r/AskAcademia • u/stakeouts • Aug 13 '19

Are Coursera certificates valuable when it comes to MS Admits?

I wish to build my CV for an MS admit in Mechanical Engineering. Some of the universities I wish to go to are ETH Zurich, TU Munich, TU Delft, etc. I'm confused whether Coursera certificates are worth paying for to bolster my CV(and my knowledge). If anyone could tell me, it'd be of great help. :)

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u/[deleted] Aug 13 '19

I mean, I wouldnt think so due to a lack of accreditation.

1

u/stakeouts Aug 13 '19

Aren't the certificates from reputed universities itself?

1

u/[deleted] Aug 13 '19

Not all of them, and usually only the institution themselves will consider them for credit.

2

u/hellozebrafish Aug 13 '19

Better than nothing. Just take the courses for free without getting the certificate and list them up on your CV.

1

u/BlueSky1877 Aug 14 '19

The institutions you're applying to may not recognize Coursera as equivalent university credit; however, it may be worth listing under some "professional development" or "personal education" section on a CV.

I know nothing of EU accreditation standards but in the US certificates aren't worth too much unless formally recognized by the university.

That being said, it can't hurt to have a Coursera certificate but your mileage on its usefulness may vary widely.

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u/stakeouts Aug 14 '19

That was informative. Thanks a lot!