Group of professionals smiling to promote how University of Phoenix can help upskill employees.

What are Professional Development Skills Pathways?

University of Phoenix Professional Development Skills Pathways are skills-focused, self-paced and 100% online.

Learn from a leader

For more than 40 years, University of Phoenix has been a leader in education for those interested in an alternative to traditional academic institutions. Professional development continues that spirit by offering you a different path to discovering new skills, preparing for new opportunities and evolving your career. What are Professional Development Skills Pathways? A way to learn differently.

Why choose Professional Development?

Professional development is designed to help you build the skill set, career and future you want – today! These are not college-credit classes or degree programs. These are self-led, non-college-credit Skills Pathways designed to help you learn job-ready skills employers want in about 30 hours. We’ve identified the skill needs of the modern job market (according to Lightcast). Our team created Skills Pathways based on some of today’s most in-demand skills to help you stand out.

Who are our Skills Pathways for?

New, job-ready skills can help you enhance your current career.
Discover skills that can help you improve your business.
Help reskill/upskill your workforce and retain employees.
Learning new skills can be the first step to a new career.

Are you a University of Phoenix alum?

You can save 50% on all Professional Development courses.

Get discount

Non-degree skills and the modern workplace

Who is learning new skills from similar noncredit, non-degree programs? Are these programs worth it? Here are the numbers according to those responding to a 2020 Strada Center for Education Consumer Insights survey (this information is not specific to University of Phoenix):

of working-age adults have completed a non-degree credential
of those who complete non-degree programs said their education was worth the cost
of those who have both a degree and a non-degree credential said their education made them an attractive job candidate
of working-age adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher have also completed non-degree programs
of those who complete a certificate program that took between a week and a month said it was worth the cost

woman in front of laptop writing on paper

Skills-focused

No fluff.
More than theory.
Learn skills you'll use.

These courses go beyond knowledge — they’re hands-on. Which means, as you progress through a course, you’ll pick up relevant skills you can instantly test-drive in the real world, without having to wait.

Real-world

Noncredit,
non-degree.
All skills, all value.

While you won’t get college credits for these courses, you will learn key concepts and in-demand skills from the field. You’ll practice those skills throughout the coursework, so you can hit the ground running and make an immediate impact in the workplace.

woman taking a coffee break from course studies

Self-paced

Self-led,
self-directed.
Only on your terms.

Imagine having the freedom to stop and start a course when and where you want to. Now you can. With no set schedule and a learning platform that’s designed with your busy lifestyle in mind, you can pick up where you left off and finish coursework when time permits.