diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/certificates/README.rst b/lms/djangoapps/certificates/README.rst
index cd6d2b9e50..a15c24505a 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/certificates/README.rst
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/certificates/README.rst
@@ -2,23 +2,20 @@ Status: Maintenance
 
 Responsibilities
 ================
-The Certificates app is responsible for creating and managing course run certificates, including relevant data models for invalidating certificates and managing the allowlist.
+The Certificates app is responsible for creating and managing course certificates, including
+certificate settings, course certificate templates, and generated learner course certificates.
+The app includes  relevant data models for invalidating certificates and managing the allowlist.
 
-Direction: Move and Extract
-===========================
-Certificates related functionality is scattered across a number of places and should be better consolidated. Today we have:
+See Also
+========
+Course Certificates related functionality is scattered across a number of places:
 
 * ``lms/djangoapps/certificates``
-* ``openedx/core/djangoapps/certificates``
+* ``openedx/core/djangoapps/credentials``
 * ``cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views/certificates.py``
 * Various front-end static templates in multiple locations
 
-Ideally, we want to extract these into the `credentials service`_, which would be ultimately responsible for Course-Run and Program certificates (and possibly other credentials). Right now, the `credentials service`_ only manages Program certificates.
+See also the `credentials service`_, which is the system of record for a learner's Program Certificates.
 
 .. _credentials service: https://github.com/openedx/credentials
 
-Glossary
-========
-
-More Documentation
-==================
diff --git a/openedx/core/djangoapps/credentials/README.rst b/openedx/core/djangoapps/credentials/README.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7c30d61516
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openedx/core/djangoapps/credentials/README.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+Status: Maintenance
+
+Responsibilities
+================
+The Credentials app is responsible (along with the `programs app`_)
+for communicating with the `credentials service`_, which is
+the system of record for a learner's Program Certificates, and which (when enabled by the edX
+instance) is the system of record for accessing all of a learner's credentials.
+
+.. _credentials service: https://github.com/openedx/credentials
+
+.. _programs app: https://github.com/openedx/edx-platform/tree/master/openedx/core/djangoapps/programs
+
+See Also
+========
+
+* ``lms/djangoapps/certificates``
+* ``openedx/core/djangoapps/programs``
+
diff --git a/openedx/core/djangoapps/programs/README.rst b/openedx/core/djangoapps/programs/README.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6c5a3946c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openedx/core/djangoapps/programs/README.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+Status: Maintenance
+
+Responsibilities
+================
+The Programs app is responsible (along with the `credentials app`_)
+for communicating with the `credentials service`_, which is
+the system of record for a learner's Program Certificates, and which (when enabled by the edX
+instance) is the system of record for accessing all of a learner's credentials.
+
+It also hosts program discussion forum and program live configuration.
+
+.. _credentials service: https://github.com/openedx/credentials
+
+.. _credentials app: https://github.com/openedx/edx-platform/tree/master/openedx/core/djangoapps/credentials
+
+See Also
+========
+
+* ``lms/djangoapps/learner_dashboard/``,  which hosts the program dashboard.
+* ``openedx/core/djangoapps/credentials``
+