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Chancellor's Certificates

The UMSL Skills Lab (formerly Computer Education & Training Center) offers a series of specialized certificates to provide you with the technical knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience to increase your value to your current or future organization and to enhance your professional development.

Short-Term ("Stackable") Certificates

Develop your skills one step at a time! Our short-term certificates gradually stack with one another, leading to the Chancellor's Certificates if desired. Short-term certificates are issued via digital badges and credentials, while the Chancellor's Certificate is a signed credential that can be proudly framed and displayed at your place of work.

We currently offer twenty short-term certificates and will add more in the coming months, including in course areas currently offered but not yet reflected in this list.

Browse our short-term certificates

Specialized Chancellor's Certificates

A Chancellor's Certificate represents significant learning in a specialized or broad field. Each of the Chancellor's Certificates may be earned by collecting multiple short-term certificates; alternately, students may opt to take electives as described in each of the below links.

  • Business Applications: Develop skills in spreadsheet, database, and office productivity.
  • Data Analysis: Learn to use data analysis tools common in today's workplace.
  • Database Technology: Learn database technology and database design.
  • Excel: If you use Excel to input and manage data - from daily budgets and expense accounts to long-range planning documents - find new ways to be more efficient and productive.
  • Python Programming: Learn and enhance your knowledge of programming languages.
  • SharePoint: This certificate covers the collaboration features of SharePoint, as well as how to integrate with Office products, store and secure data, customize lists, and manage user access.
  • Web Page Design: Learn how to create effective Web pages, using HTML, CSS, Javascript, and content management systems.

Why should you pursue a specialized certificate?

  • Explore a new career or a career change.
  • Update and strengthen your current knowledge and increase your value to your organization.
  • Use the certificate to demonstrate your skills to current and potential employers.
  • Learn specific, targeted skills and earn credentials for proof of concentrated study.
  • Enhance your skills with technologies used in your desired future role or program of study.
  • Use the certificate program as a guide for a course of study.

Earning one of our specialized certificates will show employers your desire to enhance job skills and productivity. You learn the specific skills you need and earn a certificate to show your achievements. A specialized certificate can also be your reward for pursuing a challenging area of computer study.

Employers can trust the quality of the training they purchase. We have established standards, including time limits and course requirements, to ensure the certificates earned are current, meaningful, and valuable to your organization.

Choose Your Certificate

The UMSL Skills Lab currently offers three levels of certificates: Short-Term Certificates (or Stackable Certificates), Chancellor’s Certifications, and the UMSL Chancellor’s Certificate on the Computer.

Our specialized certificates confirm that you have completed a particular area of study. We have established standards, including time limits and course requirements, to ensure the certificate you earn is current, meaningful, and valuable to you, the student, and to employers.

  • Requirements for the specialized certificates vary. Be sure to read the requirements for the certificate of interest to you carefully.
  • Generally, we can only accept courses listed in the certificate description toward the certificate, but you may speak with us regarding a substitution (e.g., in the case of advanced placement or further specialization).
  • All classes must be completed within the UMSL Skills Lab within two years of your first course.
  • You are required to complete any prerequisites listed for certificate classes or ask permission to waive them. These classes will not count toward the hours required to complete the certificate. Be sure to check the course descriptions for specific prerequisites.
    • All Chancellor's Certificates are inclusive of prerequisites, while short-term certificates gradually build on one another.
  • Generally, classes only apply to one short-term or Chancellor's Certificate. Effective June 1, 2024, we will allow for some duplication where requirements overlap.
  • Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis; submitting your application and paying the fee does not guarantee a seat in any class. Please plan to register early.
  • You will receive CEUs for successful completion of each class. The hours you complete towards a specialized certificate will also be applied toward the 96-hour Chancellor's Certificate on the Computer.
  • Due to the rapid and ongoing changes that occur in software development, the UMSL Skills Lab cannot guarantee which versions or which software will be offered. Classes are reviewed periodically. Some classes may be dropped and others added.
    • However, if academic plans change considerably (especially in response to changes in technology), we will work with each student on a plan of completion that meets the spirit of your learning goals.

Below are some frequently asked questions about specialized certificate programs available through the UMSL Skills Lab.

For further information, call (314) 984-9000 or e-mail info@cetc.umsl.edu.

How is the Chancellor's Certificate on the Computer different from a specialized certificate?

To earn the Chancellor's Certificate on the Computer, you do not have to complete an application form, there are no specified required classes, and there is currently no time limit to complete the 96 hours of classes. To earn a specialized certificate, you must complete an application form and fulfill the specific requirements described for each certificate within the time specified.

Is there a difference in the registration process for specialized certificate classes?

There is no difference when you register for any particular class. To obtain a specialized Chancellor's Certificate, however, you must complete an application form and pay a one-time $25 nonrefundable application fee for each certificate. Be sure to carefully read the specific requirements listed in our catalog or online course listing.

Why can't I count classes I took more than 24 months ago?

We've set standards for the specialized certificates because we want the certificates to be current, meaningful, and valuable for our students and to employers. These standards include specific class and hour requirements and the time frame in which the certificate must be completed.

Especially in the age of Cloud computing, softwares change over time. Completing the certificate in two years helps ensure that you have a consistent learning experience.

Enroll online, call (314) 984-9000 or email enroll@cetc.umsl.edu for information on how to enroll.

There is a non-refundable fee of $25 which covers processing, recordkeeping, and certificate costs.

Upon receipt of the application form and fee, we will send you a confirmation letter and "Notification of Completion" form. Use this form to keep track of classes you're taking toward your certificate. When you complete your last class, return the form by mail or FAX.

Upon verification of successful completion of all requirements, we will send you your specialized Chancellor's Certificate. Your digital certificate will be made available within one week of completing your final course. Please allow us 4-6 weeks to prepare the physical certificate, as they are signed by our Chancellor and printed in a specialized department that processes official University credentials at specific times of the year.