Welles Hall clock (SUNY Geneseo/Matt Burkhartt)
Majors and minors are key to navigating a student’s college career. But what if something else could offer special training as well as a résumé boost?
Welcome to Integrative Curricular Microcredentials. Microcredentials are short-term, focused programs that help students build in-demand skills and real-world experience, and SUNY Geneseo offers a wide selection to both current and non-matriculated students. These academic tracks are smaller and easier to complete than a full major or minor yet still offer in-depth education.
Microcredentials are designed to be specific to what the student wants to study. Unlike a focus or a concentration within a major, microcredentials will appear on a student’s transcript, making it easier for future employers and graduate schools to see the additional focus and education the student has worked on. Geneseo has more than 20 different microcredentials available and continues to add more each academic year. They range from the sciences, such as Aquatic Biology, to the humanities and arts, such as Sociocultural Mediator in Spanish and Harmony and Composition.
These bite-sized courses of study only require six to twelve credits to complete, along with an applied experience and a short reflection, and can be finished in a matter of months.
“After taking the courses that were available here, I fell in love with GIS, and I decided I want to look into a career in it,” says Lincoln Hempstead ’26, a geography and sustainability studies double major who recently completed the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) microcredential. “The microcredential was perfect for giving me that extra training and expertise.”
Zachary Boise ’27, a physics and mathematics double major, undertook the microcredential in Undergraduate Research in Computational or Theoretical Physics. Working with associate professor of physics and astronomy Thomas Osburn to model gravitational waves helped define his career path. “I had the privilege of being able to do paid research for the past two summers and be a part of the summer research community here,” he says. “It made me realize I want to get my PhD after graduating.”
“I have seen students get excited to be able to show off their newfound credentials on sites like LinkedIn,” says Stephen Tulowiecki, associate professor of geography and sustainability studies and advisor of the GIS microcredential. “Microcredentials allow students to record and showcase specific skills they acquired in college that may not otherwise be obvious from the language on their diploma.”
“I one thousand percent highly recommend getting involved in a microcredential to anyone,” says Sarah Allam ’27, a neuroscience major with a mathematics minor who’s working on a microcredential in Science Communication. “You can treat it like a passion project, and tailor it to your interests and your strengths.”
Declaring a microcredential is easy: students just need to complete an advising form and obtain approval from the program coordinator.
Explore all Integrated Curricular Microcredentials.
—Article and portraits by Michaela Lewis-Hardies ’26