To help ensure that education can benefit as many people as possible — and meet the evolving needs of employers — higher education institutions are creating new ways for students to earn their degrees. One innovation is the option known as stackable credentials, through which students build (or “stack”) their certificates or degrees in a particular discipline over time to earn successively higher-level degrees.   

For example, with stackable credentials, a student can earn a certificate or an associate degree and begin working in a particular field. Later, they can apply credits from that certificate or associate degree toward earning a bachelor’s degree. Stacking their credentials can be a great way for individuals to advance their education in a flexible manner that aligns with their work or family commitments. 

People who are considering enrolling in an online degree or certificate program can benefit from learning more about what stackable credentials and their associated benefits are, and exploring some examples of stackable degrees and certificates. 

Stackable Credentials Definition

Higher education institutions that allow students to stack their credentials provide them with an alternative to earning a degree within a traditional time frame. For example, instead of committing to being a full-time student and earning a bachelor’s degree in four years, students can stack the credentials they earn gradually over time toward progressively higher level degrees, taking breaks along the way to work or meet other commitments.  

With a stackable credential option, students can enter and exit the educational path with greater flexibility, yet still accumulate the credits they need to earn a degree. Each time students step back into their education, they pick up where they left off, rather than starting over again from the beginning.  

A 2023 report from research organization Rand noted that by offering students the option to stack their credentials, higher education institutions are better able to match their curricula with the skills and expertise that employers need. For example, higher education institutions are better able to create short-term certificate programs that dovetail with employers’ current needs. Students can later build on those certificates to earn, for instance, a bachelor’s degree and progress along their career path. 

Characteristics of Stackable Credentials

• Students are able to stack their credentials in a seamless way that has a predefined pathway leading to higher credentials 

• Students can advance both their education and their career prospects by stacking their credentials 

• Industries and employers recognize and value stackable credential programs 

Benefits of Stacking Credentials

• Improve students’ ability to receive training and education. Stackable credential programs have the potential to enable more nontraditional and underrepresented students to receive training and education. 

• Enable students to receive just-in-time training and education. Students can receive relevant training and education in a relatively shorter time frame through a stackable credential program than through a traditional program, and enter the labor market with a credential that employers value. 

• Establish a solid foundation for maintaining employability. By encouraging students to continue to enhance and expand their expertise, stackable credential programs can enable people to remain employable across their lifespans. 

• Prepare students to launch careers sooner than through traditional degree programs. Earning a certificate to qualify to start on a career path can take less time than earning a four-year degree. Later, that individual can stack additional credentials on top of their certificate to enhance their knowledge and move forward along the career path. 

• Allow people to test out their field of interest more easily. Equipped with a certificate or associate degree, a person can enter a field that may interest them without having to invest in a traditional four-year degree. If they like that field, then they can stack their credentials to continue learning and pursue positions with more responsibility. 

Examples of Stackable Degrees

Reviewing examples of stackable degrees can be helpful in understanding how stackable credentials work. 

Southeast Missouri State University Online (SEMO) offers stackable degree programs that enable students to take advantage of the benefits of stackable credentials. Examples include: 

• Stackable degrees in child and family studies. A student at SEMO Online can earn an Associate of Arts in Child Care and Guidance degree. That student can later stack the credits from earning that degree toward earning an online Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Child Development at the university. 

• Stackable degrees in technology. A student at SEMO Online can earn an Associate of Applied Science in Applied Technology degree. The credits the student earned while completing that degree can be applied toward earning an online BS in Technology Management or Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Technology degree. That student may be able to go on to stack their credentials toward SEMO Online’s Master of Science (MS) in Technology Management program. 

Similarly, some university programs allow students to take courses that simultaneously count toward a bachelor’s and a master’s degree program; these programs are called accelerated degree programs. For instance, qualifying students in SEMO Online’s BS in Business Administration or BS in Healthcare Management program have the opportunity to apply credits from either of those programs toward the school’s accelerated Master of Business Administration (MBA) program. 

Students in SEMO’s online learning programs can also explore the university’s prior learning assessment (PLA) services, which provide students with the opportunity to earn college credits based on their previous professional experience, military training, or certifications and licenses, or by passing an examination.  

Examples of Stackable Certificates

• Stackable certificate in management. The online Certificate of Management program is geared toward professionals who work in supervisory positions but do not have formal management training. Students can stack that certificate toward earning a BS in Business Administration from SEMO Online. 

• Stackable graduate healthcare management certificate. The online Healthcare Management Certificate program enables individuals to enhance their expertise in either administration or informatics. Students can stack that certificate toward earning an MS in Healthcare Management at SEMO Online. 

• Stackable technology certificates. SEMO Online’s Cloud Computing, Web Development and Cybersecurity certificate programs have options to stack them toward various undergraduate or graduate technology degree programs. 

Stackable Credentials Enable Students to Enhance Their Education and Progress in Their Careers

With the opportunity to stack their credentials, individuals have more flexibility in pursuing their educational and career goals. Earning stackable credentials also is a great way for people to earn a degree on a timeline that aligns with their other life commitments. 

Individuals who are interested in furthering their education can explore SEMO Online’s degree and certificate programs to learn how one of those programs can help them reach their career goals. Offering the benefits of online learning, and in many cases stackable credentials, these degree and certificate programs provide individuals with the opportunity to establish a solid foundation for their educational and career growth.  

In addition to the SEMO Online programs, Southeast Missouri State University offers an extensive range of on-campus degree programs to individuals in the Cape Girardeau area.  
Start working to achieve your goals today with SEMO. 

Recommended Readings 
5 Tips to Choose a Graduate School  
150 Employers That Hired SEMO Alumni 
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Sources: 
Education Strategy Group, “Stackability Guide: Building Credential Connections Within Institutions” 
International Journal of Online Graduate Education, “Re-aligning Higher Education and Employability: Stackable Skills Are the New Currency as Online Modalities Pave the Way” 
Journal of the American Health Information Management Association, “Microcredentials Bring Big Opportunities to Health Information Professionals, Employers” 
The Journal of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering, “Stackable Programs: Leading the Way for Success for Nontraditional and Underrepresented Students” 
McKinsey & Company, “Fulfilling the Potential of U.S. Higher Education” 
Rand, “How to Build Stackable Credentials” 
Southeast Missouri State University, Applied Technology (AAS Online Degree) 
Southeast Missouri State University, Bachelor of Applied Technology 
Southeast Missouri State University, Healthcare Management: Informatics Certificate 
Southeast Missouri State University, Online Certificate of Management 
Southeast Missouri State University, Online: Child Care and Guidance 
Southeast Missouri State University, Online: Child Development