Certificate Programs

The Society of American Archivists currently offers two certificate programs designed to provide archivists and those working in the archives field with the opportunity to expand their skill sets and advance professionally. 

The Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) Certificate is designed to provide you with the practical knowledge and application tools you need to manage the demands of born-digital records. Approximately 350 archivists have earned a DAS certificate to date.

The Arrangement & Description (A&D) Certificate is designed to provide you with more in-depth description training to expand on the skill sets achieved in graduate level education, or to support career transitions within the archival field. 

"I would definitely recommend the SAA Digital Archives Specialist (DAS) courses. They are much more practical training—and down to a finer level of the what and the why of digital archives—than you would get with any degree."

- Kathryn Otto, Head of University Archives and Area Research Center,                     University of Wisconsin - River Falls

Why earn a certificate?

Research conducted at the University of California Los Angeles on perceptions of postsecondary certificate programs¹ found that hiring managers:

• View certificate programs favorably when listed on an applicant’s resume in addition to a relevant degree and experience;
• Consider the reputation of the certificate program provider as part of the value of the certificate;
• Acknowledge that many disciplines (e.g., information systems programming, accounting) have well-recognized industry-specific certificate programs; and
• Believe completion of a certificate program indicates an applicant’s willingness to stay current in the field or, as one manager said, “a person who will go the extra mile.”

Visit the links above to learn more about SAA's certificate programs and available qualifying courses, or email us at education@archivists.org.

¹ Excerpted from the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), Guide to Understanding Credentialing Concepts.