OK Students are Certifiable, Mostly in Family and Consumer Sciences

• Joe Wertz
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  Joe Wertz was a reporter and managing editor for StateImpact Oklahoma from 2011-2019. He reported on energy and environment issues for national NPR audiences and other national outlets. He previously worked as a managing editor, assistant editor and staff reporter at several major Oklahoma newspapers and studied journalism at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Source: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

Education has a major impact on employment, but the benefits aren’t limited to college diplomas.

Certificate programs are short, specialized and affordable. And thanks to the recession, they’re more popular than ever.

Oklahoma tech schools and community colleges awarded 586 certificates last year, state data show. Almost three-quarters of those certificates were in family, consumer and health fields.

More than 90 percent of all state-issued certificates in 2010-2011 were concentrated in just five areas of study, Regents for Higher Education data show.

Also interesting: Tulsa Community College alone handed out about 45 percent of all certificates last year. The No. 2 slot goes to Oklahoma City Community College, which issued about 25 percent.

Connors State College, which has branches in Warner and Muskogee, granted only four certificates from 2010-2011 — all of them in family and consumer sciences, data show.

10 Most-Common Certificates Earned at State Colleges and Universities

Source: Regents for Higher Education