PhD Progression Guides & FAQs

Digital badges are validated indicators of an achievement or skill. Digital badges are gaining popularity with many employers and educational institutions as markers of professional training and development completed outside of traditional learning environments. These badges contain metadata describing the specific tasks completed to earn that badge. In addition, they can be shared on social media platforms like LinkedIn and X (Twitter) to show potential employers that you have invested time and energy in increasing your marketability.

Digital badges are a type of micro-credential. Micro-credentials are competency-based mini-courses or certifications in specific topics, typically offered outside traditional curricular structures or learning environments. Micro-credentials are offered by verifiable issuers, like Boston University, and are grounded in research and best practices in educational technology.

Yes! We’ve designed PhD Progression to be a choose your own adventure type of program. While we created the pathways to give guidance on the trajectory of learning we would recommend, feel free to complete individual badges at any time.

It can take 3-5 days for our team to review your submissions in Qualtrics and award badges. If it has been more than a week since you completed a badge and it has still not been awarded, please email us at gradpd@bu.edu.

If you believe you have done work equivalent to one of our badges and would like to earn a badge as a marker of that achievement, please fill out the form on the Badging Appeals page, located in the menu.

If you’ve found a broken link or are experiencing other issues with a badge, please let us know using the PhD Progression feedback form linked at the bottom of this page or email us at gradpd@bu.edu.