Skip to Content
Certificate

Career Advising

Become a Career Advisor

Apply Now Request Info

About the Career Advising Program

Career Development is an interdisciplinary field which takes into account workplace dynamics and individual growth and change. Career Advisors help focus clients’ skills, interests and values while teaching them how to gather information about workplace options and helping them develop strategies to reach their career goals.

UC San Diego Extended Studies' Career Advising Specialized Certificate Program is designed for Career Advisors and Navigators to bring them the latest information on current economic trends, coaching techniques, career-building strategies, and interpersonal communications.

Career Advisors work with individuals in all stages of work or life, including those transitioning fields, students looking for their first job, veterans re-entering the job market, or individuals facing retirement. The diversity of clients reflects the dynamic and evolving workforce in the U.S. This program provides an organized and comprehensive approach to information, theories and best practices in career development.

Earn the CWDP certification!
Students completing the program are eligible to receive the Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP) certification through the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP). The CWDP is a nationally recognized credential for individuals who have demonstrated they have what it takes to provide the highest quality services to our nation's job seekers and businesses. The certificate clears the academic requirements for the CWDP certification.
Online
9 Months
$2,685

Benefit to Participants

  • Education to impact day-to-day and long term productivity and professional growth
  • Share and learn from peers, gaining best practices, new perspectives, strengthened relationships and new contacts
  • Develop skills to serve an increasing diverse customer base with widely varying needs
  • Learn the competencies of the Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP) national credential

Earn the CWDP certification

Students completing the program are eligible to receive the Certified Workforce Development Professional (CWDP) certification through the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP). The CWDP is a nationally recognized credential for individuals who have demonstrated they have what it takes to provide the highest quality services to our nation's job seekers and businesses.

How to Apply

Students may enroll in individual courses without applying to the certificate program. There is a $0 application fee. For students pursuing the certificate, there will be a one-time $125 certificate fee.

Get More Information

For detailed information, please contact our Business department.
Classroom type:
Live Online
In-Person
Online
Hybrid
Quarter availability reflects when courses are most commonly scheduled. Actual availability may vary.

Required Courses

WIBs and One-Stops

A dynamic organization with highly-skilled and capable staff allows WIBs and their One-Stops to:

  • Quickly respond to the changing demands of the workplace
  • Innovate from the ground up (not top down)
  • Gather strength from collective knowledge
  • Seek continuous improvement through principles imbedded in plans and culture
  • Close the skill gap of staff, raising the bar for high performance and fostering employee engagement
  • Staff a state-of-the-art One-Stop with requisite talent
  • Leverage Capstone projects as roadmaps for process improvement
  • Create a team of problem solvers and the next generation of leaders
  • Immediately applicable skills

Certificate Guidelines

Career Advisors will participate in 3 courses approximately 100 hours of instruction and coursework over 3 quarters and will earn 12 academic credits from UC San Diego Extended Studies. Courses have been created using Canvas, a learning management system software application that enables educational course content to be delivered over the internet (online).

Together, students and instructors will be creating a learning community where ideas and concepts are shared using various online learning approaches, including structured activities, varied readings, group discussions and lectures.

Knowledge of powerpoint recommended but not required.

Visit The Virtual Career Hub Today To Unlock Your Benefits!

It's your one-stop shop for professional development and completely free.
Explore Careers

Lorena Quiroz

Lorena Quiroz, a seasoned career services professional, turned to the Career Advising Specialized Certificate from UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies to deepen her expertise and better serve diverse student populations. “The program impacted my life, not only from the career aspect but also to find out what programs exist for workforce development,” she shared. Now working with veterans, first-gen students, and others at UC San Diego, Lorena applies what she learned daily, gaining new tools, perspectives, and confidence to guide students toward meaningful career paths.

