Frequently Asked Questions

As you browse through our program offerings, you will notice the “Register Now” button at the end of each course description. Clicking the “Register Now” button takes you to the registration form for the course. If you do not see the “Register Now” button, it either means there is no current session for that course or that the current session is full.

If a session for a course is full, you can find information about upcoming courses under “Sessions.” If you don’t see any additional sessions, you can contact the program manager for information on how to be added to a waiting list.

A separate registration form must be completed for each registrant and each program. After entering the first registrant, click the “Add Additional Registrant” button found on the order summary page to add an additional person. This process can be repeated to add all your registrants to the same program.

We make every attempt to quickly move potential participants from waiting lists into the desired course if a space becomes available. Contact procedures may vary by program. For specific information, please email sceinfo@uwm.edu or the contact listed with the program description on our website. 

Most classes require full payment at the time of registration. You may choose from a variety of payment methods: check, company purchase order (P.O.), money order or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express). Checks should be made payable to “University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.” Credit card payment for existing registration orders can be made via our Payment Portal. Cash is not accepted.

There is no difference in the course fee if you pay by credit card, check or money order. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. 

Reservation policies may vary between programs. For specific information, please email sceinfo@uwm.edu or the contact listed with the program description on this website.

It’s always smart to check if your employer offers payment coverage or assistance for continuing education. Employers value proactive professional development planning and may provide funding for those who can demonstrate the return on investment to the company.

• Check with your human resources or training director to see if company discounts are available for your employer at UWM’s School of Continuing Education.
• Create a brief plan that outlines the skills you will acquire from your professional development and link these skills to a need within the company
• Offer to share your new knowledge with other employees.
• Explain how your professional development will help the company grow sales or lower expenses.

The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. Put your AmeriCorps education award to use for your professional development. Almost all UWM School of Continuing Education certificates and classes are eligible. Specific program details are at americorps.gov.

UWM’s School of Continuing Education professional development programs may qualify for tax credits and deductions. Details can be found through the IRS.

A list of UWM’s School of Continuing Education professional development courses approved for funding from Individual Training Accounts (ITA) can be found at Job Center of Wisconsin.

We can also work with your county workforce investment board to get approval for professional development you are interested in that is not currently listed. Start the process with your workforce investment board case manager and then contact Registration Services at sceinfo@uwm.edu.

UWM’s School of Continuing Education recognizes the service of veterans and active duty military personnel. Our professional development programs can aid in the transition from military service to the civilian workforce. Contact Registration Services at sceinfo@uwm.edu to inquire about assistance available for veterans and active duty military personnel.

DVR funding is applicable for certain professional development programs at UWM’s School of Continuing Education. Ask your case worker for details based on your situation and the professional development you are interested in.

On-demand online courses are self-paced and accessible 24/7. There is no set start or end date; you may enroll and participate at any time.

Courses marked as in-person with livestream are available both in-person and online. We ask that participants choose if they will attend in-person or online rather than doing a combination of both. 

When learning is referred to as asynchronous, that means the learner is not required to log in at specific times. Learning can be done independently rather than simultaneously. A platform such as Canvas will likely be used to house assignments and learning materials. On-demand online courses are considered asynchronous.

When learning is referred to as synchronous, that means the learners and instructor are logged in at the same time. Learning is done concurrently, or simultaneously, rather than independently. A platform such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or WebEx will likely be used for live group communication. Live online courses are considered synchronous.

Combined online courses include both synchronous (learning together) and asynchronous (independent learning) components. For example, the class might include live sessions over Zoom and independent assignments on Canvas. 

Blended courses include in-person sessions with synchronous (learning together) and/or asynchronous (independent learning) online coursework. 

• Cancellation requests must be sent via email to sceinfo@uwm.edu.
• If a participant withdraws from a program at least 10 business days before its start date, a full refund will be issued.
• If a participant withdraws less than 10 business days prior to the program start date, they may choose to transfer their fees one-time to any currently available program or receive a fund minus a 20% administrative fee.
• No refund will be given once a program has begun.
• Programs with a fee of $35 or less are not eligible for refunds.
• For on-demand online programs without a specified start date, no refunds will be issued once a participant has accessed the online learning environment.

Please note: This policy does not apply to Osher Travel or College for Kids & Teens programs, which have no-refund policies. 

