Continuing and Professional Education

A woman typing on a laptop.

Our courses

Take the next step

When traditional just won't do.

VCU Continuing and Professional Education recognizes that millions of adult learners across the country are looking for something other than a traditional four-year degree. So we offer something different — courses designed to suit your personal and professional goals, as well as your schedule.

With a world-class faculty, strong national brand and enduring community relationships, VCU offers an optimal environment for working professionals to pursue their continuing education and career aspirations. Our course portfolio is robust and continually growing. Want to suggest or teach a course? Submit your ideas.

Types of courses

Our office offers noncredit and credit courses. Some courses also offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs), which are a way of officially recognizing the time you put into your professional education when credits aren’t available.  

Signature opportunities

Some of our specialty areas include:

Certificate in Paralegal Studies

The VCU paralegal certificate program is a six-month noncredit certificate program designed to advance legal industry skills and career options. We focus on practical knowledge in the law profession to prepare you to be competitive in a legal career search. You will earn a digital badge for the successful completion of this program.

Continuing Education Units

The CEU is a nationally recognized unit of measurement used to recognize participation in noncredit continuing education programs. CEUs are not equivalent to undergraduate or graduate credit and are only recorded to one decimal point (i.e., 14 contact hours is equivalent to 1.4 CEUs). Visit our CEU website for more information.

Craft Beer Program

This noncredit program, for participants who are 21 and over, includes an introductory course, Craft Beer Essentials, as well as The History of Virginia Craft Beer and The Evolution of Beer Styles. Courses are offered several times annually. Our in-person Craft Beer Essentials course will return to local breweries during Virginia Craft Beer Month, in August 2022.

A summer Craft Beer Package Deal, which includes all three courses, is available for unique gift-giving!

Cultural competency and language classes

These classes, offered throughout the year, introduce adult learners to different cultures and assist them in becoming interculturally competent and exposed to world languages. Language classes are conversation-based with an emphasis on oral fluency and listening. Current offerings include Introduction to Conversational Spanish I and II, and Language and Culture: Francophone World. Faculty and staff may be eligible to use a tuition benefit for 1-credit courses.

Noncredit courses are open to all learners, and have included French Culture and Cuisine and Spanish Language and Culture Through Media.

VCU's English Language Program offers a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate Program for individuals interested in teaching English to multilingual students, locally, internationally or online. Courses are noncredit bearing, accommodate all levels and do not require prior teaching experience. You can learn more and apply for this program at https://global.vcu.edu/outreach/specialprograms/tefl/.

Digital badging

View our digital badging page for information on continuing education opportunities that lead to web-enabled, verifiable digital badges in areas such as Alumni Relations, Business, Clinical Research, Education, Engineering, Health Professions, Health Sciences, Inclusive Excellence, Innovation, Pre-Law, REAL Research and Creative Inquiry, Social Work, and VCU Professional Development (Provided by VCU Online).

Early Childhood Guidance for Families and Caregivers

Courses are designed to empower parents and caregivers of children ages 3 to 6 to become learning partners with a child and their school-based educators. Participants will learn engaging ways to help children learn school readiness skills. Choose from courses in Preschool & PreK Readiness, Kindergarten Readiness, and First Grade Readiness.

Critical Thinking and Logic Skills courses for parents and caregivers of children age 3 through the 1st grade, and from grades 2-5 are open for registration, and will begin in the fall of 2022.

Engineering professional development

In partnership with the VCU College of Engineering, noncredit and credit-based professional development opportunities are offered to adult learners including but not limited to entry-level scientists, engineers, technicians, supervisory personnel, and business managers of all types. Courses, such as Automation and Controls Training, may be appropriate as on-boarding for new employees. Networking and educational sessions have also been available for alumni and industry professionals through the VCU College of Engineering Alumni Board. Participants may be eligible to receive professional development hours for licensure, and digital badges are available for select engineering activities.

Additional training courses are offered to VCU students to obtain the proper certification and training to use the College of Engineering's makerspaces.

