Top UX Design Certificates & Certifications in Boston

This article compares hands-on UX design certificate and certification courses in and near Boston or available through virtual learning. The ten certificate programs listed below offer a variety of choices from education providers to help individuals find training to fit any individual’s purpose.

Prospective students can enroll in UX design certificate and certification classes in Boston or live online. Class duration ranges from four-weeks to several months with tuition between $1,500 and $16,450.

Bentley University: the UX Certificate

Key Information 

175 Forest Street, Waltham, Massachusetts 02452

All nine courses for this certificate program can be taken in-person or live online in a synchronized format at $1,500 per course.

Prerequisites: Participants must have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience. 

This certificate program consists of nine (9) courses, including three (3) required courses (Human Factors and User Experience, Usability Testing, and Leading a User Experience Team) and six (6) electives that can be taken in any order.

This certificate program trains working professionals in building a foundation in behavioral design, user experience research and design, and project management while improving their performance in product designs. Students receive their certificate upon completing the program.

UMass Amherst: UI UX Bootcamp

Key Information

UMass, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003

This live online course costs $6,000 with a monthly payment option available.

Prerequisites: The application for this bootcamp may require information that includes personal details, educational background, and working experience. 

This bootcamp trains participants in the practices and conventions of UX design, which includes identifying user groups and market segments as well as performing empathy and persona mapping to enhance the user experience. Upon completing this program, students will receive a certificate from UMass Amherst along with a better understanding of the fundamentals for visual design, typography, color, layouts, and visual hierarchy for creating user interfaces.

Noble Prog: User Experience (UX) Design Training Course

Key Information

101 Federal Street, Suite 1900, Boston, Massachusetts 02110 

This 28-hour course costs $3,627 for in-person classes or $2,732 for live online training.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites are required for this course. 

This course trains students in the fundamentals for learning user experience (UX) design tools and processes, including user research, personas, user stories, information architecture, visual design principles, and prototypes. Upon completing this training, participants will possess the qualified knowledge and skills needed to pass the exam for achieving the BCS certificate in nine syllabus areas.

General Assembly: UX Immersive

Key Information

This course is available for live online training (virtual learning) from anywhere.

This three-month live online course costs $16,450 with a variety of payment options available.

Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites required for this program; however, students should be familiar with common tools used in graphic and web design along with knowledge in user experience (UX) concepts.

This course provides hands-on training related to UX and UI design principles for applying tactics in wireframing, prototyping, user research, and usability testing. Upon finishing this course, students will receive a signed Certificate of Completion that demonstrates skills in UX design.

CareerFoundry: UX Design Program

Key Information

This course is available for live online training (virtual learning) from anywhere.

This live online course costs $7,505 upfront or $7,900 through the monthly payment plan.

Prerequisites: This beginner-level course requires no prior experience in UX design.

This course provides training in user research, personas, and wireframes with lessons on researching design and learning tools like Figma, Adobe XD, and Sketch. Upon completing this course, students will have skills in user research, wireframing, and design AI as well as an understanding for how to collaborate with colleagues and clients.

Noble Desktop: UX/UI Design Certificate

Key Information

This course is available for live online training (virtual learning) from anywhere.

This live online 24-week part-time course is available for $3,495.

This course offers additional 1-on-1 mentoring outside of class as well as an opportunity to retake the course within one year.

Lessons focus on UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) design concepts through designing apps, websites, and other products by making user interaction as effortless as possible. Training emphasizes user interface and user design as well as learning the visual design tools required for the profession, including Sketch, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Figma. Students will learn about the role of UX Designers in creating apps, websites, and other products as well as the role of UI Designers, which focuses on the appearance of apps and websites.

Noble Desktop: UI Design Certificate

Key Information

This course is available for live online training (virtual learning) from anywhere. 

This live online six-week full-time course costs $3,995. 

Prerequisites: Students must feel comfortable using computers. As part of this program, students will be designing a website and an app and are encouraged to arrive at the beginning of the course with a project in mind. 

This course offers additional 1-on-1 mentoring outside of class as well as an opportunity to retake the course within one year. 

Lessons will focus on training students in graphic design and interfacing for designing, developing, and prototyping websites and smartphone apps. Students will learn essential professional design concepts for creating apps using tools like Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator along with lessons on composition, typography, color, interactivity, user interface elements, and best practices for designing and testing apps and web pages. Upon completing this course, participants will have compiled a portfolio that contains projects for showcasing their skills to potential employers.

Devmountain: UX Design Remote

Key Information

This course is available for live online training (virtual learning) from anywhere. 

