Build the skills you need to advance along any career path. You can earn a free certificate of completion for any of these online Professional Development courses.

In our Professional Development courses, you will learn to:

  • manage your time wisely and develop healthy work habits;
  • develop "soft skills" like interviewing, office etiquette, communication, and customer service; and
  • anticipate, prevent, and solve problems in the workplace.

PRDV002: Professional Writing

  • Time: 12 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn how to perfect your professional writing skills to promote clear, organized, and engaging messages for print, social media, and digital environments.

PRDV003: Word Processing

  • Time: 4 hours
  • Free Certificate
Get an introduction to word processing using Microsoft Word and Google Docs in this course for people with little or no word processing experience. Explore word processing skills by creating common business documents.

PRDV004: Spreadsheets

  • Time: 4 hours
  • Free Certificate
Get a comprehensive introduction to spreadsheets in this course that covers everything  first-time users need to know.

PRDV005: Time and Stress Management

  • Time: 12 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn how to use several time management tools and techniques that can be applied to most work and life situations.

PRDV006: Spreadsheets II: Formatting and Functions

  • Time: 11 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn how to format spreadsheets to make them easy to read, apply conditional formatting to draw attention to critical data, use formulas and functions, build multi-page spreadsheets, and add 3-dimensional formulas and functions across multiple worksheets and workbooks.

PRDV007: Spreadsheets III: Presenting Data

  • Time: 10 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn how to create spreadsheets in collaboration with others to present data using charts, plots, graphics, and tables. Also, explore tools for formatting charts and adding graphics to better present and organize information.

PRDV008: Preparing and Delivering Presentations

  • Time: 23 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore the elements that contribute to preparing for and successfully delivering presentations, such as audience analysis, methods for crafting your message, planning for careful and effective oral presentation, and creating supportive material and presentation aids.

PRDV009: Writing Grant Proposals

  • Time: 13 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore how to write a coherent, persuasive grant proposal to obtain funding for a project or initiative by focusing on topics like the basics of nonprofit organizations, how to interpret RFPs, the elements of a grant proposal, and how to find funding sources and build relationships with funders.

PRDV010: Evaluating Sources and References

  • Time: 6 hours
  • Free Certificate
Develop a criteria framework for evaluating, analyzing, and rating sources and references for currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose.

PRDV102: Resume Writing

  • Time: 8 hours
  • Free Certificate
Develop the application materials you need for today's job market by honing your resume writing skills, learning how to create an impressive resume or improve the one you already have, and getting suggestions for writing an effective cover letter.

PRDV103: Interviewing Skills

  • Time: 4 hours
  • Free Certificate
Prepare to ace professional job interviews by learning about interview preparation, interview methods, and how to effectively showcase your qualifications and leave a lasting impression on employers.

PRDV104: Professional Etiquette

  • Time: 6 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn about typical workplace etiquette protocols, communication standards, and cultural awareness strategies in order to navigate common workplace obstacles as smoothly as possible.

PRDV107: Crisis Communication

  • Time: 20 hours
  • Free Certificate
Apply crisis communication principles to protect and defend a company or organization facing a crisis or a challenge that threatens to harm its brand or reputation.

PRDV151: Bitcoin for Everybody

  • Time: 12 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore the fundamental concepts behind Bitcoin and how everyone can use this open-source, strictly limited digital money that operates on a peer-to-peer network.

PRDV200: Communicating with Data

  • Time: 9 hours
  • Free Certificate
Get a competitive edge in the marketplace by understanding data visualization, performing quantitative and qualitative data analysis, crafting data visualizations, and presenting results.

PRDV211: Foundations of Human Communication

  • Time: 19 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn basic communication theories and practice the necessary skills for becoming a critical consumer and producer of messages by focusing on the concepts of messages, audience, medium, and cultural context.

PRDV212: Interpersonal Communication

  • Time: 14 hours
  • Free Certificate
Investigate interpersonal communication in formal and informal settings by building and managing personal and professional relationships through effective communication.

