ACE Adds Four New Micro-Credentials, Three Focus of Study Options

INDIANAPOLIS – American College of Education announced today it is adding four new micro-credentials to the 14 it already offers, including two that contain courses recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education as meeting the requirements for specific endorsement to an Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL). 

The college  also added three new focus of study options for students enrolled in some Ed.D. programs. 

Introduced at ACE earlier this year, micro-credentials are short programs narrowly focused on specific skills. Students who complete a micro-credential program earn a digital badge, official college credit and can stack them as part of a certificate or degree. Most programs are three courses, except for the two micro-credentials that lead to Illinois PEL endorsement, which are four courses. 

Those two programs – Learning Behavior Specialist 1 and Early Childhood Special Education – begin enrolling with ACE’s July 6 term. After students complete the four courses in the micro-credential series, they can apply for the specific endorsement to their Illinois PEL and will also receive ACE alumni benefits. These benefits include reduced tuition under ACE’s Continuing Education Grant, no application fee for future programs, special alumni events, and more. 

The other new micro-credentials are Diversity and Inclusion, which focuses on how organizations can create a diverse environment, and Data Analytics, which teaches students how to conduct research and analyze data. Both of these begin with ACE’s August 17 term and follow the three-course micro-credential sequence.  

In addition to new micro-credentials, ACE is launching three new focus of study options for doctoral students, beginning with the July 6 term.  

Students pursuing an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, Ed.D. in Instructional Technology or Ed.D. in Leadership now may select Literacy or Special Education as their focus of study. Ed.D. in Leadership students also may pursue a focus of study in Public and Nonprofit Leadership.