This 12-credit certificate will provide a solid foundation in leadership concepts and employment relations that can enhance student leadership and managerial skills. The Foundations of Organizational Leadership certificate provides an introduction to key leadership concepts and practices and provides students with the knowledge and skills that are characteristic of effective leaders. Certificate programs focus on a specific skill set, allowing you to earn this Penn State credential in a relatively short time. The courses can be applied to the bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership.
An education that fits your life
Specifically built for adult learners, students will learn with a Penn State instructor and other adult learners. Accelerated evening courses meet once a week for seven weeks in-person or via live video instruction with online learning components. As a participant either in the classroom or via video technology, students can communicate with the instructor and interact with other students. Certificate features the ability to:
- Complete a Penn State 12-credit certificate in one year, during the fall and spring semesters of one academic year.
- Increase your leadership and management skills while gaining skills that are characteristic of effective leaders.
- Gain specialized knowledge on workplace and employment issues from both the employee's and employer's perspective.
- Build your resume to advance your career, quickly.
Career potential
Open positions for employment relations and leadership skills can generally be found in human resources or as managers, coordinators or supervisors in a variety of industries including healthcare, education, manufacturing and real estate.
Source: Burning Glass Technologies’ Labor Insight™ Real-time Labor Market Information tool.
Certificate requirements and curriculum
Students seeking the Foundations of Organizational Leadership Certificate must complete 12 credits earning a minimum of a “C” grade in the following course work:
OLEAD 100 (3 credits) - Introduction to Leadership
Introduction to key leadership concepts and practices to show students the knowledge and skills that are characteristic of effective leaders. This course is designed to increase your ability to:
- Describe fundamental principles of leadership and how they relate to becoming an effective leader
- Apply leadership concepts to case studies, self-assessment questionnaires and common leadership challenges
- Embrace diversity and inclusion
- Address ethics in leadership
OLEAD 201 (3 credits) – Organizational Theory and Functions for Leaders
Explores the various functions of organizations laying strong foundations for future coursework including leadership, financial, communications, technology, production and sales. This course is designed to increase your ability to:
- Define organization, organizational theory, and organizational behavior.
- Describe the major functions of an organization (leadership, communication, teamwork, operations, etc.).
- Describe the major organizational behaviors (motivation, job performance, effectiveness, etc.).
- Determine the interconnections among organizational functions and behaviors.
OLEAD 210 (3 credits) – Evidence-Based Leadership
Utilization of strong information and facts to increase the likelihood of success of leadership in organizations. This course is designed to increase your ability to:
- Recognize different types of evidence.
- Evaluate quality of evidence.
- Locate strong factual evidence.
- Interpret evidence.
- Use evidence to make leadership decisions.
- Implement evidence-based strategies (interventions).
OLEAD/LER 465 (3 credits) - Collective Decision Making
Application of theories of decision making to work-related issues in groups and organizations requiring collective resolution and action. This course is designed to increase your ability to:
- Develop an appreciation of the processes (single-motive and mixed-motive) by which those in positions of authority, groups, and organizations make consequential choices.
- Become familiar with what distinguishes good decision making (rational) from poor decision making (non-rational and/or irrational).
- Learn, as well as develop skill in, what one can do to enhance the likelihood that decisional outcomes will be optimal rather than suboptimal.
