Foundations of Professional Development

Get Leadership Skills

Employers Want With Foundations of Professional Development.

Gain a competitive edge in your career with a graduate certificate in professional leadership. You’ll learn skills that are similar to earning an MBA—for half the time and cost.

Our multidisciplinary approach includes instructors from various campus divisions to enhance your technical expertise with critical leadership skills. Learn how to:

• Deliver dynamic presentations
• Spot and analyze industry trends
• Lead teams
• Manage projects and change
• Negotiate effectively to get what you want
• Understand legal, financial and marketing concepts.

In just nine credits, you will have the skills and perspectives that today’s employers want in their leadership.

Is this certificate right for you?

If you want to grow your career while positioning yourself for increased management opportunities, this certificate gives you the professional leadership credentials you need.

Bonus: Our flexible learning schedule will make it easy for you to balance your work and education, even when you’re working full-time and juggling personal commitments.

Customize Your Learning Experience

Your nine-credit certificate will be built from 14 one-credit courses in areas such as information and project management, communication, marketing, negotiations, and legal studies. These courses are designed to give you insight and experience working beyond your specific expertise.

Each course is eight weeks. Throughout these course sprints, you’ll be immersed in projects alongside other professionals who share similar challenges and passions.

Complete the certificate in as little as 10 months, or work at your own pace. The choice is yours.

APPLY TODAY!

 

Gainful Employment Act Disclosure

Gain Professional Leadership Skills When It’s Right For You

Get the skills employers are seeking from MBA grads in as little as 10 months with this online graduate certificate. Stack your courses to complete the certificate in less than one year, or spread the courses over three years to fit your work/life balance.

Not only will this graduate-level certificate look great on your resume and transcripts, it may also give you a headstart toward further learning. Several of the certificate credits transfer into other UW-Madison online graduate programs.

Develop Your Skills With a Three-Dimensional Approach

Shape the learning experience that’s right for you by combining your required core courses with electives of your choice. Each course is categorized by an area of development—organizational, personal, or team. By completing courses in all three areas, you will have the skills that many employers have identified as strengths in their highest performing leaders. For example, you will learn how to lead teams and manage projects or change in your organization.

Learn From Instructors With Real-World Experience

Learn from professionals who have been in your shoes. They will share knowledge, proven strategies and tools they have learned in their professional careers to help you excel in yours. Our instructors have a dynamic range of backgrounds and experience in academia and industry. Their common thread is their passion for applied learning. As a result, our classes are created for interactive application of knowledge, not one-and-done academic exercises.

What are you waiting for? Find out more today!

Click here to download a certificate planning tool and learn more about the courses.

Click here to download a list of upcoming course offerings.

Required Courses

Connected Learning Essentials Leading Teams Organizational Communication

Personal Development (Complete one or both)

Professional Presentations Writing for Professionals

Team Development (Complete one or both)

Project Management Change Management

Organizational Development (Complete one or both)

Key Legal Concepts for Professionals Ethics for Professionals

Finish Your Nine

Managing Digital Information Financial and Business Acumen Effective Negotiation Strategies Creating Breakthrough Innovations Marketing for Professionals

Faculty

Admission Requirements

1. Hold bachelor’s degree or equivalent credential from an accredited college or university.
2. A minimum undergraduate grade-point average (GPA) of 3.00on the equivalent of the last 60 semester hours (approximately two years of work) or a master’s degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00. Applicants from an international institution must have a strong academic performance comparable to a 3.00 for an undergraduate or master’s degree. All GPAs are based on a 4.00 scale. We use your institution’s grading scale; do not convert your grades to a 4.00 scale.
3. Applicants whose native language is not English must provide scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The minimum acceptable score on the TOEFL is 580 on the written version, 243 on the computer version, or 92 on the Internet version.

International applicants must have a degree comparable to an approved U.S. bachelor’s degree.

 

Applications are accepted on a rolling schedule. Students can begin the program at the start of any term (Fall, Spring, or Summer). Applications are being accepted now.

Step 1: Email your intent to apply

Step 2: Submit online application

Step 3: Request Transcripts and Letters of Recommendation

Step 4: Complete a Phone Interview

Step 5: The Admission Decision

Tuition

Tuition

The certificate program tuition is $1,300 per credit (based on 2015-16 tuition rates), payable at the beginning of each semester. Students are billed for courses in which they are enrolled each term. Financial aid is not available.

Tuition Includes

Live web conferencing Toll-free telephone line for the audio portion of conference calls Library use Use of the web conferencing software for group project work for program courses  There are no additional fees, such as distance learning fees or segregated fees.

High Return on Investment
You will see an immediate return on investment with each course your employee completes in the Foundations program. Course content, assignments, and projects are based off of students’ workplace experience and are designed to be immediately applicable in their organizations.

No Interruption to Employee’s Availability
In a different time zone? Working night shifts? Unexpected work trip overseas? No problem. Our online format allows the program to travel to students, wherever they may be in the world. Even weekly live-webconference sessions with the instructor are recorded and archived for students who may miss a week due to a schedule conflict. We have designed the program to ensure your employees can balance their role as our students with ease.

Proven Program from a Top-Ranked University
The UW–Madison graduate capstone certificate your employee will earn has the same high-quality standards and academic status as a credential earned on-campus. The only difference is that UW’s program is conveniently delivered online for working professionals.