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I can see two applications for certificates.First, you are a kid out of high school and simply want a credential that will help you gain employment.In many cases, a community college “career studies” certificate is the Major without the general studies portion.The nice thing about certificates is you can often go back and complete the AAS degree later, as its easier to get general studies courses in a night class setting (after you found a job!) than specialized courses, as most schools have a minimum number of people who need to sign up.Here is Virginia Western’s programs as an example: https://catalog.virginiawestern.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=191In a sense, this is exactly what I did. My USAF training was only the technical portion of my AAS degree, which was by nature taken first (USAF schools are accredited). Once I graduated “tech school” I was a part-time student to get the rest of my credits needed to graduate. It roughly took 3 years to earn a 2-year degree, which was not a bad deal given I paid my way for the second half (but using tuition assistance)Second, I also see it useful for someone who have a BA and decides they also need some specialized career training.Again the same programs at a CC would work. Now, in many cases. if you have a degree already, you just need the classes. Like taking some coding courses.However, VWCC mentioned earlier has a four course CAD program. The classes are part of their larger engineering technology degrees, but they can be taken “stand alone”In these cases it just adding more material to your skill setThe certificate just adds a credential to your resume, and hopefully get you an interview. One at that stage, its up to you to prove you know the material.Also remember Catbert exists in Human form…Third: They can enhance an existing degree. It was pointed out in a comment that Cornell University offers certificate programs, in some fairly advanced areas.Online CertificatesI also consider the course work I have done with eX to fall into this category. Almost all course are offered by major universities. I’ve taken programs with Rochester Institute of Technology (“MicroMasters”) and the University Of Maryland (Agile Project Management in the past, currently work on a program in Product Management)And in my case, I use the program to maintain my PMP certification because it has a continuing education requirement. I’d assume other professional certification have similar CE requirements, so they would have a niche application here as well.

Certificates, diplomas, and degrees differ in the time it takes to earn each as well as the credits required in order to graduate. Each of these academic achievements are suitable for certain specific fields or career goals.Diploma and certificate programs taken alone are similar to associate's degree programs. However, they take less time because general education courses are not required. A degree program differs from certificates and diploma programs in that it often requires the student to take general education courses to support a more rounded education. For instance, at many universities, those earning their bachelor's degree are required to take English, math, science, philosophy and history.Source: What is the Difference Between a Certificate, Diploma and Degree?

Before I start this answer let me make it clear upfront that I am NOT a part of the marketing team, neither have been paid any money by UpGrad. The only reason I am anonymous is to avoid receiving backlashes for stating an honest opinion. Rest I would leave it upto you to decide.I am a part of one of the batches of this program which started last year. I have seen a lot of answers/opinion about the program which i want to clear. Ultimately its your money and you get to decide what you should spend. But knowing the entire picture is important.UpGrad is NOT a certification program. It is a diploma + degree program. There are a lot of people saying that you can get similar content on EdX, Coursera etc. Let me tell you that they are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. So why UpGrad. Keep reading for an answer.UpGrad DOES NOT roll out degrees. The degrees are rolled out by the affiliated institutions. You don’t have to take it from me. You can goto the website of these institutions or reach out to the professors on LinkedIn and verify this yourself. Hence, there is NO MENTION of UpGrad on the degree that you get. Only the PG Certification (6month) courses have “in association with UpGrad” mentioned on them. No degree or diploma has the mention of UpGrad.UpGrad is not an institution. It is a digital platform provider. Hence the syllabus which you study is NOT decided by UpGrad. Also your quizzes, assignment scores are NOT evaluated by UpGrad. They are done by industry experts and the final marks are validated by Dean of the affiliated institute. You can self verify this claim.UpGrad is a 180 credit course. These college credits add up and allow you to apply for a PhD or a migration (which might need college credits). Compared to this coursera is a NON CREDIT course (It says so on the certificate, you can check).Regarding the course content, I am a working professional and to take out 2 hrs everyday from my schedule with family responsibilities is also a huge task. Having said that during my candidature in the program, I never felt that I did not have anything on my plate to learn. You are ALWAYS KEPT occupied with some content or the other. Having said that Data Science cannot be completed in 11 or 18 months so keeping expectations like you will be an expert on Data Science post completion is unrealistic.Regarding the fees, again its NOT a certificate program, so technically you are paying a premium to get a college degree. Lets not get into the debate of learning VS degree as its an individual preference. But the degree you get here is as valid as an offline degree. Again you can self verify this claim.Course structure: Every topic that is covered here is divided into 5 parts.Pre-recorded lecture (covers 50%)Quizzes (covers 10%)Assignment (covers 20%)Live session (covers 10%)Hence almost 90% concepts are covered through different medium. Rest 10% is NOT covered (its impossible). You have to self explore.So why UpGrad? To be honest I don’t know why and why not. If you are someone who believes in the value of a college degree and likes to strategically study stuff rather than hunting for MOOCs at 1000s of places, if you are someone who doesn’t want to leave your job but still get a college degree, then UpGrad is for you.I will not suggest for or against opting for UpGrad. But it’s important to bust all myths before spending your money. Its your career and you make a choice.Peace out.