Event planning courses

As a university partner with Lovegevity's Wedding Planning Institute (LWPI), VCU Continuing and Professional Education offers these noncredit hospitality courses:

Health, fitness, and wellness classes

Join a Certified Personal Trainer, and member of the Virginia Army National Guard, on a journey to get and stay healthy. Classes explore a variety of topics surrounding health including exercise, goal setting, training programs, diets, and nutrition. Enroll in one course, or bundle two or three, and save! 

Choose from the following online courses:

Infant Mental Health and Attachment

A course in Infant Mental Health and Attachment: Promoting Relationships in the Lives of Families and Young Children is available for early childhood and other professionals working with children birth to age six in any discipline. A minimum of a bachelor’s degree is required.

Online learning

In addition to online options for hospitality programs and test prep courses, VCU Continuing and Professional Education offers noncredit online courses and noncredit certificates in partnership with The Learning Resources Network (LERN). Self-paced online learning is available in areas such as Business, Business Communication, Data Science, Management, New Media Marketing, and Technology Skills, including:

Noncredit courses in partnership with the Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture have allowed students to study specialized topics in mass communications including Digital Crisis Communications for Global Pandemics.

Online courses, leading to the Capital CoLAB Digital Tech Credential, are open to VCU and VCU Health employees, working professionals (including VCU alumni), and those in the job market. Required courses to earn the generalist digital badge include Computers and Programming, Data Science Skills, and Cybersecurity Skills. A Software Engineering and Web Development course is also available.

Online teaching

The VCU Online: Excellence in Online Instruction Certificate is an ideal professional development opportunity for anyone teaching online, or planning to teach online. The certificate includes courses in Best Practices in Online Instruction, Designing Online Instruction, Evaluating for Online Excellence, Mentoring for Online Excellence, and Leadership for Online Programs. Digital badges are provided for the successful completion of each course; courses are also offered in a stand-alone format.

Personal enrichment

Our opportunities for personal growth vary widely, and have included introductory Aikido; Building a Social Media Presence: Professionally and Creatively; Craft Beer courses; Create Your Own Vintage Glass Garden Bloom workshops; Cultural Competency and Language Classes; Driving Business through Storytelling; Mindfulness Workshops; PADI Open Water Scuba; a primer on Richmond’s acclaimed French Film Festival; a World Drumming Workshop; and more.

We also offer seasonally, a FREE Community Series on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, and have offered a FREE Lunch and Learn Series with sessions around Languages and Cultural Competency.

Play Therapy Training Program

VCU Continuing and Professional Education is an approved continuing education provider (APT Approved Provider 15-397) by the Association for Play Therapy, Inc.

Explore and learn how to apply the therapeutic power of play to communicate with, and treat clients. We offer a series of APT-Approved noncredit workshops designed for licensed, mental health professionals and school-based counselors, which are part of the requirements for application to become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or School-Based Registered Play Therapist (SB-RPT). Digital badging is available for eligible workshops.

Supply Chain Operations

Logistics and warehousing are integral pieces of the supply chain. Gain essential knowledge in this industry by taking one, or both Supply Chain Operations courses, including Logistics in Action and Warehousing in Action. Bundle pricing and discounts are available.

VCU Test Prep

Our test preparation classes for the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, SAT and ACT were designed by a team of former standardized exam question writers and test preparation experts.

VCU Test Prep includes:

FREE Live-Online Intro Sessions and Strategy Workshops are available.

MCAT, PCAT and DAT test prep courses are also offered, through our education partner, Kaplan Test Prep. Courses include:

Join one of Kaplan's free live online events for the MCAT, or watch a recording from previous events.

Looking for test prep for the TOEFL, IELTS, or other English language proficiency tests? The VCU English Language Program (ELP) in the VCU Global Education Office offers Test Preparation courses online and on campus to help students improve their language skills before taking a test. A Pronouncing American English course is also available to help students improve their pronunciation skills and develop fluency, clarity, and understanding of spoken English.

Want to find out more? Get in touch.