Certificate vs. Certification: The Difference

The words sound alike, and course pages often use them as if they meant the same thing. They don’t. Even the U.S. Department of Labor says so: “The terms “certificates” and “certifications” are often confused.”

Here is the difference, and how to check what a program really gives you.

Three credentials, three jobs

	Certificate	Certification	License
What it shows	You completed a course of study	You passed an assessment of your skills	The government allows you to do a job
Who issues it	A school or training provider	Usually a professional group or a company	A government agency or board
How you earn it	Finish the program, sometimes with graded work	Usually pass a test; some also need work experience	Meet state rules, often training, experience and an exam
Does it expire?	Generally no	Yes, unless you renew it	Yes, it must be renewed
Needed to work?	No	Usually not	Yes, in licensed jobs

Sources: Department of Labor, CareerOneStop and the Institute for Credentialing Excellence. Details below.

A certificate: you finished a program

The Labor Department’s guide to credentials (Training and Employment Notice 25-19, June 2020) puts it simply: “Certificates are completion-based and denote participation in a defined course of study.” A newer notice from August 2026, TEN 04-26, says TEN 25-19 “established the foundational definitions and quality standards for industry-recognized credentials.”

Not all certificates mean the same thing. The Institute for Credentialing Excellence (I.C.E.) separates two kinds in its guidance document:

• Certificate of attendance or participation. It shows you were there. Showing you learned the material “is NOT a requirement for receiving the certificate.”
• Assessment-based certificate. You must pass the program’s own assessment. I.C.E. says this kind is “generally NOT time limited.”

Example: UC Berkeley Extension’s Professional Sequence in Digital Marketing ends in an “Award of Completion.” The page says: “To receive the Award of Completion, you must complete each course with a grade of C or better.” The Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Certificate is also a certificate program.

A certification: you passed an assessment

The Labor Department says: “Certifications attest to attainment of competence through a rigorous examination or demonstration, and may also have a work experience requirement.”

CareerOneStop, the Labor Department’s career site, adds: “Generally, you need to pass a test to earn a certification.” Certifications “are usually offered by a professional organization or a company that specializes in a particular field or technology.”

Two more traits, from I.C.E.:

• They expire. “A certification is time limited (i.e., it will lapse or expire at the end of a predetermined time period if recertification/renewal requirements are not met).”
• The exam stands apart from any one course. I.C.E. says the assessment is “independent of a specific class, course or other education/training program.”

Example: The Digital Marketing Institute (DMI) offers the “Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP)” through its Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing. DMI says the diploma “is assessed with a two-hour exam consisting of 120 test items,” and “Candidates need to achieve a minimum of 60% to pass the exam.” DMI also offers CPD (continuing professional development) credits “to keep your skills and certificate up-to-date.” Its course page doesn’t say whether the credential expires. That is a good question to ask.

The DMI example also shows why the labels blur. DMI sells the course and the exam together: “Your examination fee is included in the price.” So ask how the exam is built, not just what it is called.

A license: permission to work

A license is a different thing. The Labor Department says: “An occupational license is a credential awarded by a government agency that constitutes legal authority to do a specific job.” Licenses “are time-limited; and must be renewed periodically.”

CareerOneStop draws the line: “Occupational licenses are required by states in order to hold certain jobs or practice certain occupations. Certifications are voluntary credentials that workers can earn, and are not required to practice an occupation (except when the occupational licensing requirements include certification as part of those requirements).”

Rules differ by state. Use CareerOneStop’s License Finder to check the job you want in your state.

Who checks the certifiers

Accreditation means an outside body reviewed how a certification is run. The Labor Department names “two main organizations that accredit such certifications or certificates”:

• ANAB. The ANSI National Accreditation Board accredits certification bodies under ISO/IEC 17024. ANAB says this standard “contains principles and requirements for a body certifying persons against specific requirements.” It counts “over 200 certifications accredited by ANAB under this program.” You can search its directory of accredited personnel certification bodies.
• NCCA. I.C.E. accredits certification programs through the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). It accredits assessment-based certificate programs under a separate standard, ICE 1100.

CareerOneStop’s Certification Finder marks certifications accredited by ANSI or NCCA with an icon. It also flags certifications that are “frequently mentioned in online job postings.”

Accreditation is not the only sign of value. The Labor Department notes that “some valuable credentials offered by industry or professional associations, or by product vendors, may not be accredited.” In that case, look at whether employers in your field ask for it.

Questions to ask any provider

• Who issues it? A school, a company, a professional body or a government agency?
• Is there an exam? Is it separate from the course? What score passes, and what does a retake cost?
• Does it expire? If so, when, and what does renewal take and cost?
• Is the certifying body accredited? By whom? Check the accreditor’s directory yourself.
• What will I be able to write on my resume? “Certified” or “Certificate in”? In the I.C.E. model, certification holders get letters to use after their name. Certificate holders do not.
• Does my job need a license in my state?
• Do employers in my field ask for it? Search job postings and the Certification Finder.

The short version

If the program gives you…	It means…	Ask…
A certificate	You finished a course of study	Was there a graded assessment, or just attendance?
A certification	You passed an assessment	Does it expire? Is the certifier accredited?
A license	The state lets you work in a regulated job	Which agency issues it in my state?

For the rest of the checklist, see is an online certificate worth it?