Editing Professional certification (section)

== Professional certificates awarded by tertiary education providers==
Many tertiary education providers grant professional certificates as an award for the completion of an educational program. The curriculum of a professional certificate is most often in a focused subject matter. Many professional certificates have the same curriculum as master's degrees in the same subject. Many other professional certificates offer the same courses as master's degrees in the same subject, but require the student to take fewer total courses to complete the program. Some professional certificates have a curriculum that more closely resembles a baccalaureate major in the same field.  The typical professional certificate program is between 200 and 300 class-hours in size. It is uncommon for a program to be larger or smaller than that. Most professional certificate programs are open enrollment, but some have admissions processes. A few universities put some of their professional certificates into a subclass they refer to as advanced professional certificates.

=== Advanced professional certificate ===
''Advanced professional certificates'' are professional credentials designed to help [[professional]]s enhance their [[job performance]] and marketability in their respective fields. In many other countries, certificates are qualifications in [[higher education]]. In the [[United States]], a certificate may be offered by an institute of higher education. These certificates usually signify that a student has reached a standard of knowledge of a certain [[vocation]]al subject. Certificate programs can be completed more quickly than associate degrees and often do not have general education requirements.

An advanced professional certificate is a result of an educational process designed for individuals. Certificates are designed for both newcomers to the industry as well as seasoned professionals. Certificates are awarded by an [[educational program]] or [[academic institution]]. Completion of a certificate program indicates completion of a course or series of courses with a specific concentration that is different from an educational degree program. Course content for an advanced certificate is set forth through a variety of sources i.e. [[faculty (academic staff)|faculty]], [[committee]], [[Teacher|instructors]], and other subject matter experts in a related field. The end goal of an advanced professional certificate is so that professionals may demonstrate knowledge of course content at the end of a set period in time.