The Professional Degrees and Certificates (PDC) portfolio includes more than 90 post-baccalaureate programs, ranging from capstone certificates to doctoral degrees, offered in flexible formats — including online, hybrid, or face-to-face and in varied modalities such as accelerated, non-accelerated (part-time) or evening/weekend — to meet the diverse needs of learners.

Most PDC programs operate under a service-based pricing model, aligning with market demands. Learners in these programs are looking to advance, change, or jump-start their careers. Spanning multiple disciplines such as engineering, education, healthcare, and business, PDC programs are offered by schools and colleges across campus. Explore PDC's programming below.

The Division of Continuing Studies (DCS) supports the PDC portfolio by providing:

• Project management
• Marketing and recruitment services
• Market research
• Admissions support for capstone certificates
• Student engagement and satisfaction efforts
• Information technology, business, and data analyst support

The DCS PDC team collaborates with campus partners (such as UW–Madison Schools/Colleges, Data, Academic Planning and Institutional Research (DAPIR), Graduate School, Madison Budget Office, etc.) to review and update policies, improve new program development processes, and monitor the health of PDC programs.