Many SDSU Alumni lifetime Members have already taken advantage of an amazing benefit of their memberships: a 20% discount on select professional development certificate non-credit programs offered through SDSU Global Campus.

Since the discount program was launched in 2020, SDSU Alumni lifetime members have cashed in their membership benefits to help further their educations, advance their careers, or just study an area of personal interest through Global Campus’ convenient online courses.

Here are two of their stories.

Leah Fisher

Leah Fisher graduated from SDSU in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management. After working in area hotels and initially focusing on a career as a director of food and beverage services, Fisher shifted her career toward project management.

“I think it’ll just open up a lot more opportunities for me,” Fisher said. “I like the concept of project management and you can do that in so many different fields, it’s so broad.”

She currently is a Project Lead and Project Management at Oldcastle Infrastructure, a manufacturer of precast concrete for construction projects, and is about halfway through the nine classes needed to earn her Professional Certificate in Project Management through SDSU Global Campus.

Fisher said she likes the online format, which means her classes meet one evening per week for five to six weeks, allowing her to balance her work and personal life with continuing her education.

“It’s a lot of group work,” she said of the classes. “You get put in a group and then the instructor will lecture for 40 minutes, then you do an activity together. I like that format because three hours of just lecture can be tough. I like how it’s more interactive, how it’s laid out.”

When Fisher started searching for online project management certificate programs, she found the program offered by her alma mater and then learned she could get a discount on the courses by becoming a Alumni lifetime member, which she did in January 2023.

“I saw I could get a discount and I thought ‘Wow, this could be really worth it. I can get a discount on this program I’ve been thinking about doing for a while.’ I sort of took it as a sign that it was the right thing to do.”

Tina Krider

Tina Krider

Trina Krider graduated from SDSU in 1995 with a double major in journalism and psychology and now works on campus as an administrative support coordinator for the SDSU Department of Psychology Master’s program. She became a Lifetime Alumni member in 2000.

In September 2020, Krider used the SDSU Alumni lifetime member discount to take 10 online classes – including Meeting Planning Basics, Effective Networking and Resumes, Event Safety, Security and Risk Management, and Weddings and Social Events – which counted towards the Professional Certificate in Meeting and Event Planning she earned in April 2021.

“I had wanted to do it for several years, but I could never fit it into my schedule,” Krider said of taking the Global Campus courses. “So the fact that it was online during the pandemic, I was able to do the courses online instead of having to come in person and that helped a lot.”

Getting a 20% discount on the program fees also helped convince her that it was the right time to add to her resume with a professional certificate.

“It really was huge,” she said of the discount. “I knew I wanted to come back and take some classes, and that definitely helped. It’s a really great benefit.”

Krider, whose daughter Emma will be attending SDSU as a freshman this fall, said she is considering taking more online classes through Global Campus to further her career or just explore an area of interest.

“With Global Campus, I’d be interested in taking classes here and there or maybe getting another certificate,” she said.

How Does it Work?

If you are an SDSU Alumni lifetime member, contact an SDSU Alumni team member at alumni@sdsu.edu to find out how to receive your lifetime membership discount on select SDSU Global Campus programs.

The 20% discount cannot be combined with any other offers, such as early registration discounts offered by some programs. Discounts will be applied via a promo code lifetime members can access through the SDSU Alumni mobile app. Visit the Global Campus website to learn more about this benefit.