Graduate Certificates

If you want to develop the skills to lead social change in organizations, communities and businesses, the Center for Creative Change offers seven graduate certificate programs. Each focuses on a different subject area.

Six of the certificates can be completed in just nine months and a seventh may be completed in 12.

If you have a bachelor's or master's degree and want to strengthen your skills as a change agent, these graduate-level certificates can give you an added career advantage, offer opportunities for networking and provide an easy way to see if graduate school is what you’d like to pursue.

Certificate Programs

Convenient Classes

Classes meet for one extended weekend a month, so you can continue to work while earning your graduate certificate.

For six of the certificates, you take six courses for a total of 18 credits and complete the program in nine months. The Environmental Education certificate involves eight courses for a total of 22 credits and takes 12 months to complete.

For information on applying to a certificate program, click here.

Certificate Program Descriptions

Business Leadership and Change Management
Learn the business and leadership skills necessary to manage change in your company. This certificate is recommended for mid-level managers and above.

Six Courses/18 Graduate Credits

  • Choose three of the following four courses:
    • Finance: Stakeholders and the Bottom Line
    • Socially Responsible Marketing
    • Strategic Thinking and Planning
    • Leadership in Business and Organizational Systems
  • Take three elective courses

Ecological Planning and Design
Become skilled at creating sustainable solutions for today's ecological and social problems. This certificate is recommended for natural resource managers, land use and urban planners, policy analysts and environmental consultants. Ecological designers, and people working for non-profits.

Six Courses/18 Graduate Credits

  • Choose three of the following four courses:
    • Economics and the Environment
    • Environmental Policy and Decision-making Processes
    • Integrative Environmental Science
    • Theories and Practices of Socio-environmental Change
  • Take three elective courses

Effective Communication Strategies
Learn how to design and implement communication strategies that advance creative social change in organizations, communities and society at large. This certificate is s recommended for journalists, writers, filmmakers, media strategists, communications consultants, community leaders and social change advocates. 

Six Courses/18 Graduate Credits

  • Choose three of the following four courses:
    • Communications Media and Technologies
    • Communicating Across Cultures
    • Participatory Communication for Social Change
    • Using Media for Social Change
  • Take three elective courses

Environmental Education
Develop your skills as an environmental educator by becoming knowledgeable about the ideas and methods of environmental education. This certificate is recommended for educators and teachers, parks and recreational personnel, interpretive guides, and anyone interested in raising awareness about environmental issues.

Eight courses/22 Graduate Credits

Courses include: Foundations of Environmental Education, Ecological Sustainability, Integrative Environmental Science, Methods of Environmental Education, Transformative Leadership, Environmental Interpretation, Human Development and Learning Theory, and a Capstone Applied Project.

Note: This certificate can be completed in 12 months.

Integrated Skills for Sustainable Change
Foundational courses prepare you to lead long-lasting, positive change in your organization or community. This certificate is recommended for managers, consultants, community leaders and others who want to learn more about collaborative and systemic approaches to change. 

Six Courses/18 Graduate Credits

Courses include: Communication Design, Critical Inquiry and Ways of Knowing, Global Pluralism, Systemic Thinking for a Changing World, Ecological Sustainability and Transformative Leadership and Change.

Organizational Dynamics
Find ways to use psychological principles to understand and change organizations. This certificate is recommended for professionals who work in human resources, organizational development, labor relations, training and executive coaching.

Six Courses/18 Graduate Credits

  • Choose three of the following four courses:
    • Organizational Theory
    • Practitioner Development
    • Group Dynamics and Facilitation
    • Overview of Organizational Development
  • Take three elective courses

Systems Thinking and Design
Learn to use systemic thinking to design sustainable, creative solutions to the challenges of today. This certificate is recommended for visionaries in corporations, nonprofits and government departments, social service agencies and other types of organizations.

Six Courses/18 Graduate Credits

  • Two systemic theory and philosophy courses
  • Two design theory and practice courses
  • One holistic perspectives course
  • One elective course