Leaders in Online and Professional Continuing Education

Get the essential skills and knowledge you need and earn a recognizable credential from the leading association for online and professional continuing education - UPCEA! Bringing you the leading experts with real-world experience in the field, these programs offer high-value, relevant content and actionable takeaways for practitioners at all levels. Engage with peers from across the field in a virtual classroom to strengthen understanding, breadth of knowledge, and skills. A badge will be awarded upon successful completion of each course. See below for courses and events that are now open for registration. 

Introducing the UPCEA Institutional Impact PD Bundle! UPCEA members get 10 course enrollments for $3,500—saving over $1,000. Flexible access from July 2025 to June 2026. Courses can be applied toward the PCO Pro Certificate. Learn more here.

UPCEA PCO Professional Certificate

Build your expertise and advance your career in Online and Professional Continuing Education with the UPCEA PCO Professional Certificate. Great price!

Learn More

UPCEA PCO Leader Certificate

Elevate your leadership in higher ed with this transformative program designed to empower you to manage people, data, and ideas with purpose and precision.

Learn More

UPCEA Course Catalog


Earn essential skills and a recognized credential through UPCEA’s expert-led programs, featuring actionable insights, peer engagement, and high-value content for all levels.

View Catalog

Upcoming Professional Development Courses

UPCEA's online professional development courses can be taken individually and in any order. Courses are primarily asynchronous and online, and include a weekly live virtual classroom meeting hosted in Zoom. Courses count towards the UPCEA Professional, Continuing, and Online Education Professional (PCO Pro) Certificate. Complete five UPCEA courses within two years and earn your UPCEA PCO Professional Certificate! Learn more.



Overview of Online and Professional Continuing Education

Faculty Member: Ryan Torma, Associate Dean of Professional Development and Lifelong Learning at the University of Minnesota

This course explores how universities structure and support their online and professional continuing education units, highlighting unique approaches to serving adult learners. It also examines internal structures, staffing, and professional development while showcasing UPCEA’s role in networking and education within the field.

Next Offering: 6/23/2025
LEARN MORE


Markets, Marketing, and Market Research in Professional Continuing and Online Education

Faculty Member: Joshua McCarthy, Johnson and Wales University

How are new and changing markets identified? How are programs - in both content and format - developed to meet the needs of learners? How can data analysis help shape ongoing understanding of markets? This course will explore the processes and operations that convert markets into enrollments.

Next Offering: 6/23/2025
LEARN MORE


Understanding the Adult Learner in Online and Professional Continuing Education

Faculty Member: Dr. Jennifer Kelly, Faculty Specialist at University of Hawaii at Manoa

Who makes up the online and professional continuing education ecosystem? What defines adult learners and their educational needs? How do student demographics shape program design and delivery? This course explores key student markets and how to serve them, along with the roles of employers, communities, and government in expanding educational access.

Next Offering: 8/4/2025
LEARN MORE



See Full Schedule