Your Learning. Your Skills. Your Future.
NMU’s Micro-Credentials help you tell a richer story about what you know and can do—on campus, in the workplace, and in your community.
Earn. Share. Succeed.
Each NMU Micro-Credential represents a verified skill or achievement you can share instantly with employers, colleagues, and your professional network.
Show the World What You Know
NMU’s Micro-Credentials provides learners with targeted, job-ready competencies that employers are actively seeking. Ready for your next career move?
What is a Micro-Credentials?
According to the Learn Work Ecosystem Library, micro-credentials are a record of focused learning achievements that verify what the learner knows, understands, or can do. At NMU, we issue these achievements as digital badges.
Each badge is backed by real evidence and can be easily shared with employers, schools, and professional networks to instantly prove your practical skills.
Micro-credentials are your gateway to professional growth:
Low Barriers: Dramatically reduce the cost and time commitment compared to a full degree.
Career Ready: Immediately demonstrate proficiency in real-world applications and academic knowledge.
Boost Your Value: Impress employers, secure advancement, or explore a new career field.
Future-Proof: Credentials are often stackable, providing a clear path to a longer academic journey.
How It Works
Learn → Start by completing an eligible course, program, or activity.
Earn → Once your learning is verified, you’ll receive a digital badge from NMU.
Share → You can add your badge to your resume, LinkedIn, or SmartResume profile—so employers can see what you bring to the table.
Your Verified Skills, All in One Place
With SmartResume: LER, you can organize and showcase your verified skills in a clean, professional profile—no extra steps required. It’s free, secure, and built to connect you with opportunities.
Turn your NMU badge into career momentum
Career Services & Handshake
NMU's Career Services offers resources spanning from resume and cover letter development to mock interviews, job fairs, and much more! They also manage Handshake for NMU students - a platform to explore & apply for job/internship opportunities, schedule appointments, manage resumes, find career events, and more.
Micro-Credentials, Badges & Pathways
From foundational skills to emerging career pathways, NMU’s micro-credentials help you build a custom learning journey in the form of digital badges.
Check out some of the featured offerings below, and see what’s possible when your learning is made visible. These badges represent learning and leadership in communication, STEM, education, business, and more.
| Badge | Name | Description |
 | Sustainable Citizen Badge | Demonstrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Knowledge: Many organizations are prioritizing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. Having this badge shows you understand the foundational concepts and can speak the language of sustainability initiatives making you a better candidate for leadership roles. |
 | Introduction to Design Thinking | Enhance Collaboration: This badge emphasizes working in collaborative teams to address "real issues." This demonstrates crucial soft skills, showing you can facilitate group creativity and integrate diverse perspectives—a necessity for any modern project team. |
 | Applied Workplace Leadership Certificate | This badge signals you're prepared for leadership, making you an excellent candidate for promotions, especially into supervisory or managerial roles. Your training in understanding how diversity can be leverage for improved workplace climate and productivity is a massive asset. This demonstrates competence in fostering inclusive teams, which directly links to better innovation and team performance. |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
For Learners
What is a digital badge?
A digital badge is a verified, shareable record of a skill or achievement you’ve earned at NMU. Each badge is totally unique and is issued through Credly, making your skills portable, verifiable, and ready to share with employers.
Why do digital badges matter?
Badges highlight the specific, career-ready skills you’ve mastered at NMU. When connected to SmartResume, NMU’s talent marketplace, badges help connect you with employers in the UP and beyond based on your skills — not just your degree.
How do I log into Credly?
Go to credly.com and click Sign In. Use your NMU student email address as your username. If you’ve been issued a badge, you should already have a Credly account waiting for you.
What if I don’t know my password?
On the Credly login page, select Forgot Password and follow the instructions. A reset link will be sent to your NMU email.
How do I claim my first badge?
When NMU issues you a badge, you’ll receive an email from Credly at your NMU student email. Open the message, click the acceptance link, and sign in to your Credly account to add it.
Where are my badges stored?
All badges are stored in your Credly account. From there, you can connect them to your SmartResume, share them on LinkedIn, or download them as a PDF certificate.
What is SmartResume?
SmartResume is NMU’s skills-based talent marketplace. It connects your verified Credly badges, academic achievements, and experiences into one searchable profile. Employers can view your SmartResume to discover job-ready Wildcats.
Will I keep my badges and SmartResume after graduation?
Yes. Your Credly account and SmartResume go with you after graduation. Just connect a personal email in your Credly settings to ensure you have lifelong access.
For Faculty & Staff
Why should I issue digital badges in my courses?
Badges help students showcase their learning to the outside world. When connected to SmartResume, your course or program directly supports students’ career opportunities.
What kinds of skills can be recognized?
Anything that can be demonstrated and valued by employers: technical competencies, durable skills like teamwork or leadership, industry certifications, and co-curricular activities.
How do I request a new badge for my program?
Contact NMU’s Extended Learning team. We’ll work with you to design the badge, set criteria, configure it in Credly, and ensure it links to SmartResume.
Do badges replace transcripts or degrees?
No. Badges are designed to complement and augment NMU’s academic records. Degrees show what students studied. Badges — and SmartResume — are grounded in language that better aligns with the expectations of employers and more precisely articulates what students can do.
How do employers use badges and SmartResume?
Employers search SmartResume to identify NMU students and graduates with specific, verified skills. Each badge links to a detailed description of what the student achieved, giving employers confidence in their abilities.
Employers
- Join the Wildcat Talent marketplace
- Post jobs/internships
- Search SmartResume profiles
Faculty & Partner Resources
Please contact us for badge and micro-credential development, assessment templates, and guidance materials.