Professional Education
Set yourself apart in the workforce.
Whether you’re looking to make a career move, reach that promotion, or just expand your knowledge, our professional education portfolio is designed to help you reach your goals while still maintaining your career. Earn a certificate to make your resume stand out from the crowd.
Flexible enrollment and learning options
- Start online learning anytime
- Choose individual courses with 60-day access, or for some programs, an All-Access Plan
- View lectures and complete assignments online or in person (for a few programs)
- Work at your own pace to complete courses and earn a certificate—most people finish in 1-2 years
Stanford instructors brought to you
- Learn from faculty who are passionate about sharing the results of their pioneering research and real-world insights
- Develop your skills with teaching teams committed to using the latest innovations in teaching and learning
- Take courses and programs from the schools of engineering, medicine, law, business, and humanities and sciences
Cutting-edge content
- Engage in practical, hands-on learning designed to satisfy your curiosity, challenge your assumptions, and expand your thinking
- Study content that mirrors the latest material being taught live at Stanford
- Earn certificates, continuing education, or medical education units and demonstrate your knowledge of the most current concepts
Tuition
There are three tuition options for professional education courses. Note that most programs will charge a one-time $75 document fee in addition to tuition.
1. Enroll in Individual Courses
Tuition varies by course, as indicated on course pages, but typically costs between $495-$995. This includes 60-day access to course content and materials.
2. Choose an All-Access Plan
Some programs offer an all-access plan, giving you 365 days of access to all online courses in the program, including access to a teaching team assistant, course materials, video lectures, assignments, and exams. You can take courses in any order and move freely in and out of each course. Complete all requirements and you can earn a certificate.
3. Contact Us for Group Discounts
We offer reduced pricing to groups of five or more colleagues. Contact us for more information.
We also offer programs for larger groups or those looking for custom programs. Learn more at scpd.stanford.edu.
Company Reimbursement
Many of our learners receive reimbursement for course and program fees through their employer. Contact us for more information.
Admissions
Professional Education Policies
Honor Code
As an enrolled student in a Stanford University course, you are required to adhere to the following Stanford guidelines:
Grading
Professional education courses do not grant letter grades. Successful completion of the course will be shown with an “S”, for Satisfactory, on your Record of Completion. In many cases, you can also earn professional development units (PDU), continuing education units (CEU), or continuing medical education credits (CME).
Record of Completion
The Record of Completion is considered an official document that has been signed digitally and certified by Stanford. When you complete the sequence of required courses for a program, you will receive a final certificate.
Pause and Drop
Refunds For On-Campus Courses
Reimbursements for dropping a course delivered at Stanford will be made according to the following schedule based on the number of calendar days prior the start date of the course:
- 30 days—Full refund (minus a $100 drop fee)
- 15-29 days—50% refund
- 1-14 days—No refund
The Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD) reserves the right to decline refund requests.
Refunds For Cohort-Based, Online Courses
If you request to drop the course by Friday at 5:00 p.m. PST on the third week of the cohort, you will be reimbursed for 100% of your tuition (minus a drop fee of $100). Otherwise, we will not refund any portion of your tuition. SCPD reserves the right to decline refund requests.
Refunds For Self-Paced, Online Courses
If your request to drop the course is sent within the first 24 hours from your time of enrollment, you will be reimbursed for 50% of your tuition (minus a $100 drop fee). Otherwise, we will not refund any portion of your tuition. SCPD reserves the right to decline refund requests.
Program Cancellation
On rare occasions, it is necessary for us to cancel on-campus programs. In the case of a cancellation, Stanford’s responsibility is limited to a refund of any program tuition that you have already paid, not including airline or other tickets or payments, or any similar fee penalties that you may incur as a result of any trip cancellations or changes.
Most professional education programs are open to everyone, with year-round open enrollment. A few select programs require a short application that is reviewed by an academic department to ensure that you have the appropriate background for success.
Professional Education Technical Requirements
Once you enroll in a professional education course and have a mystanfordconnectionaccount, you can:
- Watch lectures on demand on your desktop, mobile device, or tablet
- Speed through content at your own pace with variable speed playback
- Download, print, and view PDF files of course materials
To ensure that course videos play without interruption, please check that your device meets the following system requirements:
PC
Operating System: Windows 7+
Supported Browsers: most recent versions of Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari
Internet Connection: requires a reliable high-speed connection
MacOperating System: Mac OS X version 10.7+
Supported Browsers: most recent versions of Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari
Internet Connection: requires a reliable high-speed connection
Mobile DevicesSupported Browsers: most recent versions of Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari
Internet Connection: requires a reliable data signal or high-speed Wi-Fi connection
LinuxSupported Browsers: HTML5 supported web browser
Internet Connection: requires a reliable high-speed connection
