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

Business Fundamentals for Technical Leaders

Aug 1, 2025 – Aug 29, 2025

(For technical professionals seeking business fluency)

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

(For emerging technical managers or team leads)

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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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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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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Project Management Basics

Oct 3, 2025 – Oct 31, 2025

For professionals coordinating technical projects

Provides a comprehensive look at essential project management principles, covering initiation, planning, execution, scope, time, cost, stakeholder communication, and risk mitigation. Helps you plan and deliver technical projects successfully.

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Inclusive Teaming

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Our teamwork and team dynamics course covers defining teams, teaming, and teamwork, and identifying effective team characteristics. You’ll explore teamwork skills, role clarity, followership types, and psychological safety. The course examines factors influencing team dynamics, such as personality traits, work styles, attitudes, and organizational culture, including MBTI types.

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Manufacturing & Automation

Role of Automation in Modern Manufacturing

Jul 18, 2025 – Aug 15, 2025

For plant supervisors and operations managers

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

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Design for Additive Manufacturing

Sep 19, 2025 – Oct 17, 2025

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

Aug 22, 2025 – Sep 19, 2025

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 Modern Manufacturing

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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

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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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Electrical Systems & Controls in Robotics

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This course introduces learners to the fundamental principles of electrical systems and control mechanisms used in robotics. You’ll explore key components, interpret electrical schematics, and understand how to control robotic systems in manufacturing contexts using basic software tools.
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Essentials of Additive Manufacturing

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Perfect for those looking to upskill or reskill, this course covers basics of AM, principles of AM processes, AM materials and applications. You’ll learn “when-how-why” to select the appropriate AM processes and materials, and post-processing for a wide range of industries which is crucial for staying competitive in the job market.
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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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Innovation & Design

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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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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Basics of Computer Assisted Design (CAD)

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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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