In the Graduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership & Management program, you’ll develop the capabilities, confidence, and mindset to elevate the performance of individuals and teams, shape strategy, and drive competitive advantage for your organization. You’ll learn how from top MBA faculty—getting frameworks and tools, knowledge and skills that will position you as a standout leader and manager. With the new capabilities you develop, you’ll be ready to lead and to start making a difference on the job right away—and throughout your career.
This program is designed for:
- Early- to mid-career professionals who aspire to leadership positions
- Professionals who have recently been promoted into leadership positions
- Leaders who want to strengthen their capabilities
- People with a technical background but no management experience
Start Dates
August, October,
January, March, or May
Duration
4-6 Months
Program Fees
$3,840 USD
Credit Hours
12
Learn in-demand skills for managing people and teams
You’ll develop a full set of leadership and management skills you’ll be able to apply immediately, including the ability to:
- Understand the behavioral concepts and theories underlying organizational performance
- Lead, manage, and collaborate with individuals and teams to achieve strong outcomes
- Use proven frameworks and approaches to arrive at executive-level decisions
- Formulate and implement organizational strategies for gaining competitive advantage
- Develop structures to activate organizational strategies effectively
- Demonstrate everyday business leadership and management acumen
Course structure and format
This fully online program is designed to fit the schedules of working professionals.
- Weekly live classes and office hours with top faculty
- Self-paced, downloadable course material on Coursera
- Group discussions and projects with peers around the globe
- Immediately applicable graduate-level coursework
Courses details
The Strategic Leadership & Management Graduate Certificate is comprised of three courses for a total of twelve credit hours. This certificate can be completed in as few as four months. The time commitment is about ten hours per week.
BADM 508: Leadership and Teams
Develops and integrates fundamental behavioral concepts and theory having administrative applications; initially focuses on the individual decision maker and ultimately includes interpersonal, organizational, and social structures and influences; and develops strategies and methods of research on behavioral applications in business.
- 4 Credit Hours; 8-Week Course, Starts in August or January
- Coursera Components: Leading Teams: Developing as a Leader and Leading Teams: Building Effective Team Cultures
- Learn more
BADM 509: Managing Organizations
Examines and analyzes the organization as a social system and the impact of its various components on work attitudes and behavior; topics include the development of organizational structures, organizational effectiveness, decision making and policy formulation, leadership, and change.
- 4 Credit Hours, 8-Week Course, Starts in October or March
- Coursera Components: Designing the Organization: From Strategy to Organization Structure and Managing the Organization: From Organizational Design to Execution
BADM 544: Strategic Management
This course focuses on policy construction and planning of policy implementation at the executive level. During this course, you will look at case studies of company-wide situations from the management point of view.
- 4 Credit Hours, 8-Week Course, Starts in January or May
- Coursera Components: Business Strategy and Corporate Strategy
- Learn more
How to apply
To apply for a graduate certificate program, you'll need to start an online application through the University of Illinois Graduate College.
The following items are required for your application:
- Bachelor’s degree: Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
- Professional resume: This should include personal information (name, address, telephone number, and email address), educational background, work experience (start and end dates for each position and a brief description of responsibilities), educational training, professional associations, and leadership experiences. Please limit your resume to two pages.
- Brief personal statement: A 500-word or less statement describing your interest in the certificate program.
- English proficiency scores (international students only): If you are a non-native English speaker, you will need to upload your TOEFL or IELTS scores directly to your application. Review the Graduate College’s English proficiency requirements for more details on possible exemptions.
Continue your learning journey
Stack your credit hours into a graduate business degree
If you are interested in continuing your education with Gies, the twelve credits you earn in the Strategic Leadership and Management Graduate Certificate can be directly applied to one of three Gies online master's degree - the iMBA, iMSA, or iMSM.
iMBA: Master of Business Administration
- Total Cost: $23,040
- Total Credit Hours: 72
After completion of certificate:
- Total Cost Remaining: $19,200
- Credit Hours Remaining: 60
iMSA: Master of Science in Accountancy
- Total Cost: $20,564 – $27,200
- Total Credit Hours: 32
After completion of certificate:
- Total Cost Remaining: $17,000
- Credit Hours Remaining: 20
iMSM: Master of Science in Management
- Total Cost: $11,520
- Total Credit Hours: 36
After completion of certificate:
- Total Cost Remaining: $7,680
- Credit Hours Remaining: 24
Looking for CPE Credits? This graduate certificate qualifies for credit toward continuing professional education requirements. Upon completion of the course, you can request CPE credit by submitting this online form.