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PRDV213: Group Communication

  • Time: 6 hours
  • Free Certificate
Discover the competencies, stages, settings, roles, and ethical considerations in small-group communication for practical application.

PRDV214: Organizational Communication

  • Time: 13 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore the tools and strategies needed to foster a positive and productive communication culture in the workplace.

PRDV215: Mass Communication

  • Time: 8 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore mass communication and earn practical skills for effective communication across various media platforms.

PRDV217: Introduction to Sales

  • Time: 22 hours
  • Free Certificate
Examine the importance of creating honest and ethical sales relationships, communicating with customers, making a sales presentation, and using your leadership skills to motivate your sales team.

PRDV221: Introduction to Management

  • Time: 13 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore management by investigating what management is and the role managers play in fulfilling an organization's objectives.

PRDV222: Management: Historical Development and Globalization

  • Time: 12 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore historical theories of management, the effect of globalization on management, and how firms conduct international business.

PRDV223: Organizational Culture, Diversity, and Ethics

  • Time: 20 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore aspects that are important to the climate of a company – organizational culture, diversity, and business ethics – and why they are important.

PRDV224: Leadership and Teams

  • Time: 7 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore topics including the leadership and management skills necessary in the different stages of group development, how to create an effective team, and how to harness a team's strengths.

PRDV225: Managing Employees

  • Time: 5 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore the important aspects of employee job satisfaction and well-being, including conflict management and resolution.

PRDV226: Introduction to Human Resource Management

  • Time: 18 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore the broad field of Human Resource Management and learn about the importance of strategic employee recruitment, selection, and retention.

PRDV227: Introduction to Business Planning and Strategy

  • Time: 5 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore the planning functions of managers, including management strategy frameworks, components of business strategy, and setting and achieving goals and objectives.

PRDV228: Decision-Making

  • Time: 4 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn about the decision-making process, including basic decision types, tools, methods, and the insights that help you realize how decision-making involves both logic and emotion.

PRDV229: Organization Structure, Change, and the Future of Management

  • Time: 4 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore organizational structures and how traditional management practices are making way for more modern approaches.

PRDV230: Create a Workplace Conflict Resolution Policy

  • Time: 13 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn how to identify appropriate workplace strategies for discouraging dysfunctional conflict (often based on misunderstanding, personalities that clash, negative stereotypes, and bias), and promote respectful functional conflict to foster creative thinking, problem-solving techniques, and innovation. Explore different methods of conflict resolution, including negotiation, mediation, arbitration, litigation, and other remedies.

PRDV231: Elements of Ethical Leadership

  • Time: 8 hours
  • Free Certificate
Study how our culture views and values the ideas, qualities, and ideals of ethical leadership. Consider the essential qualities of good leadership: honesty, moral courage and moral vision, compassion, fairness, intellectual excellence and willingness to listen to others, creative thinking, aesthetic sensitivity, good timing, and selflessness.

PRDV304: Introduction to Supply Chain Management

  • Time: 3 hours
  • Free Certificate
Explore how raw materials are selected, obtained, and then distributed to the customer as a finished product – the supply chain. Learn how every step in the process can be affected by changes in distribution, resource availability, and other external factors.

PRDV401: Introduction to JavaScript I

  • Time: 17 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn fundamental programming concepts using JavaScript to produce code for browser-based interactive experiences using conditions and events.

PRDV402: Introduction to JavaScript II

  • Time: 12 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn JavaScript programming with objects, data structures, and functions to create interactive JavaScript with event handlers and forms.

PRDV410: Introduction to Java and Object-Oriented Programming

  • Time: 6 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn the basics of object-oriented (OO) programming, a paradigm that uses objects that contain data in the form of instance variables and methods that control the behavior of the objects. This course is suitable for anyone and uses Java to demonstrate key OO concepts.

PRDV420: Introduction to R Programming

  • Time: 13 hours
  • Free Certificate
Learn the basics of data manipulation and visualization in R – the world’s most popular language for statistical computing – even if you do not have prior programming experience.