applied findings to online course development for the Engineering Leadership & Innovation Management graduate program.
Christa Watchke, M.Ed
Director of the Office of Digital Learning
Master of Education in Instructional Systems
Office for Digital Learning
Christa Watschke is an experienced learning design professional with years of expertise in designing online courses for PSU World Campus. Ms. Watchke now leads a team of learning design experts to ensure Penn State’s College of Engineering microcredentials are high-quality, accessible learning experiences.
Articles
College of Engineering, Siemens collaborate to prepare students for workforce
College of Engineering offers information session on new microcredential program
Videos
Students “engineer happiness” in the Sheetz Innovation Challenge, sponsored by the Clark Foundation
Driving Innovation: Matching the Unprecedented Growth of Technology through Microcredentials
Contact Us
If you still have questions about the Penn State College of Engineering Microcredentialing
program, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We’re excited to hear from any potential new learner.