Date of Award
12-2025
Culminating Project Type
Dissertation
Styleguide
apa
Degree Name
Higher Education Administration: Ed.D.
Department
Educational Administration and Higher Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Jennifer Jones
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
Microcredentials, Hiring Practices, Workforce Development, Skills-based Hiring, Minnesota Executive Order, Alternative Credentials.
Abstract
As the workforce continues to evolve, alternative credentials such as microcredentials have emerged as important tools for skills validation, career advancement, and lifelong learning. This study examined how human resource (HR) professionals in Minnesota perceive microcredentials in the context of hiring and workforce development, particularly following the state’s 2023 executive order eliminating four-year degree requirements for most state jobs. The research explored HR professionals’ awareness of microcredentials, perceptions of their quality and credibility, and the extent to which these credentials are considered valuable compared to traditional degrees.
Data were collected from HR professionals across Minnesota to explore familiarity, trust in credential providers, and the influence of state policy shifts on hiring practices. Results indicate that while traditional degrees remain dominant signals of readiness, increased familiarity with microcredentials is associated with greater acceptance and perceived value in hiring decisions. The findings highlight both opportunities and challenges for higher education institutions: the need to build clearer signals of quality, strengthen employer education, and design pathways that connect microcredentials to academic credit.
Keywords: Microcredentials, Hiring Practices, Workforce Development, Skills-based Hiring, Minnesota Executive Order, Alternative Credentials.
Recommended Citation
Bohlke, Tammy, "Disrupting the Degree Norm: HR Perspectives on Microcredentials in Hiring and Workforce Development" (2025). Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration. 105.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/hied_etds/105
