Camila Nguyen

After logging in, the Coursera Career Academy dashboard displays a range of certification options and guided projects available to Texas Wesleyan students

Beginning June 2025, all students enrolled in business courses at Texas Wesleyan University will have access to the Coursera Career Academy, a move that administrators say will better prepare students for the workforce. 

The program provides industry-recognized certifications and guided projects developed by companies such as Google, IBM, Meta and Salesforce. For business majors, the access is included in their course fees at no extra cost. Non-business majors may join for $50, while alumni or outside users would pay about $150 for the same access. 

“My main motivation in offering Coursera to students was providing them with more than just a degree from us,” said Sameer Vaidya, dean of the School of Business Administration & Professional Programs. “We need to give them something employers value and appreciate. Having an industry certification proves that this person has applied their classroom learning to a specific industry skill.” 

Vaidya said the cost difference highlights the program’s value.  

“If you sign up for Coursera as an individual, you pay $50 a month. In six months, students would have paid Coursera what they can access for four years with our program by paying a small course fee of $8 per business course. From a value perspective, it’s a great deal for our students,” he said. 

Faculty members are preparing to embed Coursera into their coursework. Gokcen Ogruk-Maz, assistant professor of economics, said she plans to integrate Coursera projects directly into class. 

“I will use Coursera Guided Projects as practice labs,” Ogruk-Maz said. “For example, in Entrepreneurship I can use the Facebook Ads Manager project, in Data Visualization I can use Tableau projects, and in Programming I can use Python and SQL projects” 

Ogruk-Maz said the combination of classroom instruction with industry projects gives students both theoretical and practical skills.  

“Lectures give students theory, and Coursera projects show how to use that theory in real tools like Excel, Tableau or R. Together, students learn both ideas and applications,” she said. 

Tommy Nichols, associate dean and professor of management, said the initiative will strengthen student resumes.

“While the business degree is still very valuable, having some of the certificates will help them get in the door for the interview in the first place,” Nichols said. “We have several courses that have certificates baked into the course, where students will not only get the knowledge but can put that on their resume, which will help them get those jobs.” 

Nichols also noted that the flexibility of Coursera means students can complete certificates during breaks or at their own pace, but time management will be key.  

“It is meant to be worked on in addition to coursework, but also in the summer or winter break. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual to decide, ‘I want to do this, or I don’t.’ It’s not forced on them, but it is an opportunity for them to improve themselves.” 

Ogruk-Maz said she expects her students to become more active learners.  

“Students will be more engaged. They can try new tools outside class and then bring questions and ideas back into class,” she said. 

Vaidya added that Coursera fits into the university’s long-term goals of offering micro-credentials.  

“It’s no longer enough to get a bachelor’s degree. You need industry certifications to improve your chances of securing a job,” he said. 

Students will be able to choose from more than 40 industry certifications and hundreds of guided projects across fields such as digital marketing, project management, IT support and data analytics. 

“This is not just about adding work for students,” Vaidya said. “It’s about giving our students an opportunity to obtain a credential that employers recognize. If you can add a couple of industry certifications to your college degree for $300 over four years, you are setting yourself up for a successful job search after graduation.”