Watch Video

FAQs

There are no prerequisites required to enroll in the certificate program. The program is open to all in the community, including current full-time UCSD students.
As little as six months and up to five years. Students may take one or more courses per quarter depending on their personal schedules. Most students opt for a more relaxed schedule and complete the program in one year.
Application is free of charge. There is a one-time certificate fee due upon acceptance. This payment ensures official registration in the program, the locking of certificate requirements, and official certificate shipment. A link to pay for the certificate fee will be provided in the acceptance letter.
Visit the certificate web page and click on the “Apply Now” button to send your application. Complete the required fields on the application and submit. Applications are received year around and are reviewed immediately.
Yes. Applications are received year around and are reviewed immediately.
Yes! This program is designed for you to take it online in the convenience of your own home or office. For online courses, all assignments, tests, and quizzes can be completed online and submitted through Canvas, our online learning platform.
You officially have five years from when you begin taking courses in the program to complete all requirements for the certificate.
Due to the highly specialized content of this program, skipping courses and credit transfers are not allowed for this certificate.
Yes, the program is open to non-California residents, including non-US residents. If you are an international student and you have questions about how enrolling in courses may affect your visa status, please contact our International Department at bpis@ucsd.edu or (858) 534-6784.
Yes. Our programs are designed to be working-student friendly and most of our students are working professionals. Courses are 2 units which amount to approximately 20 hours of class time plus homework in a span of 6 weeks.
UC San Diego is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). UC San Diego Extended Studies — like all other UC San Diego schools, colleges, and departments — is accredited by WASC through the University. All courses and certificate programs offered by UC San Diego Extended Studies have been developed and are administered in accordance with Extended Studies policy and the regulations of the Academic Senate of the University of California.
Please visit the financial resources page and contact: unex-finasst@ucsd.edu for information.
Classes post to our website and become open for enrollment approximately two months prior to the new quarter. Please visit the certificate web page for exact dates.
Courses open in Canvas on the course start date. Please visit the certificate web page to see course start dates and plan to enroll accordingly.

Enrollment in a course may be closed for one or more of the following reasons:

  • The course is at capacity. If the course is at capacity you will only be able to join the waitlist. If space becomes available in the course, students on the waitlist are contacted in the order they joined the waitlist.
  • The course has progressed to a point where students will no longer be able to make-up missed work and be successful in the course.
  • The course is cancelled due to low enrollments.

For all three of these reasons we recommend students enroll early in the courses they are interested in.

The refund deadline for courses in this program is typically one week after the start of the course. This allows you to enroll in a course and participate in the course for approximately one week to determine if the course is a good fit. The exact refund deadline for each section is listed on the course web page.

The courses in this program are post-baccalaureate, professional-level, credit bearing courses. Credit earned in these courses may lead to the award of a formal certificate by UC San Diego Extended Studies or may be applied toward an academic degree or professional credential, subject to the approval of the receiving institution.

If you wish to transfer credit, it is your responsibility to confer with the receiving institution before enrolling, as each individual academic institution decides whether to accept Extended Studies’ credits.

You may take a course for one of three options:

  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
  • Not for Credit
If you are taking a course towards a certificate you must complete your courses for credit (i.e. Pass/No Pass or Letter Grade) and receive a C-/Pass or higher grade. Grades below a C-, No Pass, and Not for Credit will not count towards certificate requirements.
UC San Diego Extended Studies is not a degree granting institution, however many UC San Diego Extended Studies courses can be transferred to other colleges or universities. The transferability of credit is determined solely by the receiving institution. You should discuss how your individual courses will transfer with the Office of the Registrar at the receiving institution prior to enrolling.
Yes, you may take any course in this program without registering for the certificate. You can also enroll in the certificate at a later date if you change your mind. Any course can be taken as a standalone as needed.
The certificate consists of 7 required courses. 6 courses are 6 weeks long and one course is 3 weeks long.
For online courses, students should plan to spend approximately 8-10 hours per week viewing lectures and completing coursework.
The online courses are asynchronous: they have a start and end date but all the lessons are uploaded on Canvas, so you can learn at your own pace. However, please be aware that you will have weekly assignments, quizzes, or tests that are due on specific dates.
The program courses are taught by seasoned professionals with advanced degrees and overseen by an advisory board of leaders in the field. You can view the advisor list under the “Advisors” section on the certificate page. You can find information about a course instructor, including a biography and credentials, on the course page.
Instructors will post the current text requirements and recommendations on the course page on our website. Please note the textbooks requirements are subject to change every quarter and different instructors may require different books, even if they are teaching the same course in the same quarter, so be sure to check the textbook requirements for the section in which you are enrolling. Most courses do not have a required textbook.
Once the course is completed, the instructor has 10 business days to submit your grades. Once grades have been posted, you can view and print them from your student account.
Please contact Student Services at (858) 534-3400 or submit an online form here, if you experience any issues logging in to any of our systems.

Advisory Board

Lorena Quiroz

Associate Director, Career Development and Industry Engagement
UCSD Career Center

Diane Edwards

Professor, Consultant
Southwestern Community College

Sarah Burns

Director of Learning
San Diego Workforce Partnership

Melissa Johnson

Vice President of People and Culture
San Diego Workforce Partnership

Marjorie White

Supervisor, Career Center Services East County
San Diego Workforce Partnership

Mike Gellman

CEO & Founder
High Five Career Coaching

Related Programs

Professional Certificate

Business Management

Build leadership, strategy, and business skills in AI, marketing, finance, and more with our Business Management Certificate.

Proficiency Certificate

Career Navigation for Youth & Young Adults

Professional Certificate

Human Resource Management

Develop key HR skills in talent management, employee relations, and HR best practices to advance your career in any industry.