Full-time curriculum

Learn proven approaches to leadership—in just eight months

The Full-Time Graduate Certificate in Leading People & Organizations—designed for students who can commit to eight months of full-time study—helps you strengthen your ability to lead and motivate high-performing teams.

Evening classes run Monday through Thursday, and you can choose from 5:20 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. class times, completing the program in just two semesters.

Tailor your curriculum to your needs

The full-time program is F-1 visa compliant for international students. This may make you eligible to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), allowing you to work in the United States for up to a year after your studies are complete.

You'll take one required course and three electives on our Boston campus. Many of our students also choose to maximize their available credits by taking an additional elective to deepen their learning experience.

The Graduate Certificate in Leading People & Organizations is a great way to gain business skills you can use immediately and also pave the way toward a future master's degree, including the Part-Time MBA. 

Required course

Examines today's evolving environment, in which effective utilization of human resources is a source of competitive advantage. To maximize the contribution of organizational members, managers must be able to understand, diagnose, and influence workplace behavior in the context of change. Topics include management of cross-functional teams and boundaryless organizations. Emphasis is on the role of corporate culture and distributed leadership.

HRMG 6200 | 3 Hours

Electives (Select 3 or 4)

Examines the actions that managers must take to stimulate innovation and direct it in ways that allow the organization to accomplish its goals. Topics include what organization forms are most conducive to innovation, what factors hinder innovativeness and how can they be overcome, and what role managers play in bringing about innovation. Focuses on the actions that companies and their managers can take to design their organizations and systems effectively in order to foster innovativeness. Elements of an organization's infrastructure include design, reward mechanisms, communication patterns, boundary spanning, control systems, leadership at all levels, and the organization's culture.

HRMG 6212 | 3 Hours

Studies and debates the criteria for a great company. As suppliers, customers, employees, or students, everyone has experience with a range of organizations. Some are admired, some are mediocre, and some are dreadful. This course focuses on companies with management practices that produce and sustain extraordinary outcomes such as low cost, amazing service, fast growth, and exceptional quality. Often, these companies are great because they dare to be different and the key question is: “How do they do it?” Explores such topics as organizational culture, organizational design, empowerment, business process improvement, reward systems, and employee and organizational learning. Uses a variety of learning approaches, including case studies, articles, lecture/discussion, videos, and exercises.

HRMG 6218 | 3 Hours

Covers key issues and introduces management principles in health organization management. Offers students an opportunity to apply important theoretical ideas, such as systems thinking and organizational learning, to meet challenges effectively, to learn how the healthcare workplace functions, and how to manage in these workplaces. Emphasizes case-based learning, critical thinking, and evidence-based management using individual and group projects. Introduces cutting-edge tools in areas such as work redesign, performance management, brand enhancement, and quality improvement. Addresses the management imperatives of today's healthcare organizations and how to implement strategies and programs to meet those imperatives effectively. Intended for anyone interested in working or managing within the healthcare industry, including the field of public health.

HRMG 6220 | 3 Hours

Offers students an opportunity to obtain the insights, frameworks, and tools to effectively manage and develop talent in teams and organizations. Also explores promotion and cross-functional systems that strengthen the organization as well as retention strategies to promote and reward high-quality talent. Managing and developing talent is one of the top three issues on the minds of CEOs from around the world. In fact, CEOs cite managing and developing their leadership talent as the issue that is most important to the future success of their business but that their organizations are least capable of addressing effectively. Offers students an opportunity to engage in various activities intended to illustrate and practice the skills involved in implementing talent management systems.

HRMG 6223 | 3 Hours

Designed to improve students' understanding of the negotiations process and their ability to plan and conduct negotiations effectively. Includes such class activities as readings, lectures, and discussions as well as case discussions and role-playing negotiation exercises.

MGMT 6214 | 2,3 Hours

Introduces how to measure and manage a workforce strategically, including (1) identifying the strategic work that is truly necessary to execute firm strategy; (2) investing in differentiated management systems that support that work; and (3) designing and implementing targeted measurement systems, such as human resources function and workforce scorecards, designed to help to hold line managers accountable for strategic talent. Emphasizes helping students move from a focus on levels associated with a particular workforce attribute (e.g., what is our cost per hire?) to understanding the impact of the workforce on business-level outcomes (e.g., how might an increase in the quality of our project managers affect new product cycle time?).

STRT 6210 | 3 Hours

The following is a sample curriculum and is subject to change. Enrolled students should reference the academic catalog for current program requirements.