Every organization needs a strong leader—maybe that leader is you. With the graduate certificate in Organizational Leadership from Penn State Behrend, you can build a foundation in the essential skills needed to navigate challenges, adapt to change, and lead a team to success.
In this 12-credit program, you’ll study the fundamentals of management theory, learning to make effective decisions and improve your critical thinking skills. You’ll also develop technical skills to analyze problems through hands-on coursework and real-world case studies.
The certificate program can act as a stand-alone to help you develop your leadership skills or can be applied toward your MBA studies at Behrend, should you be accepted into that program. Plus, the program is flexible and convenient, with online courses and opportunities for part-time study—making it easy to fit into your busy life.
Courses
Four courses are required for the Organizational Leadership certificate program: Managing Effective Organizations (BADM 512, hybrid), Leadership and Ethics (BADM 526, hybrid), Negotiations (BADM 828, online), and Organizational Change: Theory and Practice (MGMT 823, online). See the course schedule for offerings in upcoming semesters. For details on courses, see the Graduate Bulletin. Approval from Dr. Charles Brown is required if you would like to apply these credits to the MBA program.
Tuition and Costs
For up-to-date tuition costs, please see Penn State’s Tuition Calculator tool and Tuition Schedules.
If you are enrolled in a certificate program, you are considered non-degree and therefore are not eligible for federal graduate loans. If you are also enrolled in a degree program, you are eligible for federal graduate loans—as long as you are taking at least five graduate-level (400-level courses or higher) credits per semester. Private loans might be an option if you are looking to pursue the certificate program alone.
How to Apply
You can plan to start the Organizational Leadership certificate in either the fall or spring semester. To apply to the certificate program, see the Graduate School application for admissions. If you are pursuing the certificate as part of the MBA degree, you will have to apply for and be admitted to the certificate program separately from the degree program, using the Graduate Certificate Application.
Program Prerequisites
To apply for the Organizational Leadership certificate program, you must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
To enroll in the program, you must demonstrate competence in management, economics, and statistics, either by attaining a B or better in Basic Management Concepts (MGMT 301), Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy (ECON 102) or Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy (ECON 104), and Introduction to Statistics for Business (SCM 200) or equivalents, or by completing an online training module.
Contact
Ready to learn more about the graduate certificate in Organizational Leadership? For application information, contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at [email protected] or 814-898-7255. For program or course information, contact Dr. Charles Brown at [email protected] or 814-898-6432.