Microcredentials at SUNY Erie

Accelerate Your Career with Microcredentials!

Not every student wants a degree. If you're aiming for a career change, acquiring a new skill, or exploring opportunities in a parallel field, a microcredential might be a better fit for you. 

Microcredentials are certifications earned through short-term coursework focused on mastering specific skills in high-demand fields.  Microcredentials allow learners to quickly build expertise valued by employers, often in just weeks or months, providing affordable and accessible pathways to career advancement or transition.

Benefits of Microcredentials:

  • Short-term, skills-focused coursework
  • Certifications in specialized, marketable skills
  • Quickly earned to gain credentials employers value
  • Affordable and flexible options for career development

Microcredentials At SUNY Erie

How will you take your career to the next level?
Geared to the professional who wants to move their existing business into the cannabis marketplace, students will learn the necessary concepts required to work in the cannabis industry, speak about the plant, understand regulations, and explain products to potential customers. With this knowledge students will complete a capstone project in which they will formulate their own product idea.

The program includes classroom lessons, hands-on skills labs, and case-based scenarios practiced on simulation mannequins and patient actors. A minimum of ten patient contacts will be gained during ride-along ambulance observations, emergency department observation, and urgent care settings. 

Students learn OSHA infectious disease control practices, medical legal aspects of EMS response, and basic airway management and oxygen administration skills.  Students also become certified in American Heart Association Basic Life Support Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Automated External Defibrillation (AED). 


The Personal Training micro-credential was developed in response to industry experts seeking employees certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). This program provides the knowledge and training required to sit for certification as a personal trainer through the NSCA. Students are provided with a foundational understanding of client consultation, program planning, techniques of exercise, and safety and emergency response. A practical experience allows for exposure to the field and networking to further promote success in the industry.  The four courses can be applied to SUNY Erie’s Exercise Science degree, Physical Education degree or Sport and Leisure Studies degree.


Micro-credential stacks into SUNY Erie’s Physical Education A.S. degree, or Sport and Leisure Studies A.S. degree.


For those seeking an in-demand entry-level career in the healthcare industry, this microcredential provides an excellent introduction to the roles of the phlebotomist and the electrocardiography (ECG) technician in a simulated clinical environment. Phlebotomy and electrocardiography are part of the clinical skill set of medical assistants, and according to NYS Department of Labor, medical assisting is one of the in-demand occupations with the most anticipated hiring in Western New York (Current Employment Statistics | Department of Labor (ny.gov)).
Students are introduced to the factors contributing to the contamination of food and food preparation facilities. Managerial considerations will be discussed, as well as cleaning, sanitizing agents, approved building materials, and state and federal governance. The nationally recognized ServSafe Food Handler certification exam will be administered at the conclusion of the course.