This live online 16-week part-time course costs $9,900.

This UX design course prepares students for entry-level work as UX Designers. Upon completing this UX design bootcamp, participants will have a better understanding of research, prototyping, information architecture, and web design combined with agile methodologies, analytics, and accessibility.

BrainStation: UX Design Course

Key Information

This course is available for live online training (virtual learning) from anywhere.

This live online course costs $3,250 with a one-time payment or $290 monthly over 12 months. 

Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites listed for this course. 

BrainStation provides live online training with live instructors leading courses that students can participate in from the comfort of their own homes. Upon finishing this program, students will receive an industry-recognized professional certificate that they can share on social media platforms, including LinkedIn.

FAQ for UX Design Certificates

People often get confused over the differences between certificate programs and certifications for getting certified in UX design. In a nutshell, the key difference is the level of proficiency demonstrated in identifying an individual’s skills. Certificate programs provide detailed technical training in a specific area while a certification verifies a high level of skill within a profession established through passing an exam.

To receive UX design certification, a candidate has to pass a proctored exam that meets the standard for working within the profession by verifying the person’s skill level. By contrast, a UX design certificate provides training for skills that contribute to working efficiently. While a certificate program is not the same as certification, certificate training can contribute to ultimately passing a certification exam.

What is the Difference Between a Certificate and a Certification?

Ambitious Designers who would like to demonstrate their skills in UX design may choose to enroll in a certificate program or gain certification that verifies their qualifications within this specific area of web design. Certificate programs provide detailed training in areas of UX design that can take weeks or months to complete. This training usually prepares individuals with skills they will need for finding a new career or advancing at their current place of employment. Several online education providers have certificate programs that cover a variety of disciplines. However, it should be noted that certificate programs are not the same as certification, which verifies competency for skills within a specific profession that an individual usually achieved by passing an exam. While certificate programs are not the same as getting a certification, enrolling in a certificate program can certainly help in eventually passing a certification exam.

Should I Pursue a Certificate or a Certification?

Certifications verify that a person has passed an industry-recognized exam that confirms to potential employers that a candidate qualifies on some level for a position in question. A certification requires the candidate to pass a skills exam that demonstrates proficiency with an application like, for example, Photoshop or Figma.

Do I Need to Become Certified to Find a Job?

Becoming a UX Designer does not necessarily require certification, but certification in areas of UX design can certainly enhance prospects with potential employers. Certification can help a candidate stand out among competitors when vying for the same position.

Because UX design by itself is not typically taught in university courses, opting for user experience or user interface related certification in web design to gain the skills needed for becoming a UX Designer can verify skill to potential clients or employers. With certification, prospective UX Designers possess a concrete foundation for working in UX design that allows them to immediately jump right into their new career. 

UX design certification verifies a high level of mastery in web design, graphic design, interactive design, psychology, and other methodologies related to this area of technology.

What Certificate Program is Right for Me?

UX design certificate programs can help aspiring UX Designers learn about conducting research, building prototypes, and using prototyping tools as well as working with graphic design programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Figma.

Which is Better: In-Person or Online Classes

Choosing whether to enroll in an in-person or live online UX design certificate program will depend greatly on an individual’s goals or comfort level. Some people simply prefer learning inside a classroom for being able to physically interact with teachers and other students. However, getting back out on the road after a long day at work to find a classroom somewhere in Boston might not appeal to everyone, which would make enrolling in a virtual learning course a convenient option. Either method of training provides an effective way for learning UX design to help with either finding a new career in visual design focusing on the user experience or for advancing at a current position.

Enrolling in an in-person or live online training course for learning UX design will require some preparation. Learning inside a classroom will mean having to get to a specific location on time as well as being prepared to participate in class discussions.

People taking live online courses must have a high-speed internet connection to be able to access and participate in their class. Students must also be able to handle basic computer functions such as booting up, logging in, and navigating an internet browser as well as having some familiarity with web design or graphic design software.

Which is Better: Live Online or Asynchronous Classes?

Anyone considering online training for learning UX design can choose between live online or asynchronous courses. Live online courses take place in real-time with a set schedule that students and instructors have to adhere to for participating at a designated time through a live stream. Asynchronous classes, which are the same as on-demand courses, provide more flexibility in scheduling where students can access their course material and assignments at their own convenience from any location at any time they choose during the length of the course.

In choosing which online training method for learning skills in UX design, people can decide between live online training or the asynchronous, on-demand, approach. Live online classes let instructors and students participate and interact among themselves in real-time while asynchronous training allows individuals to access lessons and material whenever they choose.