Glossary

Continuing education

Continuing Education (CE) hour — A nationally recognized way of recording your participation in noncredit professional development. One hour of continuing education instruction equals 0.1 CEUs. Ten continuing education hours equal 1 CEU.

Continuing Education Unit (CEU) — A nationally recognized way of recording your participation in noncredit professional development. One hour of continuing education instruction equals 0.1 CEUs. A six-hour workshop equals 0.6 CEUs.

Personal enrichment — Classes, certificates and other programs that allow students to specialize in topics and build skills related to their personal interests.

Professional development — Classes, certificates and other programs that allow students to specialize in topics and build skills related to their workplace or career.

Learning format

Accelerated — A class or program that is delivered at a faster pace and in a shorter amount of time than the traditional version. Accelerated classes or programs have a higher course load to condense the time to completion.

Evening/weekend — An in-person class or program that meets only in the evenings and/or on weekends. Unless otherwise noted, evening and weekend classes take place on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus.

Face-to-face — A class or program that is delivered entirely or mostly in person. Unless otherwise noted, our face-to-face classes take place on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. (See also In-person.)

Hybrid — A class or program that is delivered via both face-to-face and online formats. Unless otherwise noted, our face-to-face classes and programs take place on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. The online portion may be delivered in real-time or self-paced format.

In-person — A class or program that is delivered entirely or mostly face-to-face. Unless otherwise noted, our in-person classes take place on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. (See also Face-to-face.)

Online — A class or program that is delivered completely online. There are multiple types of online classes:

  • Live online — A class or program that is delivered online, with real-time lectures, lessons and discussions presented via web conferencing or virtual classroom software. Assignments and projects may be scheduled for completion outside of class.
  • Interactive online — The same as a live online class or program, these classes meet the designation for “interactive, live online class” required for continuing education in certain professions. Content is delivered in real-time; assignments and projects may be scheduled for completion outside of class.
  • Self-paced online — A class or program that is delivered online, with no class meetings or fixed deadlines. These programs may be started anytime, with a completion time that may vary anywhere between and two years (see course description for specific completion requirements). Students work independently through a web-based learning management system to complete lessons and assignments and to interact with instructors.
  • Group-paced online — A class or program that is delivered online with the same group of students, with no or very few real-time class meetings. Students work through a web-based learning management system to complete lessons, with set due dates for assignments and frequent opportunities to interact with instructors and other students.

Program/degree type

Bachelor’s degree — A degree awarded upon the completion of an academic program that requires four to five years of full-time equivalent preparation. A bachelor’s degree is typically required for acceptance into a graduate program.

Doctoral degree — The highest level of academic degree, awarded upon the completion of a PhD program, which takes, on average, four to seven years to complete. A doctorate degree is typically a basic threshold for certain professional roles, including the licensed practice of medical care, professorship or professional research.

Graduate-level certificate — Graduate-level certificates, called capstone certificates at UW–Madison, generally focus on professional skills and certification in a particular discipline, and typically take a year to complete. This type of certificate helps individuals advance in their current field or obtain an advanced position in another field.

Master’s degree — A degree awarded upon the completion of a graduate program where students specialize in an area of study; typically takes 1 to 2 years to complete. Depending on the field, graduates may qualify for work in an advanced or executive-level position.