Want to know what jobs are in demand in San Diego? Check out the certificate programs offered at area campuses. Influenced by employment trends, these programs are constantly evolving and usually can be completed in a year or less.

The right certificate can open the door to advancement, a raise or a new career.

Enrollment in certificate programs reflects the demand for workers in a range of occupations. For example, SDSU and USD extension offer event planning certificate programs. The human resources management program is popular at campuses including UCSD, Chapman University and the University of Phoenix. Photography programs at UCSD and San Diego City College are popular, but in an age of cheap digital cameras, career opportunities may be suspect.

The strong enrollment in City College’s alcohol and other drug studies certificate program resulted from the passage of Proposition 36 in 2000, says Ron Manzoni, vice president of instruction. The state measure called for treating rather than jailing drug offenders.

San Diego Mesa College’s 56 certificate programs range from accounting to video game development. “Certificate programs include courses whose content is directly correlated with the actual knowledge, skills and abilities that the students will need on the job,” says Elizabeth Armstrong, Mesa vice president of instruction.

At SDSU Extension, the popularity of the meeting and event planning certificate reflects San Diego’s tourism niche, says William Byxbee, dean of the College of Extended Studies. Most of the eight courses in the program are $119 each.

Also popular at SDSU is the personal fitness trainer certificate. Byxbee says the hottest certificate is business and executive coaching. The two-year program emphasizes topics such as emotional intelligence.

At USD’s Office of Corporate & Professional Education, the event management certificate is offered in partnership with George Washington University, says Jodi Waterhouse, manager of corporate and professional programs.

The program can take from six months to two years to complete. Students produce a portfolio and complete a 75-hour practicum with an event professional. Fees vary by credit and class location. An in-class, 1.2-credit class is $350. An online, 1.2-credit class is $450.

USD also offers a clinical research associate certificate, and the program provides continuing education credit for the California Board of Registered Nurses.

Career opportunities in the two certificate professions are discussed during USD’s bi-monthly open houses. The next forums are scheduled for March. Moreover, the university is developing an emerging business institute and a women’s leadership forum, says Waterhouse.

UCSD Extension has 126 certificate programs and continues to grow, says Derry Connolly, associate dean of executive and degree-related programs.

Students can receive academic credit in graduate and undergraduate certificate programs. For credit certificates, enrollment is highest in the 36-unit human resources management program. The fee is $325 for three-unit courses, and the program includes preparation for professional exams.

Connolly says UCSD’s most popular professional program is for the new chemical trials certificate. Second in high enrollment is bioinformatics, a scientific field that merges biology, computer science and information technology. Both relate to biotechnology and “the jobs are there,” says Connolly. “Two years ago, people were flooding into informational technology programs. Now IT programs are not doing so great.”

Studying for a certificate may lead a person to obtain a master’s degree, says Thomas Horstmann, center director of Keller Graduate School of Management/DeVry University. “Most people who get a certificate work in a certain area like project management,” he says.

Keller offers certificates in subjects like business administration, human resources, accounting, finance and information technology. The fee per course is $1,400.

Chapman’s certificate programs are characterized by partnerships, says Mimi Murray, program manager. Chapman’s nonprofit management certificate program is a joint venture between the university and Nonprofit Management Solutions. The 12-session course covers topics like assessing target markets.

Chapman’s servant leadership certificate represents a collaboration between the university and the San Diego Leadership Initiative. The three-course payroll series certificate program is a partnership between Chapman and the American Payroll Association.

The partnership between Chapman and the National Society of Human Resource Management resulted in the university’s SHRM human resource management certificate. Coursework includes preparation for professional certification exams.

Murray adds that students can apply certificate credits toward master’s degrees in organizational leadership and human resources. Fees for certificate programs range from $325 to $1,285.

At University of Phoenix, three popular certificate programs provide career skills and credits that can be applied as electives for undergraduate degrees, says Bruce Williams, vice president and director of San Diego campuses.

Programs for certificates in human resources and project management each consist of six five-week classes. Each class is worth three undergraduate credits, says Williams. Both programs prepare students for exams given by professional organizations.

The university also offers a soft Certified Systems Engineers certificate. Students of the 10-month program receive a technology certificate and are prepared to take soft examinations.

“Students completing these programs become far more valuable to their organizations because they better understand how their expertise can make an impact on their respective organizations,” says Williams.

Tuition is $340 per credit, and Williams says most classes are three credits. In addition, the MSCSE program includes a lab fee of about $125 per class.

National University’s certificate programs include accountancy, criminal justice, human resources management, international business and electronic business. National’s most popular program is MSCE Windows 2000 program which prepares students to take the MSCE exams. The eight-course program costs $7,995. High enrollment is attributed to companies “making the move to soft Windows 2000,” says Carol Carver, continuing education director. She notes that some companies fund this educational upgrade for their employees.

At National, enrollment is increasing for the project management professional certification preparatory course. Furthermore, National recently added a soft Certification System Administrator program.

Certificate programs also are popular at community colleges. While an associate degree requires a minimum of 60 units and completion of a major, general education requirements and electives, Armstrong says, “the certificate requires only completion of courses for the certificate which constitutes the major.”

Mesa’s most popular certificate programs are consumer and nutrition studies, food service occupations, dental assisting, radiologic technician, fashion design, medical assisting and animal health technology.

At City College, the most popular certificate programs include mecomtronics, which Manzoni says combines mechanical engineering, electronics and computers. Enrollment also is high in the evening air conditioning program, cosmetology and graphic design.

Some programs are so successful that students find employment before earning their certificates. As a result, the air conditioning program is offered in the evening so students can earn their certificates, says Manzoni. He’s pleased that students in the cosmetology program are recruited as sales people or to work on product development.

Students at City are at various phases of their careers. Of those going for a two-year degree, Manzoni says many earn an associate degree and one or two certificates. Enrollment is high in the business department, with students planning to transfer to a four-year college.

Community college courses cost $11 per unit but the price will be rising. The San Diego Community College District also offers noncredit courses through its Centers for Education and Technology. Centers located throughout San Diego schedule free career-training classes in occupations like catering and commercial printing operations. Furthermore, centers provide free instruction in computer applications such as Access 2002. Certificates and testing are offered in occupations including account clerk, A+ hardware specialist, N+ network specialist and S+ security specialist.

Students wanting advancement or seeking a new career should consider a certificate program as their next step. “There is strong evidence of a direct correlation between years of college, higher levels of salary initially and average earnings over a lifetime,” says Armstrong. “This includes those students who earn certificates as well as those who earn degrees.”