The graduate certificate in management and leadership program consists of four 3-credit hour courses (12 credit hours of course work). Students will be responsible for prerequisite knowledge as determined by course instructors and listed in the Graduate Catalog. 

Required course:

• BUS 6121: Teambuilding and Leadership - Taught Fall Semester

Choose three courses from the following:

• IST 5168/Philosophy 4368 : Law and Ethics in E-Commerce
• IST 5251: Technological Innovation Management and Leadership - taught fall and spring semesters
• IST 6261: Advanced Information Systems Project Management - taught spring semester
• BUS 5470: Human Resource Management - taught spring semester
• BUS 5580: Strategic Management - taught spring semester
• BUS 6111: Advanced Business Negotiations
• BUS 6150: Advanced Customer Focus and Satisfaction - taught spring semester
• EMGT 5320: Project Management - taught fall, spring, and summer semesters

Please check the semester wise Schedule of Classes for a current listing of the courses available for distance students.

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BUS 6121: Teambuilding and Leadership
This class will teach students how to work well in teams and lead teams and organizations. Management, networking, presentation skills, and sustainable business practices will be covered. MBA core.

Elective Courses:

IST 5168/Philosophy 4368: Law and Ethics in E-Commerce
Provides the ethical framework to analyze the ethical, legal, and social issues that arise for citizens and computer professionals regarding the computerization of society. Topics include: free speech, privacy, intellectual property, product liability, and professional responsibility. 

IST 5251: Technological Innovation Management and Leadership
The course focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary for the development and implementation of effective strategies for the management of technology-based organizations. This involves: developing a general management perspective on technology and innovation, examining the problems of new product development, identifying distinctive technological competencies, licensing and marketing technologies, assessing the organizational and industrial context of technology. Prerequisite: Senior or Graduate Standing

IST 6261: Advanced Information Systems Project Management
Project management principles, first from a general perspective, and then focused specifically on information system application development are explored. Topics include requirements analysis, project scheduling, risk management, quality assurance, testing, and team coordination. Report writing and research literature searches are required. Prerequisites: IS&T MS Entrance requirements, with strong programming knowledge.

BUS 5171: Advanced Business Negotiation
The purpose of this course is to understand the practices and processes of negotiation so that you can negotiate successfully in a variety of settings. The course is designed to be relevant to the broad spectrum of negotiation problems faced by managers, consultants, etc. A negotiation project is also required. Prerequisite: Graduate status.

BUS 5470: Human Resource Management
The course examines employee selection, performance appraisal, training and development, compensation, legal issues, and labor relations. Prerequisite: Bus 1110.

BUS 5580: Strategic Management
Study of the formulation and implementation of corporative, business and functional strategies designed to achieve organizational objectives. Case studies and research reports may be used extensively. Prerequisites: MKT 3110 or Eng Mgt 3510; Finance 2150 or Eng Mgt 3200; Senior standing.

BUS 6111: Advanced Business Negotiations
The purpose of this course is to understand the practices and processes of negotiations for negotiating successfully in a variety of settings. The course is designed to be relevant to the broad spectrum of negotiation problems faced by managers, consultants, etc. A negotiation project is also required. Prerequisites: Graduate standing.

BUS 6150: Advanced Customer Focus and Satisfaction
Major emphasis is given to the concept of customer focus, with coverage of techniques for obtaining customer needs, measuring customer satisfaction, developing products and services to satisfy customers, and minimizing the benefits of customer feedback. Individual focused research is included. Prerequisite: EMGT 3510 or MKT 3105 or EMGT 3510. (Co-listed with MKT 6150) 

EMGT 5320: Project Management
Organization structure and staffing; motivation, authority and influence; conflict management; project planning; network systems; pricing, estimating, and cost control; proposal preparation; project information systems; international project management. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing. 

* Curriculum is subject to change. Please contact the department for up-to-date information on courses. Other courses approved by the department may be substituted for any of the above listed courses on a case-by-case basis. The administrative coordinators must approve the substitution prior to enrolling in the course.

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The graduate certificate program is open to all individuals holding a BS, MS or PhD degree in areas such as business, social sciences, technology, engineering, or related disciplines. In order to receive a graduate certificate, the student must have an average graduate cumulative grade point of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale in the certificate courses taken. Students admitted only to the certificate program will have non-degree graduate status but will earn graduate credit for the courses they complete. The courses in the certificate program are offered such that students can complete the program in a timely manner.  If the four-course sequence approved by the graduate advisor is completed with a grade of B or better in each of the courses taken, the student will, upon application, be admitted to the Master of business administration or to the master of science in information science and technology.  The certificate courses taken by students admitted to the program will count toward the MBA program or the MS in information science and technology degree program.  

Once admitted to the certificate program, a student will be given three years to complete the program as long as a B or better average is maintained in the courses taken.

Click here for more information on admissions.

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Gainful Employment Program Disclosure

Effective July 1, 2011, the Department of Education requires that all certificate programs must disclose particular Gainful Employment information to current and prospective students. The information that is provided in the disclosure includes the estimated cost of the certificate program as well as on-time graduation and job placement rates for this particular certificate program. The disclosure information is based on data from the 2015-16 school year (defined as the period between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016)

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Graduate certificates were designed as a gateway to a master’s degree. If a student earns a B or better in each certificate course they may continue for the graduate degree (in the corresponding department), without needing to submit GRE/GMAT scores, or letters of recommendation*. A student does not need to continue on for the graduate degree, however most do. Graduate certificates were designed for working professionals who have real life work experience and may not have time to take the GRE/GMAT. Admission requirements for the graduate certificate program are also more relaxed than the graduate degree. This graduate certificate may act as a gateway to the following master’s programs:

Business Administration (MBA)
Information Science and Technology (MS)

(Applicants must indicate which program they wish to use the certificate as a gateway for when initially applying for the certificate).

*Completion of a graduate certificate program does not automatically guarantee admission into a corresponding graduate degree program. To continue in a master’s degree program, you must apply. Click here for details and check with academic department for program specific details and requirements.

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