Professional Development Certificate

Program Overview

The Professional Development Certificate provides an opportunity for Blue Ridge Community and Technical College students to enhance their learning experience by completing a series of educational courses in a specialized area. Along with core courses, each certificate offers a balanced curriculum with coursework in communication, social and cultural awareness, and scientific and quantitative reasoning along with focused study in a particular content area. The coursework is essential to prepare students seeking to expand their knowledge and competencies as they complete an associate’s degree and/or enter or advance in the workforce.

The certificate is designed to be completed in one year of full-time enrollment at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College. The specialized study is offered in the following areas: Communication Studies, General Education, Public Relations, and Social Sciences. The specific course requirements for each Professional Development Certificate Track are outlined below.

Program Outcomes

Apply critical thinking and mathematical skills to solve problems.
Compose coherent documents and oral presentations appropriate to a specific purpose and audience.
Utilize psychological or sociological principles to analyze personal, societal, and organizational issues.

Career Opportunities

Completion of the Professional Development Certificate demonstrates to employers and transfer institutions a student’s commitment to the acquisition of knowledge in both core subjects and a specialized content area. This coursework is designed to enhance academic and professional competencies.

Curriculum for a Certificate in Professional Development

General Education Core	12
Specialty Track	18
Total Credit Hours Required	30

General Education Core

Specialty Tracks:

You must select ONE of the following specialty tracks:

Communication Studies Track

COMM 205 - ~Professional Communications (3)
Any COMM 101 or above-not taken elsewhere in the program (9)
Free Electives (6)
Subtotal Credit Hours Required 18

General Education Track

Any credited course 100 level or above not taken elsewhere in the program

Subtotal Credit Hours Required

Public Relations Track

COMM 205 - ~Professional Communications (3)
PSCI 100 - ~Introduction to Political Ideology (3)
PSCI 101 - ~American Federal Government (3)
SOCI 215 - ~Human Relations (3)
Free Electives (100 level or above) (6)
Subtotal Credit Hours Required 18

Social Science Track

HIST 101+ - Any History 101 or above (3)
PHIL 101 - Introduction to Philosophy (3)
PSYC 203 - ~Introduction to Psychology (3)
Free Electives (100 level or above) (9)
Subtotal Credit Hours Required 18

Program Disclaimer

This curriculum includes a list of courses required for this program of study for this calendar year. Your Academic Plan can be found on DegreeWorks once you become a degree-seeking student.

Note: All salary projections are based on the current position and educational needs. BRCTC cannot guarantee that the projections given will be the salaries students or graduates will ultimately receive.