K-State’s Microcredential Framework

As the first operational land-grant university, Kansas State University is uniquely positioned to meet today’s challenges of developing and enhancing human skills and capabilities through education, learning and meaningful work. While delivering curriculum in the traditional form of courses leading to degrees has a long history at K-State, development of a coherent microcredentialing infrastructure is essential to K-State's future and expands the historic access mission of K-State.

Microcredentials are relevant, high quality and market aligned as well as offer pathways to affordable, accessible, focused and immediately acknowledged learning opportunities. They can be credit or noncredit and have the following characteristics:

• focused on learners and their interests, needs, skills and career goals
• awarded based on demonstrated skill or competency in a specific area(s)
• developed, approved and endorsed by the university
• gained in a shorter or more flexible time period
• stand-alone or stackable