Microcredentials verify, validate, and attest that specific skills and/or competencies have been achieved and are endorsed by the issuing institution, having been developed through established faculty governance processes and designed to be meaningful and high quality. SUNY Buffalo State recognizes four types of microcredentials which can be credit or non-credit bearing and stackable.

1. Curricular Microcredentials: Curricular microcredentials involve minimally 1 credit hour and no more than 15 credit hours, and may combine credit-bearing courses and non-credit-bearing activities. These microcredentials must be reviewed and approved through the regular process of curriculum approval for their level. These microcredentials may be awarded and found on a transcript or co-curricular document.
2. Professional Pathways: Mapped to skills and competencies desired in a particular professional field, these pathways generally include academic courses and experiential learning. Often they will be interdisciplinary. Specific academic assignments will be identified in each course that map to the skills and competencies identified for the particular professional field.
3. Skill and Competency Badges: Offered to current students and complementing the curriculum, these are smaller badges that help earners obtain and demonstrate skills. These badges can be stand-alone or built into a course.
4. Continuing Education Badges: Used for lifelong learning, professional training in collaboration with employers, or a smaller version of a larger graduate or certificate program.

Anyone who is eligible to take the required credit or non-credit courses/programs or engage in the co-curricular activities may earn a microcredential. At the discretion of the faculty, the eligibility requirements might include a minimum GPA or other criteria for matriculated students, and/or an application process for non-matriculated students. Microcredentials are awarded upon successful completion of the specific requirements for that credential. Microcredentials have clear, measurable outcomes, assessments aligned to the outcomes, and evidence of mastery of the outcomes through reliable and valid assessments. Only credit bearing microcredentials may be stacked for credit.  SUNY Buffalo State micro-credentials may or may not be transferable to other campuses. Verification of successful completion of a microcredential may result in a grade within a course or a notation of satisfactory completion.