If the School of Continuing Education cancels a program for any reason, a full refund will be issued to program participants.

The School of Continuing Education does not provide refunds for travel expenses incurred when a program is cancelled. We recommend booking travel and hotel accommodations that are refundable or transferable. 

Most of our courses are noncredit. However, there are a few you can receive credit for depending on the program. Any credits received are only recognized by UW-Milwaukee programs. For example, some courses provide credits that can be applied to programs within the Lubar College of Business, and some provide credits that can be applied to a Master of Social Work degree attained at UW-Milwaukee.

You can enter key words about the topic in the search feature on this website. If you don’t find what you are looking for, we invite you to contact someone in the department in which you think such a program might be run, or email sceinfo@uwm.edu.

Each person receiving training must be a registered paid student. It is not permitted to pay for one student and have others watch and participate online at no cost.

If you have not received registration confirmation, please email sceinfo@uwm.edu to inquire about your enrollment status before making any travel plans. 

The number of registrations possible varies greatly among our different programs. Size can range from several hundred participants to intimate discussion groups of five. We carefully consider course content, instruction method, available space and special equipment needs to determine class sizes that will provide the highest quality experience for our participants. 

Please email sceinfo@uwm.edu and our registration service staff will direct you to the appropriate programming department. Or, see the contact information provided within the course description. 

Each certificate has unique curriculum requirements, and your path toward certificate completion begins with registering for a program that fulfills a requirement. We recommend reaching out to the certificate’s Program Manager so he or she can actively monitor your progress. Curriculum requirements, prerequisites and the most up-to-date list of program offerings are available on each individual certificate webpage.  

The School of Continuing Education does not require formal enrollment to begin a certificate track. It is recommended that you express your intent to the Program Manager responsible for the certificate so he or she can actively monitor your progress. 

Almost all courses may also be taken individually without the pursuit of a certificate.

The School of Continuing Education does not grant credit toward curriculum requirements for prior education and training. The majority of certificates offer varying pathways to completion and incorporate recent developments in subject content. Participants should select certificate tracks that provide an opportunity to build off of prior education and training with new content. 

Participants in the School of Continuing Education’s programs receive either a “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” designation to indicate their performance in a course. Satisfactory designation is implied for all participants that receive a verification of attendance/completion certificate at the end of the course. Only courses for which a participant receives a satisfactory designation can be applied toward the curriculum requirements for a certificate. 

• In-Person: Participants must attend and participate in all clock hours.
• Online: Participants must access all modules and complete all required activities.
• Capstone: Participants must submit a project that meets all established requirements for the capstone. 

Participants are not suspended or dismissed from a certificate track due to unsatisfactory designations, nor are there probationary periods attributed to unsatisfactory designations; however, courses for which a participant receives an unsatisfactory designation don’t apply toward the cumulative curriculum requirements for the certificate.

Participants would be required to retake the course or take a different course that satisfies the curriculum requirement of a certificate. Retaking or substituting a course may result in additional registration fees incurred (based on the discretion of the certificate Program Manager).

The School of Continuing Education focuses on condensed training that allows participants to accelerate their progress toward certificate completion. Missing days or tardiness can result in a substantial portion of the class content being missed. As such, attendance is the primary consideration in the assignment of satisfactory designations.

The implication of tardiness toward the completion of curriculum requirements is at the discretion of the certificate Program Manager; however, a general guideline would be to consider tardiness of two or more clock hours to result in an unsatisfactory designation for the course. 

Upon completion, participants are awarded a certificate to acknowledge their accomplishment. The School of Continuing Education maintains a student record system for noncredit courses and can issue a transcript listing all a participant’s noncredit courses per their request. Program Managers maintain a strong network of certificate holders and frequently communicate news, trends and employment opportunities pertaining to certificate content. 

To find our complete list of certificates, please visit our certificates page. 

The Avenue parking structure is adjacent to our building on the south side. Enter from Plankinton Avenue between Wisconsin Avenue and Michigan Street. 

See our Directions, Parking and Hotels page for more.

If you park in The Avenue parking structure, we will validate your parking so that you only pay the early bird special rate, which is currently $6.47 for a full day of parking. Bring your ticket to the front desk on the 7th floor to have it validated for the reduced rate.

