Courses

Advance Your Career With Short, Skill-Focused Courses

Penn State microcredential courses are short, flexible online courses that help you build in-demand skills, earn a digital badge, and advance your career on your own schedule.

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How Microcredential Courses Work

Flexible Learning

Mix of on-demand lessons and live Q&A, designed to fit around full-time jobs.

Practical application

Apply new skills immediately through real-world assignments.

Peer & expert feedback

Engage with faculty and fellow learners for shared insights.

Credential Earned

Upon completion, receive a digital badge to showcase your achievement.

Ideal for individuals or teams looking for quick, meaningful upskilling without a degree timeline.

For Organizations & Managers

Do you think your company or organization would benefit from providing these courses to your team?
 See our Manager page for guidance on group enrollment, custom bundles, and pricing.

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Penn State Microcredential Course Offerings

Each microcredential course delivers practical experience and a digital badge in just 4-6 weeks.

Technical Leadership & Management Manufacturing & Automation Technical Courses Design & Innovation

Technical Leadership & Management

Business Fundamentals for Technical Leaders

Develops financial fluency and strategic planning skills to help you articulate innovative concepts convincingly to upper management, align engineering work with business objectives, and communicate with stakeholders.

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Leading Technical Teams

Sep 5, 2025 – Oct 3, 2025

A foundational leadership course that emphasizes self-awareness, team relationship management, leadership theory, and performance enabling you to guide engineering teams more effectively.

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Professionalism in the Digital Age

Oct 17, 2025 – Nov 14, 2025

In this course, you will build confidence in your professionalism by mastering key concepts and their workplace applications. This includes understanding workplace culture, enhancing interpersonal skills..
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Communication for Technical Professionals

Jul 18, 2025 – Aug 18, 2025

In this course you will build confidence in your communication skills by mastering key concepts and their workplace applications. These concepts will include the communication model, minimizing…
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Product Launch

Oct 10, 2025 – Nov 7, 2025

In this course, you’ll explore how to craft and deliver compelling intrapreneurial pitches tailored to different organizational structures. You’ll learn to identify the distinct challenges and advantages of pitching in flat versus hierarchical companies, and how to adapt your approach based on management style and company culture.
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Professionalism in the Digital Age

Jan 30, 2026 – Mar 1, 2026

In this course, you will build confidence in your professionalism by mastering key concepts and their workplace applications. This includes understanding workplace culture, enhancing interpersonal skills..
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Project Management Basics

Oct 3, 2025 – Oct 31, 2025

This course equips participants with a well-rounded understanding of technical project management principles, practical tools, and interpersonal skills essential for successful project execution.

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Inclusive Teaming for Technical Teams

Mar 13, 2026 – Apr 12, 2026

This course offers a solid foundation in inclusive teaming for technical teams. Through this course you will gain clarity on the importance of understanding roles and responsibilities, learn to navigate personality dynamics and discover how to foster inclusive teams.
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Project Management Basics

Jan 30, 2026 – Mar 1, 2026

This course equips participants with a well-rounded understanding of technical project management principles, practical tools, and interpersonal skills essential for successful project execution.
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Leading Technical Teams

Oct 3, 2025 – Oct 31, 2025

A foundational leadership course that emphasizes self-awareness, team relationship management, leadership theory, and performance enabling you to guide engineering teams more effectively.
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Manufacturing & Automation

Role of Automation in Modern Manufacturing

Jul 3, 2026 – Aug 2, 2026

Explores how sensors, robots, and controllers enhance production efficiency, accuracy, and safety on the plant floor.

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Design for Additive Manufacturing

Jan 5, 2026 – Feb 1, 2026

This course offers a solid foundation in Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). It focuses on identifying AM processes, materials, and designs for various applications while applying DfAM principles.
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Maintenance & Safety in Robotics

This course offers a solid foundation in Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). It focuses on identifying AM processes, materials, and designs for various applications while applying DfAM principles.
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Career Success for Manufacturing

Aug 22, 2025 – Sep 19, 2025

This entry-level 4-week course introduces the fundamental concepts and definitions related to modern manufacturing. Participants will explore key topics such as the evolution of manufacturing, common processes used in factories, the importance of safety, and available career paths in the manufacturing industry.

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Essentials of Additive Manufacturing

Oct 10, 2025 – Nov 9, 2025

This entry-level 4-week course introduces the fundamental concepts and definitions related to modern manufacturing. Participants will explore key topics such as the evolution of manufacturing, common processes used in factories, the importance of safety, and available career paths in the manufacturing industry.

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Use of Data in Modern Manufacturing

Jan 30, 2026 – Mar 1, 2026

This 4-week, entry-level course introduces learners to the importance of data in modern manufacturing processes. Participants will explore key concepts such as data collection, visualization, analysis, and decision-making.
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Essentials of Modern Manufacturing

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Modern manufacturing has roots in the past with a transformation towards the digital age. This course introduces fundamental concepts for pursuing careers in modern manufacturing, including key topics such as the evolution of manufacturing, common processes used in factories, the importance of safety, and available career paths in the…
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Use of Data in Modern Manufacturing

Jan 30, 2026 – Mar 1, 2026

Modern manufacturing relies on data to continually improve and compete across the globe. This course explores the basics of how data is collected, visualized, analyzed, and used for decision-making with real-world manufacturing examples.
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Fundamentals of Robotics for Manufacturing

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This course is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of robotics, starting with a clear definition and mastery of essential vocabulary. You’ll explore the various types of robots and their specific applications, gaining insights into how they revolutionize different sectors within the industry.
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Technical Courses

CFD for Multiphase Flows

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This course is structured for learners who have a basic background in fluid mechanics theory, numerical methods, and CFD methods, and some programming experience (MATLAB, C/C++, Python).
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Design & Innovation

Designing for Innovation

Oct 24, 2025 – Nov 21, 2025

For cross-functional teams and creative problem-solvers

Utilizes human-centered design, empathy, and structured problem-solving to help you generate, prototype, and test innovative solutions to complex challenges.

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Patents for Innovation

Sep 8, 2025 – Oct 5, 2025

This innovation course gives an overview of how engineers can use their technical knowledge in the intellectual property (IP) field. This subject is an intensive introduction to the law of intellectual property, with major emphasis on U.S. patent law.
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Intraprenuership & Product Management

Sep 5, 2025 – Oct 3, 2025

In this course, you’ll dive into the real-world of intrapreneurship and uncover what it takes to build—and thrive in—a company culture that supports innovation from within. You won’t just learn definitions; you’ll explore how intrapreneurial projects are launched, managed, and sustained, and how bringing your ideas to life can lead to greater job satisfaction in organizations that value growth through collaboration.
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Basics of Computer Assisted Design (CAD)

Nov 7, 2025 – Dec 14, 2025

This entry-level 4-week course focuses on building a foundational understanding of CAD/CAM’s role in the additive manufacturing (AM) workflow. Participants learn to identify the fundamentals of engineering drawings, interpret drawing sheets, and create 3D CAD models with fully annotated engineering drawings.
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