Lead from your personal strengths, work better with groups and make decisions guided by your values. Understand systems and organizations and lead effectively wherever you are.

The Graduate Certificate in Leadership is a three-month, 9-credit program that offers you a foundation in leadership theory that you can apply directly to your current or future work. You'll practice facilitating teams, leading teams and applying your communications skills, as you study with a group of working professionals.

At Royal Roads University, the real-life leadership* or people management experiences that students bring to the classroom serve to enhance everyone’s learning. We therefore strive to create an interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral, intercultural, and intergenerational learning environment. We invite applications from emerging and established leaders who bring a range of professional experiences to the cohort setting. We review all applications on a case-by-case basis.

Standard admission

• Four-year (or comparable) undergraduate degree from a recognized post-secondary institution, with a minimum GPA of B+ (3.33/4.33).
• Normally a minimum of five years of leadership* experience.
• Applicants who meet the degree requirement, but not the GPA, or have been away from academic writing for more than 10 years, will normally be required to take Academic Writing and Critical Thinking, with a minimum passing grade, prior to commencing the program.

Emerging leaders who have fewer than five years of *leadership experience, yet have been in recent leadership or people management role(s) for two years or more, demonstrate exceptional leadership potential through their professional and life experiences, are preparing for further leadership roles, and otherwise meet the standard admissions criteria, are encouraged to apply.

Flexible admission

Applicants who do not meet the standard admission requirements will be considered for flexible admission and assessed as follows:

• At least 10 years of professional experience, with five years of leadership* experience.
• Flexible admission applicants will normally be required to take Academic Writing and Critical Thinking, with a minimum passing grade, prior to commencing the program.

*Leadership experience could include one or more of the following:

1. Formal organizational leadership roles in which you directly supervise staff or complete performance-oriented work with individuals, groups, or teams.
2. Leadership roles in volunteer organizations.
3. Roles in which you consult, negotiate with, or manage diverse interest groups through relationship, in a complex environment.
4. Roles in which you lead others toward shared goals and outcomes.
5. Roles in which you influence, organize, and coordinate groups of people.
6. Overcoming a challenging life experience (for self or others), which involved navigating complex systems and resulted in positive community change beyond the individual. 

Please ensure that you demonstrate your leadership experience in your detailed resume, and clearly indicate how your years of experience meet the standard or flexible admission requirements.

• Work Experience