Coursera

Introduction
Coursera is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) site where the majority of the courses/certificates that are available are only usable for resume padding and/or to assist with receiving PLA credit. Most of the courses will not directly lead to credit that can be used toward getting your degree. However, some organizations have independently sought ACE credit recommendations for certain certificates. These certificates also happen to be available through Coursera.

Although not fully confirmed, based on past experiences, Pierpont should give the full recommended amount of credit for all of the certificates listed below. They are known to give full credits for the Google IT Support Professional certificate.

Access Options
American residents may obtain a handful of free certificates (notably Grow with Google Certificates and the IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Certificate) through The American Dream Academy. Not all certificates are available and other requirements may need to be met. (Available certificates are marked below with TADA.) Students may complete as many available certificates as they are able to within 6 months of signing up for The American Dream Academy.

California Residents can gain access to nearly the full catalogue of ACE recommended certificates through California Public Libraries until September 2023 here.

New York Residents can gain access to nearly the full catalogue of ACE recommended certificates through the New York Department of Labor here.

Some universities and businesses offer Coursera for Business, which provides many of these specializations for free.

Students can apply for financial aid on a course-by-course basis by writing a 150+ word explanation for requiring financial aid and a 150+ word explanation for how completing the course would help them. By applying for financial aid for each course within a specialization/certificate, it is possible to complete a specialization without paying. Up to 10 financial aid applications are permitted concurrently and each aid application takes 2 weeks on average to be approved.

Advancing Women in Tech
The Advancing Women in Product organization (also known as Advancing Women in Tech or AWIP/AWIT) has the goal of increasing the number of women in technology fields. The Coursera specializations do not seem to be restricted only to women, however. They are included in Coursera Plus, otherwise the cost is $79/mo.

DeepLearning.AI
Not included in Coursera Plus. May be included in some institutional subscriptions, otherwise must pay $49/mo. after the free 7-day trial. Students who are interested in machine learning may be interested in the DeepLearning.AI specializations, though only one is currently available for ACE credit.

Google Professional Certificates
The Google Professional Certificates are included in Coursera Plus, which is normally $399/year. There may be sales that drop the cost of Coursera Plus to $299/year. Individually, the certificates are $39/mo. (as of March 2022). While it is cheaper to complete the certificates one at a time (provided you only take 1-2 months per certificate), it may be worth it to get Coursera Plus if any of the [https://www.coursera.support/s/article/360036151932-Courses-content-available-on-Coursera-Plus? included non-credit courses/certificates] catch your eye.

If you are a resident of India, or have a VPN set to an Indian location, it is possible to acquire any of the Google Professional Certificates at a significantly discounted rate. You would forfeit the free trial period. The rates (not including taxes) are 1086 INR (~$14 USD) for 1 month, 2173 INR (~$28 USD) for 3 months and 3259 INR (~$42 USD) for 6 months. Simply add the certificate to your cart while connected to an Indian VPN location, and disconnect at the checkout page to avoid triggering fraud warnings with your credit card. The same can be done for other global south countries (e.g. the Philippines, South Africa) for $14 USD.

Purdue University Global has their own mapping for these certificates.

Southern New Hampshire University also has clear mapping for these certificates.

IBM
Unlike the Google certificates, the IBM certificates are not included with Coursera Plus. The IBM certificates are $39 or $49/mo (as of March 2022), depending on the certificate.

Although IBM has several certificates available on Coursera, as of March 2022 only 3 of them have been evaluated for credit. It is possible that more will follow in the future, so students may wish to check IBM's active courses in the ACE National Guide before committing to any particular certificates.

Meta (formerly Facebook)
As of March 2022, Meta has exactly one ACE-recommended certificate on Coursera. This certificate costs $49/mo. or it is part of Coursera Plus.

After finishing the Coursera certificate, students may complete the Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate exam for 1 additional credit in marketing. This exam costs up to $99 (depending on student location).

SAS
SAS is a company that offers data analytics solutions. The SAS certificates are targeted at data analysts or people who want to be data analysts, but anyone may take them. They are included in Coursera Plus or students pay $49/mo for these courses.