Differences between UX Classes and UX Certificate programs
- Published on March 6, 2015

American Graphics Institute offers both individual UX courses as well as a UX certificate program. Both of them are ways to learn about user experience design, yet they are different programs, and serve the unique needs of individuals at different stages of their careers. To address questions about these programs, this describes the differences between UX classes and UX certificate programs offered at AGI.
UX Classes
Individual UX classes are regularly scheduled public courses designed for professionals that want to gain essential UX skills. These are short-term, high-impact UX training programs, and help get someone up to speed on user experience skills needed for their role, or to brush-up on best-practices for leading design and development projects that include UX components. The Introduction to UX Design Principles course is the foundation of all the UX courses offered at American Graphics Institute. As a licensed school, American Graphics Institute provides a certificate of completion for participation in this course.
UX Certificate Program
The UX Certificate program at American Graphics Institute is for a design or development professional looking to obtain a wide range of the skills needed for a career in a user experience design role. This is a state licensed certificate program with 11 UX classes and 84 class hours required to receive the certificate. Although there are some UX courses that are only available as a part of the certificate program, the UX certificate curriculum starts with the Introduction to UX Design Principles course. This specific course can be taken on its own, or as a part of certificate program. If the course is taken independently, the course can later be counted towards the certificate program.
Who attends UX training
The individual user experience courses are popular with a wide range of professionals, ranging from existing UX managers, UX designers, UI designers, along with developers, product managers, and business analysts. While some graphic designers who are looking to make a switch to a UX design role participate in the individual courses, most individuals who are looking to make a transition to a UX career opt for the complete UX certificate program. The UX certificate provides a more comprehensive set of training for individuals seeking to start work in a UX design role. Similarly, existing UX and UI designers who have not had formal training both benefit from the more comprehensive UX certificate program course of study.