Certificate Programs

The following eighteen-hour certificate programs are available:

• Organizational Leadership

This 18-hour Certificate is  an alternative to the complete Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership for students looking to build critical leadership skills improve organizational effectiveness. .

Minimum Requirements for Admission to the Certificate Program

The applicant must:

1. Have earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited institution of higher education.
2. Have maintained a GPA of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) in the last 60 hours of undergraduate courses.
3. Complete a graduate application form, accompanied by a non-refundable application fee.
4. Submit official undergraduate and graduate transcripts from all institutions of higher education previously attended.
5. Submit an essay concerning one's personal and professional goals.(specific directions will be provided)

Relationship to Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership

Students who earn a certificate may apply all certificate courses to the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership and do not have to reapply for the entrance into the master's program. Please see Organizational Leadership / Master of Arts for information on the master's program.

Contact the Graduate Program Director for master's program policies which are pertinent to the certificate program as well. [The undergraduate BA to MA option does not apply to applicants for the Certificate programs.]

Student-At-Large

A student-at-large is not a degree candidate. In order to be admitted as a student-at-large, the applicant must submit official documentation of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited institution of higher education and complete a modified application form. The decision to admit an at-large student to graduate courses belongs to the Graduate Program Director, whose decision is based on an evaluation of the applicant’s undergraduate coursework and possibly an interview. However, should the student decide to apply for full admission status at a later time, but within 5 years of course completion, only a maximum of 6 semester hours of graduate coursework completed as a student-at-large can be applied toward the certificate, and only courses with grades of B or better will count toward the certificate.

Transfer Admission Procedures

Students may apply up to 3 semester hours of graduate-level work from other regionally-accredited institutions to their certificate program. (Students who earned their master's in MAOL from Lewis University may, with permission of the Graduate Program Director, apply specific courses-up to 6 credit hours-to this certificate program.) The following conditions apply to the acceptance of transfer credit:

1. Only a course with a grade of B or better will be accepted.
2. Coursework must have been completed at a regionally-accredited graduate school.
3. Appropriateness of coursework will be decided by the Graduate Program Director at the time of the student’s application to the program.
4. Courses from outside the United States will be considered if they are evaluated as graduate level by the Office of Admission or the Commission on Accreditation of the American Council on Education.
5. Transferred credit may not exceed 3 semester hours in any case.

Certificate Requirements

1. Successful completion of 18 credit hours of graded coursework, of which at least 15 hours must be taken at Lewis University. No more than 3 credit hours in graduate coursework may be transferred in from a regionally-accredited institution of higher education.
2. Successful completion of all required courses listed below.
3. Students will be permitted to repeat a course only one time.
4. Achievement of an overall GPA of 3.0 in all courses taken at Lewis University included in the certificate program.