diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 77d12d4..341f204 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -10395,8 +10395,7 @@
         "ansi-regex": {
           "version": "2.1.1",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true,
-          "optional": true
+          "dev": true
         },
         "aproba": {
           "version": "1.2.0",
@@ -10417,14 +10416,12 @@
         "balanced-match": {
           "version": "1.0.0",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true,
-          "optional": true
+          "dev": true
         },
         "brace-expansion": {
           "version": "1.1.11",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
-          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "balanced-match": "^1.0.0",
             "concat-map": "0.0.1"
@@ -10439,20 +10436,17 @@
         "code-point-at": {
           "version": "1.1.0",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true,
-          "optional": true
+          "dev": true
         },
         "concat-map": {
           "version": "0.0.1",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true,
-          "optional": true
+          "dev": true
         },
         "console-control-strings": {
           "version": "1.1.0",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true,
-          "optional": true
+          "dev": true
         },
         "core-util-is": {
           "version": "1.0.2",
@@ -10569,8 +10563,7 @@
         "inherits": {
           "version": "2.0.3",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true,
-          "optional": true
+          "dev": true
         },
         "ini": {
           "version": "1.3.5",
@@ -10582,7 +10575,6 @@
           "version": "1.0.0",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
-          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "number-is-nan": "^1.0.0"
           }
@@ -10597,7 +10589,6 @@
           "version": "3.0.4",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
-          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "brace-expansion": "^1.1.7"
           }
@@ -10605,14 +10596,12 @@
         "minimist": {
           "version": "0.0.8",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true,
-          "optional": true
+          "dev": true
         },
         "minipass": {
           "version": "2.3.5",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
-          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "safe-buffer": "^5.1.2",
             "yallist": "^3.0.0"
@@ -10631,7 +10620,6 @@
           "version": "0.5.1",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
-          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "minimist": "0.0.8"
           }
@@ -10712,8 +10700,7 @@
         "number-is-nan": {
           "version": "1.0.1",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true,
-          "optional": true
+          "dev": true
         },
         "object-assign": {
           "version": "4.1.1",
@@ -10725,7 +10712,6 @@
           "version": "1.4.0",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
-          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "wrappy": "1"
           }
@@ -10811,8 +10797,7 @@
         "safe-buffer": {
           "version": "5.1.2",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true,
-          "optional": true
+          "dev": true
         },
         "safer-buffer": {
           "version": "2.1.2",
@@ -10848,7 +10833,6 @@
           "version": "1.0.2",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
-          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "code-point-at": "^1.0.0",
             "is-fullwidth-code-point": "^1.0.0",
@@ -10868,7 +10852,6 @@
           "version": "3.0.1",
           "bundled": true,
           "dev": true,
-          "optional": true,
           "requires": {
             "ansi-regex": "^2.0.0"
           }
@@ -10912,14 +10895,12 @@
         "wrappy": {
           "version": "1.0.2",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true,
-          "optional": true
+          "dev": true
         },
         "yallist": {
           "version": "3.0.3",
           "bundled": true,
-          "dev": true,
-          "optional": true
+          "dev": true
         }
       }
     },
diff --git a/src/profile/services.js b/src/profile/services.js
index 691dee9..99e84c1 100644
--- a/src/profile/services.js
+++ b/src/profile/services.js
@@ -142,10 +142,19 @@ export async function patchPreferences(username, params) {
 function transformCertificateData(data) {
   const transformedData = [];
   data.forEach((cert) => {
+    // download_url may be full url or absolute path.
+    // note: using the URL() api breaks in ie 11
+    const urlIsPath = typeof cert.download_url === 'string' &&
+      cert.download_url.search(/http[s]?:\/\//) !== 0;
+
+    const downloadUrl = urlIsPath ?
+      `${config.LMS_BASE_URL}${cert.download_url}` :
+      cert.download_url;
+
     transformedData.push({
       ...camelCaseObject(cert),
       certificateType: cert.certificate_type,
-      downloadUrl: new URL(cert.download_url, config.LMS_BASE_URL).toString(),
+      downloadUrl,
     });
   });
   return transformedData;