Remote Work Certificate - Community Development

Montana State University Extension has partnered with Utah State University Extension to offer the Remote Work Professional certificate program, a 1-month specialized course designed to equip workers and business owners with training needed to:

Find a job working remotely for a company
Expand a business to serve customers remotely
Increase skill levels for people already working remotely

Participants receive assistance with finding a remote job, with building their business and connecting to a network of other remote workers.

Are You Ready? Please read before registering.

Registration Begins Here for Montana Residents!

Please follow all instructions.

Cost

The cost to take the course is $199.

Course Format

The 4-week program consists of nine core modules, delivered in a self-paced, online format, plus a weekly interactive video-conference workshop with instructors and other course participants. Montana State University Extension staff will help guide participants through the course.

After completing the course, graduates work with specialists to help them find a remote job. People interested in expanding their business into a remote work format will have access to assistance from the Accelerate Montana Rural Innovation Initiative (AMRII) or their local economic development professional.

Courses start at the beginning of each month (except no class offered in July and December).

For more detailed information about the course, review the course syllabus here.

Time Commitment

This professional certificate requires approximately 30-36 hours to complete or about 6-12 hours per week over the 4-week course, depending on your pace. Most of the time is independent work, except for one hour per week for the workshop (held Thursdays at 1 or 6 p.m.) and a group project.

Requirements to Participate

To take the course, participants must have the following:

Reliable Access to Broadband Internet
- A stable internet connection is needed to participate in the course and the workshops.
Web camera and microphone
- A working laptop or desktop computer with a web camera and microphone is needed to participate in all aspects of the program. Tablets and smartphones will not provide the access to the course content that is needed.
Basic computer skills
- The course is designed for people with some comfort and skill using computers and software. While we do teach the use of new tools, a basic ability with the following is required for success in the course:

Send an email, with an attachment
Download or upload a file to your desktop
Do basic tasks in a word processing and spreadsheet program

Next Steps

Follow the steps below to enroll in the program.

Complete the purchase
- Register for the course through this link. There is a limit of seats per class granted on a first come, first serve basis. You will be added to a waiting list in case this limit is reached.
Apply the code
- Once you have paid, MSU Extension will send you a registration code and link via email to complete the registration process.
Begin the course
- After you complete the application process, you will receive an email with links to begin the course. You can start exploring the course content right away. One of our MSU Extension faculty will reach out to you to introduce themselves.

Course Schedule

After you register, you will receive an email with access to the course modules and links to the workshops. See the calendar below for class dates and times.

2023 Remote Work Professional Calendar
Start Date	End Date	Application Deadline (12:00 pm MDT)	Workshop Days (Thursdays)	Workshop Times (1 hour)
October 2	October 27	9/27/2023	Oct 5, 12, 19, 26	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT
November 6	December 9	11/1/2023	Nov 9, 16, 30, Dec 7	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT

2024 Remote Work Professional Calendar
Start Date	End Date	Application Deadline (12:00 pm MDT)	Workshop Days (Thursdays)	Workshop Times (1 hour)
January 1	January 31	12/27/2023	January 4, 11, 18, 25	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT
February 5	March 6	1/31/2024	February 8, 15, 22, 29	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT
March 4	April 3	2/28/2024	March 7, 14, 21, 28	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT
April 1	May 1	3/27/2024	April 4, 11, 18, 25	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT
May 6	June 5	4/24/2024	May 9, 16, 23, 30	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT
June 3	July 3	5/29/2024	June 6, 13, 20, 27	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT
August 5	September 4	7/31/2024	August 8, 15, 22, 29	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT
September 2	October 2	8/28/2024	Sept 5, 12, 19, 26	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT
October 7	November 6	10/2/2024	Oct 10, 17, 24, 31	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT
November 4	December 4	10/30/2024	Nov 7, 14, 21, Dec 5	1:00 or 6:00 p.m. MT