Credentialism? It means an emphasis on acquiring academic credentials in a field before one can be hired.
Before I go any further, let me make clear what it does not mean: Obviously, we want our nurse practitioner to have credentials—that is, to have learned human anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and medical procedure and ethics to the satisfaction of her instructors—before she treats us.
But so many courses today offer a different, cloudier picture. Consider business courses, for example.