Professional Degrees & Certificates
Reach your career goals your way, with a professional degree or certificate from UW–Madison. Choose from dozens of programs, including online, accelerated and other flexible learning options.
- Working professionals or adult students interested in advancing their careers
- Current undergraduate students interested in starting their professional journey at a higher level
- Schools, colleges and divisions across campus
Who we serve
- Host webinars, student fairs and other events to inform interested students about UW–Madison’s professional degree and certificate programs
- Organize and host the biannual Graduate Programs Virtual Open House to offer insights and information about applying to and attending grad school at UW–Madison
- Record and produce the Your Future. Your Way. podcast to share program insights from our students, alums and staff
- Offer enrollment coaching and advising to interested students
- Work with partner schools and colleges across campus to develop and market professional degree and certificate programs for UW–Madison
What we do
Our team
Taryn Conaway
Project Program Manager
Taryn Conaway is a Project Manager for the Professional Degrees & Certificates (PDC). The PDC portfolio is comprised of 90+ programs ranging from capstone certificates to doctoral degrees. Taryn serves as the main contact for PDC programs and helps coordinate marketing and recruitment projects to ensure successful recruitment cycles. Taryn leads special projects such as student behavior data projects and program proposals and debriefs. She also produces the PDC Your Future. Your Way. podcast. Taryn is also a member of the Districting & Representation Committee which is charged with placing academic staff in districts based on campus guidelines. Taryn has over 20 years of project management experience and graduated with an MS in Project Management in 2021. Before working at UW-Madison, she served as a Director of Operations for an advertising agency.
Anna Denucci
Enrollment Coach and Director of Student Call Center
Anna Denucci is the initial point of contact for prospective students, assisting them with program inquiries and providing guidance on admission requirements and the application process.
Sara Kluender
Director of Recruitment Strategies
Sara Kluender manages the Recruitment Strategies Team focused on increasing student enrollment.
Jackie Nevarez
Project Coordinator
Jackie Nevarez is a Project Coordinator for the Professional Degrees & Certificates (PDC). The PDC portfolio comprises 90+ programs ranging from capstone certificates to doctoral degrees. She supports programs by coordinating DCS recruitment and marketing projects, including webinars, video production, and the Your Future. Your Way. podcast. She leads the PDC Community of Practice, manages the GradConnections Bi-Weekly for online students newsletter, and coordinates virtual open house events, among other projects such as student survey management and distribution. Before joining DCS, Jackie held admissions and student services positions at UW–Eau Claire.
Alissa Oleck
Assistant Dean for Professional Degrees & Certificates
Alissa Oleck provides project management and support for academic affairs, specifically with the Professional Degrees & Certificates (PDC) portfolio, which is made up of 75+ flexible and online master’s degrees and certificates offered across campus. She also assists with special projects related to the Educational Innovation Initiative and lifelong learning.
Patrick Walsh
Associate Director of Recruitment Strategies
Patrick Walsh serves as the first point of contact for prospective students when they inquire about a program, and counsels students on admission requirements and the application process.
Yu-Li Wang
Project Coordinator
Yu-Li Wang is a Project Coordinator for the Professional Degrees & Certificates (PDC). The PDC portfolio comprises 90+ programs ranging from capstone certificates to doctoral degrees. She supports programs through coordinating DCS marketing and recruitment projects, including webinars, Your Future. Your Way. podcast and video production. Yu-Li leads process improvement projects, manages data tracking and reports, and performs market/competitor analysis research as well as assisting with other special projects such as the student behavior data project. Yu-Li was a VISP student from Taiwan (2014-2015) and received a MA in History from UW–Madison (2019). Prior to joining DCS, she worked as the administrative assistant at the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center where she supported project managers and scientists on National Science Foundation-funded projects.
Read Professional & Degree Certificate Stories
Going back to school as a working engineer: How to make it work
Wondering what it’s like to earn your engineering master’s degree online while working full-time? For many students, it means continuing their day-to-day routines—going to work, caring for family, and fitting…
Should you go to grad school? Here’s how to decide
Deciding whether graduate school will help advance your career can unleash a mind-bending set of cost-benefit questions that demand thorough research and planning. Let’s face it: Earning a graduate degree…
Episode 36: Career Prep for Graduate Students
Learn about Beyond Graduate School, a free, research-based career training platform available to all UW–Madison graduate students. Special guest Alissa Ewer, Assistant Dean of Professional Development and Communication at the…
Episode 35: Library & Information Studies MA Alum Student Spotlight
Library & Information Studies alum, Lauren, shares how career services at UW–Madison helped her navigate a career pivot and land a fulfilling role as an instructional designer. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5sat2PVYXrGuBxv7uKKRuU Transcript ALISSA…
MS Information student Rahil Virani contributes to UW–Madison Alzheimer’s research
Data skills can open unexpected doors. Rahil Virani, MSx’25, knows this firsthand. Before coming to Madison, Virani was a software developer tackling coding projects while living in Mumbai, India, a…
Students, alum share benefits of engineering accelerated master’s programs
University of Wisconsin–Madison engineering students looking to advance their careers quickly are turning to the College of Engineering’s accelerated master’s degrees. With an accelerated master’s degree in engineering from UW–Madison,…
Planning a successful career beyond your bachelor’s in engineering
You worked hard to earn your engineering undergraduate degree. How can you make the most of it? While the immediate next step may seem obvious—landing that first engineering job—your long-term…
Boost your career with professional degrees and certificates
In today’s fast-paced and competitive job market, staying relevant is key to career growth. Whether you’re looking to move up in your current field, shift to a new industry or…
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