The noncredit division of Emory University celebrates its 60th anniversary this year with a new name and a new look. Emory’s Center for Lifelong Learning has been rebranded as Emory Continuing Education.
One thing that won’t change is a tradition of offering value and convenience to a diverse group of professionals, students, hobbyists and lifelong learners.
“We felt that the new name better articulates who we are,” said Beverly Cormican, associate vice provost for continuing education at Emory. “The new name will be a good umbrella to cover all that we offer, including our career certificate and professional development programs, personal enrichment classes, computer training, customized corporate education and classes for active seniors.”
Emory’s continuing education courses have always responded to market needs, and that won’t change either.
“We offer more than 800 classes and we are constantly tweaking the course lineup to meeting the changing needs of the population. It’s a dynamic process,” Cormican said.
Emory’s menu of professional certificates has been steadily growing to accommodate the many workers who need to retool their skills for today’s job market.
“People enroll in these certificates to invest in themselves,” said Ryan Crowe, manager of communications for Emory Continuing Education. “They want to change careers, enhance their résumés, improve their marketability, insure job stability or make themselves more competitive in this challenging job market.”
Some of Emory’s most popular certificate programs include Six Sigma, paralegal, Web design and development, grant writing and foreign language proficiency.
“We were seeing more professionals take our Spanish classes to build their credentials and qualifications, as much as for personal growth and enrichment, so we created a certificate,” Crowe said.
Emory is researching and planning new certificates for project management, event planning, sustainability, fundraising for nonprofits and talent management, Cormican said.
Working professionals can also increase skills and advance their careers with courses in management, communication or entrepreneurship, or by taking computer training classes to stay up-to-date with technology.
Evening at Emory classes have always been popular with adults who want to explore new hobbies or learn through classes in creative writing, fine arts and fitness and health.
Test preparation is a fast-growing area in the enrichment arena, with so many people heading to graduate school. Emory offers preparation courses for the SAT, ACT, MCAT, GMAT, GRE, LSAT and others, mostly taught by Emory faculty or alumni. Prices range from $210 for GRE math prep to $1,995 for CPA exam preparation. The six-session Intensive SAT preparation class costs $549.
Noncredit courses are a way to get a quality, short-term education that is affordable and convenient. The classes are taught by Emory faculty or subject-matter experts who go through a test-teaching process.
Programs are offered during the day and evening (including weekends), and in various formats, including weeklong boot camps and accelerated versions, such as a two-month accelerated paralegal program.
Classes are offered at Emory’s main campus locations and at several satellite locations. A possible Midtown satellite is being explored.
For information, call 404-727-6000 or go to http://ece.emory.edu.
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