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UX Certificate

Real-World Design In Practice

Ready to shape your future in Experience Design?

Join us for a sample session of UX 974: Experience Design Career Visioning and Strategy, part of Bentley University’s comprehensive UX Certificate program. This session is designed to give you a preview of our full course, which supports both newcomers and experienced professionals in building a strategic path forward.

In this session, we'll discuss: 
  • Defining your career vision, mission, and strategy
  • Exploring common paths in UX/XD, from researcher to design leader
  • Insights into industry roles, required skills, and hiring trends
  • Learning how to build your professional brand, optimize your LinkedIn profile, and create an impactful portfolio
Discover how Bentley’s UX Certificate program can help you transition into or advance within the field of experience design.
Join us on December 13 at 12 PM

Bentley University’s UX Certificate program offers a flexible curriculum designed for working professionals. The program emphasizes real-world application, covering key areas like human factors, usability engineering, and experience design. 

Participants complete eight courses—five core and three electives from research and design tracks. Classes can be taken individually or as part of the certificate, with a mix of in-person and online formats.

The program provides a global network of UX professionals and prepares participants to build a strong UX portfolio.

2024-25 Schedule

The five required courses to complete the UX Certificate, (UX974 Experience Design Career Visioning & Strategy, UX900 Human Factors and Experience Design, UX930 The Business of Experience Design, UX980 The Experience Design Process, and UX978 Inclusive, Ethical, and World-Ready Experiences) fill up quickly, so please register ahead of time.

Please note that registrations close at 4:30p (EST) on Monday prior to any course start date.

Course Registration Page

Fall 2024

UX 988

Experience Research and Data Strategy

November 21-22, 2024

Instructor: Gary David

UX 988 Course Description

Register for UX 988

UX 929

Qualitative Research Methods

December 5-6, 2024

Instructor: Demetrios Karis

UX 929 Course Description

Register for UX 929

UX 978

Inclusive, Ethical, and World-Ready Experiences

December 19-20, 2024

Instructor: Tuyen Bui-Lally

UX 978 Course Description

Register for UX 978

Spring 2025

UX 974

Experience Design Career Visioning and Strategy

January 20 & 22/January 27 & 29, 2025

Instructor: Janelle Estes

REMOTE ONLY

UX 974 Course Description

UX 930

The Business of Experience Design

January 30-31, 2025

Instructor: James McElroy

UX 930 Course Description

UX 922

Usability Research

March 13-14, 2025

Instructor: Dan Berlin

UX 922 Course Description

UX 980

The Experience Design Process

April 10-11, 2025

Instructor: Lisa deBettencourt

UX 980 Course Description

UX 900

Human Factors and Experience Design

April 24-25, 2025

Instructor: Bill Gribbons

UX 900 Course Description

UX 915

Prototyping the User Experience

May 15-16, 2025

Instructor: Minmin Yang

UX 915 Course Description

UX 978

Inclusive, Ethical, and World-Ready Experiences

May 22-23, 2025

Instructor: Tuyen Bui-Lally

UX 978 Course Description

As a marketing professional, I found Bentley's UX certificate to be extremely helpful for transitioning into a UX role. The flexible curriculum covers key areas like research, design, and user testing. I now feel fully equipped with competitive UX skills thanks to the courses and expert instructors. I highly recommend this program for anyone looking to advance their UX career!
Jason Santos
Charles River Laboratories

Leaders in the field of UX

Bentley University's User Experience Certificate program is the oldest and one of the most respected programs of its kind in the country. The program is designed for working professionals, with maximum flexibility to fit your busy schedule. Certificate program participants join a global network of UX professionals.

Building a solid foundation in behavioral design, user experience research and design, and project management, this certificate helps participants improve the performance of their product designs while enhancing their competitive positioning. Each class contributes to one or more pieces in your UX portfolio.

ux design class
Instructor at a whiteboard.

Program Structure

Courses may be taken individually or applied towards a certificate awarded after completion of eight courses, five of which are required (Experience Design Career Visioning & Strategy, Human Factors and Experience Design, The Business of Experience Design, The Experience Design Process, and Inclusive, Ethical, and World-Ready Experiences.)

The elective courses are grouped into two tracks: Research and Design. You can choose to take your three electives within a single track or mix and match courses from both tracks.

Courses can be taken in any order, and at your own pace. All students must receive a "C" or above for all course assignments.

With the exception of UX974 (Experience Design Career Visioning & Strategy), each course is a 2-day intensive on Thursday and Friday from 9am-5 pm held in-person and online, in a synchronized format. Students are given an individual assignment at the end of each course and will have approximately two weeks to complete it.

In-Person and Online

All courses are offered in-person or can be accessed remotely, in a synchronized format. Remote students will participate in real-time and have access to the class materials beforehand. To receive credit, all students must be present during the full two days of class. If you choose to attend in-person, courses are held on Bentley University's campus in Waltham, MA in the Smith building, room 223. 

ux team work
Tom Roux.
Now that I've finished my ninth class, I must say I've really enjoyed my experience with the UX Certificate program. It's lived up to everything advertised and then some. I've learned a lot, met a lot of great, curious, motivated people, and feel the Bentley reputation and network will serve me well in the coming weeks and months as I finish my last two projects, post my online portfolio, and leap into my job search.
Tom Roux
UX Writer, CVS Health

Full Course Listing for UX Certificate Program

Click here to view a list of all UX Certificate program courses, along with course descriptions and outcomes.

To complete the UX Certificate Program, you must complete eight courses. This includes five required courses and three electives of your choice.

The five required courses to be eligible for the certificate are Experience Design Career Visioning & Strategy, Human Factors and Experience Design, The Business of Experience Design, The Experience Design Process, and Inclusive, Ethical, and World-Ready Experiences.

The elective courses are grouped into two tracks: Research and Design. You can choose to take your three electives within a single track or mix and match courses from both tracks.

Registration Details

Cost

The course fee is $1,500 per course. Each class has a limited enrollment. Payment is due upon registration.

Organizational & Alumni Discount

Save 10% on registration when three or more participants from the same organization enroll in the same course. 

Bentley University Alumni, Bentley UX Certificate Program graduates, and MS HFID active students receive a 10% discount on all of our UX Certificate courses. 

Contact Gail Wessell at gwessell@bentley.edu to receive either of these discounts.

Cancellation Policy

Our cancellation policy requires that notice of cancellation must be submitted in writing to Gail Wessell at gwessell@bentley.edu. No refunds are given for cancellations made less than 14 days prior to the program's start. Bentley reserves the right to cancel any course in the event of low enrollment. Bentley is not responsible for travel costs in the event of a cancellation.

LJ Kugler Headshot
The Bentley UX Certificate program is exceptional. For people like me trying to help my firm build out UX capabilities, the Bentley program fit perfectly into my work schedule. The instructors were knowledgeable and highly engaged. The out of classroom assignments were challenging and really helped me to apply what I learned in class. I got so much out of it and I am actively using what I learned at Bentley to help my firm achieve its UX goals. Thank you Bentley!
LJ Kugler
MFS Investment Management

Frequently Asked Questions

about Bentley's UX Certificate Program

Gail Wessell
UX Program Coordinator
781.891.3167

Schedule Consultation

Contact Gail today to schedule a time during which you will discuss your background, career goals, and alignment with Bentley's top-ranked UX certificate program.

Contact Bentley UX Education Services