Yes. Visit mkepark.com to find the rates and locations that work best for you. Please note that UWM is not affiliated with this organization. 

Casual business dress is appropriate. Please be prepared for moderate temperature variations in different rooms. For our tour and travel programs, please dress according to the weather. You may want to contact the tour/trip leader for recommendations.

Yes, the facility, which opened in 1995, complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Park your car on the 4th level at the north end of The Avenue parking structure. From there, enter the building and take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Cross the rotunda to the elevators on the north side of the building (closest to Wisconsin Avenue) and take these elevators to the 7th floor.

The School of Continuing Education is conveniently located in downtown Milwaukee. It occupies a 100,000 square foot modern adult education and conference facility on the seventh floor of the Plankinton Building at 161 West Wisconsin Avenue. The lower floors of the Plankinton Building contain stores such as T.J.Maxx, Footlocker and Kohl’s along with 3rd St. Market Hall, which offers a number of options for food, drinks and entertainment.

See our Directions, Parking and Hotels page for more.

Once inside the Plankinton Building, proceed to the building’s elevators closest to Wisconsin Avenue. Take the elevator to the 7th floor.

We are approximately seven miles from Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport and easily accessible by airport shuttle bus or taxi.

No, you will not need to rent a car unless you wish to travel outside of the downtown Milwaukee area. Numerous hotels and restaurants are within walking distance from our facility. Shuttles from the airport go to all downtown hotels. Taxi service and a downtown trolley are also available. Find more information on ground transportation from Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport.

Several hotels within a three-block radius include the world-class facilities of the Milwaukee Hilton, the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, Courtyard By Marriott and the Hampton Inn. The Marriott Residence Inn and the Marriott Courtyard are accessible through skywalks or other indoor routes. Check out a complete map of local hotels here.

See our Directions, Parking and Hotels page for more.

For the most up-to-date information, visit the websites of the Greater Milwaukee Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.milwaukee.org), Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel (https://www.jsonline.com/), OnMilwaukee.com (www.onmilwaukee.com), and Key Milwaukee (www.keymilwaukee.com).  

UWM School of Continuing Education participants traveling from out of town must make their own reservations for travel and overnight accommodations. Please note that UWM will not provide refunds for travel expenses incurred when a program is cancelled. We recommend booking travel and hotel accommodations that are refundable or transferable. 

• If Alternate Payment Method is selected, full payment is expected before the program start date. 
• For individuals utilizing a purchase order, remittance instructions and purchase order number must be sent to sceinfo@uwm.edu. 
• Program Certificates will not be awarded to any participant with a past due balance. 
• If you or your Employer/Agency do not pay the course fee, do not cancel, and do not participate in the course, you will be responsible for an administrative fee equal to 20% of the program fee, due within 60 days of the start date. 
• For Agency payments, including AmeriCorps, DVR, etc., participants should contact sceinfo@uwm.edu for next steps. 
• Anyone who does not pay in full while registering will receive automated payment reminders from our system until their balance is paid, regardless of their chosen payment method. 

In the event of failure to timely comply with payment obligations, the participant agrees to pay all costs of collection incurred by UWM, including, but not limited to, collection agency fees, credit bureau fees, legal filing fees, service of process fees, publication fees, witness fees, reasonable attorney fees, and recording fees, and to pay any late fees assessed by UWM.

The participant also understands that UWM may certify their past due balance to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and make a claim for the total due against refunds, overpayments, lottery payments, or vendor payments owed to them by the Department of Revenue or Department of Administration. 

The UWM School of Continuing Education may take photographs, video, audiotape and other images and sound-based media during courses and events and may use such media for educational, promotional, advertising and other purposes. 

No firearms or weapons are allowed on UWM property. 

The School of Continuing Education is one of the UWM’s Schools/Colleges and falls under the umbrella of the University of Wisconsin System. As such, the School of Continuing Education’s policies on participant conduct are rooted in the following UW System Administrative Code: 

• UWS Chapter 14 – Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures 
• UWS Chapter 17 – Student Nonacademic Disciplinary Procedures 
• UWS Chapter 18 – Conduct on University Lands 

Participants who violate standards contained within UW System Administrative Code may be placed on probation, suspended from, or dismissed from all UWM functions