Texas State Launches Free Microcredentials for Students, Alumni, Staff
Credit: Maskot / DigitalVision / Getty Images- Texas State is offering certificates and microcredentials for free to all students, faculty, staff, and alumni in partnership with the learning platform Coursera.
- A survey done by Coursera found that 94% of students feel microcredentials help them build essential career skills, and 92% of employers said graduates with microcredentials have the skills immediately applicable to job roles.
- Texas State is looking to incorporate credentials and certificates into its curriculum and create its own original certificates.
Texas State University (TXST) will now offer certificates and microcredentialing to all students, faculty, staff, and alumni. The certificates will be free to anyone with a txstate.edu email address.
The university on May 1 started offering 81 certificates through a partnership with online-learning platform Coursera.
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Dr. Pranesh Aswath, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at TXST, told BestColleges these credentials will complement degree programs and make students more employable, explaining they can “enhance the value of a Texas State degree.”
Certificates available include:
- Meta Android Developer
- ADP Entry-Level Payroll Specialist
- AWS Cloud Technology Consultant
- Google UX Design
- EPIC Games Game Design
- IBM IT Project Manager
- Keller Williams Real Estate Agent
- HRCI Human Resources Associate
- Goodwill Career Coach
- CVS Health Retail Customer Service
- NASM Personal Fitness Trainer
Down the line, Aswath said, there will be an opportunity for TXST to develop its own original certificates to offer as well. And, Coursera certificates may be incorporated into some degree program curriculum.
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While developing the microcredential program, Aswath brought the idea to TXST student government to seek feedback from the student body. He said there was a broad consensus from students that offering free credentials would be of value to them.
Local industry leaders told Aswath they wanted college graduates to be ready to hit the ground running when they were hired. Aswath said there was a need for “pragmatic skills and knowledge-building” and for marrying employer-valued skills with a broad, liberal arts education.
Aswath said he is “trying to get this message across that your major is not the end goal … but the starting place in your journey,” and students should consider adding and developing skills that the marketplace is seeking.
Coursera’s 2025 Micro-Credentials Impact Global Report found:
- 94% of students surveyed want microcredentials to count toward their degrees, which is up from 55% in 2023.
- 94% of students said that microcredentials help them build essential career skills.
- 92% of employers said graduates with microcredentials have the skills immediately applicable to job roles.
- 85% of employers said they are more likely to hire a job candidate who has earned a microcredential compared to a candidate without one.
Offering microcredentials to students and alumni provide a variety of recruitment and completion benefits as well as upskilling, Aswath said.
For alumni in the job market learning new technology like artificial intelligence (AI), Coursera certificate programs can help fill skills gaps. For students unsure of what major or graduate program to pursue, they can experiment by getting a certificate in a subject — or subjects — they are considering.
Credentials offered alongside degree programs have gained traction and popularity. The University of Texas System launched free, online certificate programs for its students, staff, and alumni with a pilot program in December 2022.