The Baylor Advantage

Baylor’s undergraduate certificate programs offer students a flexible pathway to gain specialized skills and increase the value of their degrees. Modeled after graduate and professional certificates, these additional credentials allow students to align academic interests with professional goals, affordably increasing marketability upon graduation. 

In today’s competitive job market, it’s increasingly important for Baylor graduates to stand out as qualified applicants. In response, many undergraduate degree programs have begun offering certificates tailored to specific career goals, providing a broader portfolio of specialized skills and knowledge. Adding certificates to a degree, a practice known as degree stacking, has long been a trend in graduate and professional education, but Baylor’s undergraduate certificates give more students learning opportunities that increase their knowledge and impact.

Pro Mundo in Action 

Across every industry and in every community, people are learning to live among neighbors from a multitude of cultures and backgrounds. Tomorrow’s leaders will need the skills that prepare them for leadership and service across cultures and around the globe. A reflection of Baylor’s expanded motto, Pro Mundo, For the World, the Certificate in Global Engagement is offered to undergraduate students of any major, and it allows them to explore and interact directly with other cultures.  

“There’s a study abroad component required for the Global Engagement certificate,” said Raphael Abayateye, assistant director of global engagement. “At every study abroad informational session, we are there to promote this opportunity to the students.” 

Study abroad isn’t the only component of the certificate. Others include participating in 10 on-campus intercultural events, six credit hours of global engagement courses and four semester-long experiential opportunities. 

“I really try to help students get out of their comfort zone,” Abayateye said. “When they participate in events, they usually come quiet and reserved. They walk away so lively and cheerful.”

“I really try to help students get out of their comfort zone.”
Raphael Abayateye

The result of completing these requirements is reflection; what did you take away from this experience and what did you give back? The exchange of cultures is a back-and-forth relationship. Previously held perceptions are changed in a safe learning environment where students can explore different cultures.  

“Different does not mean negative,” Abayateye stated. “People and cultures have more similarities and shared interests than they realize.” 

Each experience students have with a culture different from their own, whether on campus, during a study abroad trip or in the semester-long book club, uncovers something new and hopefully sparks meaningful connections.  

“I loved reading about Paul Farmer in book club,” said Victoria Agbeibor, B.B.A. ’24, current Baylor medical student who earned two certificates at Baylor in the course of her undergraduate degree: Global Engagement and Spanish for Health Professions. “It really shaped my mindset about medical missions and medical service abroad. Whatever I end up doing in life, I want it to involve global health and biomedical informatics.” 

For Agbeibor, and many other students like her, the Global Engagement certificate nurtures a deeper perspective of humility. 

“There are multiple pathways, but the outcome is the same,” Abayateye said. “This can be quality of life, human flourishing and honesty and respect for other people.” 

Preparing Leaders in Healthcare

In Fall 2024, Baylor University’s Department of Communication launched the Certificate in Health Communication. Designed specifically for communications majors, this program was created to meet the demands of an ever-growing healthcare field. Students who earn the certificate will be better equipped to work in public health settings or healthcare administration.

“Though this is the first semester the certificate is available, it’s been several years in the making,” said Paige Gloeckner, Ph.D., lecturer in communication and program director for the Certificate in Health Communication. “Students who earn this certificate have a wide variety of career opportunities, from public health to community outreach to clinic administration.”

Health communication is becoming increasingly relevant in all areas of healthcare. Moreover, there is a steadily widening gap between the development of medical science and knowledge and the medical information understood by the average patient. By working to address this gap, a health communication certificate positions graduates as more marketable for careers in healthcare and health-related fields. This increased marketability is a strong response to a growing demand for healthcare jobs — the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that, from 2020-30, healthcare jobs are expected to grow an average of 16%, creating about 2.6 million new jobs and representing much faster growth compared to the average across occupations.

“Students have to find ways to set themselves apart from everybody else that’s applying, whether to jobs or to graduate school.”
Paige Gloeckner

Distinct from graduate certificate programs in public health, healthcare administration and health informatics, a health communication certificate focuses on the verbal and nonverbal communicative aspects of healthcare delivery, programming and advocacy. With experience in health communication, students become adept at identifying and implementing methods and tactics for communicating about illness and wellness; analyzing the effect of culture on health beliefs, practices and communication; explaining health information and changing health behavior; designing and evaluating health promotion materials for campaigns and programs; generating solutions to miscommunication that lead to medical errors; and leading healthcare organizations.

“Students have to find ways to set themselves apart from everybody else that’s applying, whether to jobs or to graduate school,” Gloeckner said. “This is a really good way for them to do that. Since not all universities offer a health communication certificate, this is a great way for students to advocate for themselves and market their skills and experience. Not only do these students have the communications background, but they have an understanding of how health-related communication practices function and how communication can improve health outcomes. It opens a lot of doors for students. It prepares them for the workforce, and it helps them determine if this is something they want to pursue further in a graduate program.”

Showcasing Student Leadership 

The Certificate in Experiential Leadership, offered through the University’s student life division, allows students to build on the leadership roles they already have or are pursuing at Baylor and in their community. This certificate program, now in its second year, has 125 current enrollees from many different majors.  

“The aim of this certificate is not to have the students add to their courseload,” said Kimberly Black, director of student leadership development and strategic initiatives. “It’s to utilize what these students are already doing and realize what impact it has on their own leadership.”  

As Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., guides the University to further pursue its expanded vision, Pro Mundo, the degrees that students earn at Baylor are not only their own, but are in service of the world and the common good. 

“This certificate really challenges students to think about their responsibility to promote the common good regardless of what their major is,” Black said. 

“This certificate really challenges students to think about their responsibility to promote the common good.”
Kimberly Black

Black and her team recognized how deeply students were being formed outside of the classroom by their leadership roles in student organizations, employment opportunities, research and experiences with faculty. These experiences inform the kinds of leaders they will be in the future. Leadership is not positional; it’s a quality that must be cultivated and nurtured.  

“We wanted to eliminate as many barriers for students as we could,” Black said. “There is no application; students who are interested simply enroll in the program and complete the requirements to be awarded the certificate. What does it mean for students to learn, both inside and outside the classroom, and apply knowledge across those divisions?” 

In the development of this certificate, Black and her team worked closely with the creators of the Certificate in Global Engagement to allow cross-listing of requirements, which affords students the opportunity to receive credit for both certificates from singular activities.   

“We are leaning into Baylor’s mission of creating worldwide leaders,” Black said. “That’s our promise to every student that comes here.” 

Tools of the Future

These certificate programs offer students a cost-effective way to strategically enrich their education and develop highly marketable skill sets. Amy Rylander, M.B.A. ’21, director of the Career Center, knows that each certificate represents a blending of academic interests and professional ambitions that helps Baylor graduates stand out in an ever-growing pool of job applicants. 

“In the Career Center, we help students verbalize what value these certificates brought them,” said Rylander. “These certificates allow students to focus on their studies while thinking about what direction they may take upon graduation.” 

Degree stacking offers a strategic approach to education and career advancement. By combining multiple credentials, students enhance their employability, gain specialized expertise and create flexible and customized educational pathways to achieve their goals.