What Are Stackable Credentials and How Do They Fit in Your Career Plan?

Stackable credentials create opportunities for you to advance in your career path and exit into the workforce at any point while still receiving credentials that signify your knowledge and skills for an entry-level or higher position. Programs that use stackable credentials allow you to earn certifications as you progress through the program. Even if you don’t finish the program with a bachelor’s degree, you receive qualifications for completing what you did. This career path type gives you more flexibility as you progress into your field. 

This article examines what a stackable credential is, how it differs from a degree, the pros and cons of stackable credentials, and how you can use stackable credentials in your career path to maximize the flexibility of these programs.

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What are stackable credentials?

Stackable credentials refer specifically to programs that structure themselves like a ladder you can climb. At one rung is a certificate, another a technical certification, another an associate degree, and the top is a bachelor’s degree. As you climb each rung, you gain another credential that helps you get an entry-level job or furthers your career. At any time, you can step off the ladder and enter the workforce with your credentials, then come back when it's best for you and continue your education where you left off, advancing to the next step in your career. 

Community colleges use stackable credential programs to help you gain in-demand skills for entry-level jobs and beyond. Popular industries include information technology (IT), engineering tech, and consumer sciences. 

It’s important to note that a credential is only “stackable” when it is a part of one of these programs. Credentials you earn on your own after obtaining a degree are value-added credentials. 

Programs offer two kinds of stacking:

• Vertical stacking is the traditional ladder-climbing style of stacking where each certificate earned is higher than the last, eventually leading to an associate and bachelor’s degree.

• Horizontal stacking is a certificate at the same level as your current one but on a different subject with the same amount of credits.

If you’re in a stackable credential program and can eventually earn a bachelor’s degree, how does it differ from a traditional degree program?

Stackable credential program vs. traditional degrees

Stackable credential programs differ from traditional four-year degrees in that at each step along the process, based on the number of credits earned, you receive a credential certifying your expertise in one aspect of a field. On the other hand, in a four-year bachelor’s degree program at a university, you either complete the degree and receive your diploma or you do not. 

In this sense, stackable credential programs offer much more flexibility and the ability to leave at a certain stage with credentials to leverage in your field. 

Types of stackable credentials

What types of credentials are available in a stackable credential program? While this varies from program to program, here is a list of some typical kinds of credentials offered:

• Certificates: the lowest level of credential that represents the completion of a specific class or knowledge and understanding of a specific set of skills

• Certification: an award given by a governing institution over a specific industry that demonstrates your knowledge and capability to perform certain tasks within that industry

• Professional license: a state or government institution awards professional licenses through examination when you demonstrate the predetermined amount of knowledge needed for that license.

• Apprenticeships: some trade careers offer hands-on, paid learning experiences through apprenticeships in which students learn how to perform the trade and follow industry standards.

At the end of a stackable credential program is the accumulation of an associate or bachelor’s degree.

Benefits of stackable credentials

One of the most significant benefits of stackable credentials is that at certain stages in your career path, you can exit it with certificates or other credentials to get an entry-level or higher job with your knowledge. Some other benefits of stackable credentials include:

• They provide flexibility for learners with limited time or money to spend furthering their education or still discovering what they want to learn. 

• Stackable credentials help employers find workers with specific skills and certifications and train their current workforces. 

• They increase access to education after high school for historically underserved populations.

• Stackable credential programs allow you to work towards a degree over time while gaining in-demand skills for entry-level jobs.

• Additionally, stackable credentials are available for those with bachelor’s degrees to achieve certification or gain new skills in adjacent fields.

How to stack credentials

In a well-designed stackable credentials program, each credential you earn has market value for you finding a career while you earn credits to work towards the next credential. Let’s examine a hypothetical stackable credential example, what you work towards in each tier, and what you can exit with at each step. Here is an example breakdown of a stackable credential program:

1. Earn a high school diploma or GED with any college credits earned in high school.

2. Earn a certificate that qualifies you for an entry-level job in your field.

3. Additional certifications or credentials that allow you to progress beyond an entry-level position doing more substantial work in the field typically earn around 30 credits.  

4. Credits stack to an associate degree, which qualifies you for technical jobs and earning additional certifications in your field. It typically involves completing around 60 credits. 

5. Move into your career field and gain experience or further into education to gain a bachelor’s degree, making your skills even more marketable and in demand. 

It’s important to understand the pathway as a flow chart, where at any point during the flow, you can move out of your educational path and into the workforce. Additionally, you can earn more credentials after receiving a bachelor’s degree to gain further knowledge in your field or vertical knowledge to give you a wider, more marketable range of skills. 

Getting started with Coursera

Credentials and certificates are popular options to give you in-demand skills to start your career in an entry-level position as you earn money. When looking to gain in-demand skills, try the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate, Keller Williams Real Estate Agent Professional Certificate, IBM Data Science Professional Certificate, or IBM Product Manager Professional Certificate, all on Coursera, with no previous experience needed.