The Credentialing Umbrella

Many people use the words certification, credential, and license interchangeably, but what they don’t realize is each of those words have meaningful distinctions in the world of credentialing. This post will hopefully help with the confusion surrounding these words.

A credential is an umbrella term for the recognition given to someone who has met or exceeded a predetermined standard. Credentialing is the process by which an entity awards that recognition. Underneath the umbrella of credentials are licenses, certifications, certificates, degrees, badges, and more recently, microcredentials.

A license is a credential awarded to an individual by a governing body which allows them to work in a profession until their knowledge, skills, or abilities must be re-verified. A license is a barrier to entry into a profession, meaning you can’t get a job without meeting the predetermined criteria (usually passing a test).

A certification on the other hand is a voluntary, non-government awarded credential. You still have to meet or exceed a predetermined standard, but in many cases, you can still work in the industry without a certification. There are some industries where the potential of harming the public is so great that certifications are required (e.g., healthcare) and there are some industries containing many specialties with quickly changing information (e.g., information technology) where certifications are very common.

A certificate is a document that shows someone has successfully completed the requirements of a program. Certificates are linked to training/educational programs that help people attain specific knowledge or skills. Generally speaking, you don’t have to pass a test in order get a certificate of attendance/participation, but good certificate programs should incorporate a test to help determine if those enrolled in the training/educational program actually learned what they were supposed to.

A degree is a credential awarded by educational institutions. It demonstrates a level of academic proficiency in the field of knowledge being studied. In some ways a degree is just like a certificate, but over a longer period of time and a broader range of knowledge.

Microcredentials have been all the rage lately, but they really aren’t anything new. A microcredential is just the recognition of a very narrow and specific scope of knowledge or skills. These can take the shape of either a certification or certificate, so long as they focus on only one skill or competency.

Finally, we have badges, which are just ways to show off you being awarded some kind of credential. These days, badges are typically digital and can refer to a stylish icon in your email signature or a website link hosted by a credentialing company and associated with your LinkedIn profile.

TLDR Version: Credential can mean a lot of things. Licenses are government affiliated. Certifications are like licenses for non-government entities. Degrees are based on education. Certificates are based on short education/training. Microcredentials just mean short. And badges are how all of these credentials can be shown off!