Description of Course Offerings
Take Courses Taught by Industry Experts
The courses in George Mason's Continuing Professional Education unit provide you with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to step into an industry or advance your career. We partner with leading associations and organizations so you can quickly upskill or reskill your abilities, prepare for third-party certifications, and get the CEUs you need to maintain your position or certification. These non-credit courses make you an in-demand professional with the skill sets employers are looking for.
Courses are offered through different delivery methods, such as face-to-face, online, or hybrid. Self-paced courses can be started at any time, and those with a live, online learning component have frequent start dates throughout the year. While live courses require that you log in at certain times and days. Courses vary in the length of time they take to complete — some take a few days, others will require several months of your time.
If you have any questions or need additional information contact us at cpeinfo@gmu.edu or click on the request information button.
Choose Your Level of Learning
CPE offers many ways to enhance your skills and help position you for new career opportunities. Taking George Mason University, Continuing and Professional Education training and education courses also results in a 'Certificate of Completion' issued for every course you complete. 'Professional Certificates', 'Digital Badges', and 'Continued Education Units', are other credentials available with certain courses.
- Individual courses focus on a specific set of skills or industry knowledge but can vary widely in terms of contact hours. You can spend a week completing a course, or more than a year.
- Immersive courses typically take a minimum of 25 contact hours to complete but can take as many as 60. When you complete an immersive course, you'll receive a digital badge that easily verifies a set of skills you achieved to future employers.
- Bootcamps, like individual courses, usually focus on mastering a specific technical skill that can directly impact your current position or project or help you transition to a new career in a brief amount of time, typically three to four months.
- Professional Certificates can vary widely in terms of contact hours. They can consist of a single course with a multitude of topics or include a series of courses. Some certificates also offer a digital badge that can verify the specific industry skills learned. When you successfully complete the Professional Certificate program, you'll receive a certificate that speaks to your new skill set.
- Continued Education Units (CEUs) are a credential available to be earned with certain courses and are a frequently requested credential in-demand for many career fields.