Leaders are required in a host of fields, which means organizational leadership degree programs should be designed to fit the specific needs and interests of each student.听
One way to do that is by merging a graduate professional certificate with a graduate degree. 四虎影视鈥檚 Master of Science and Doctor of Professional Studies programs in organizational leadership have long incorporated students鈥 current, past or anticipated certificate credits, from both Shenandoah and outside universities.听
Personalized degrees
From their inception, Shenandoah鈥檚 organizational leadership programs were crafted with plenty of room for personalization, said Professor of Research in Organizational and Leadership Studies John R. Goss, III, Ph.D., who directs Shenandoah鈥檚 organizational leadership programs.听
For example, a student interested in a human resources certificate from an outside university could take their certificate courses concurrently with their Shenandoah master鈥檚 or doctoral courses, with the certificate serving as a concentration. The outcome would be earning two credentials: a certificate and a degree.
Within Shenandoah, several health-related certificate programs can serve as concentrations within graduate organizational leadership degrees for those pursuing leadership within health care fields. These certificates include public health, population health and healthcare management.听
Shenandoah鈥檚 organizational leadership programs operate as cohorts, with students learning in person (with the exception of online learning changes necessitated by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic) and gaining a rich and varied educational experience through collaboration with faculty and fellow students.听
Dr. Goss notes that the possibilities are great, both within Shenandoah and outside of it, when it comes to incorporating concurrent certificate studies (either online or classroom-based) into the university鈥檚 organizational leadership graduate degrees, which he says are 鈥渋nfinitely flexible.鈥澛
Save Time and Money
Goss adds that earning a certificate concurrently with an organizational leadership degree also saves students time and money, because the 鈥渃lock starts ticking鈥 on earning one of the graduate degrees as soon as a student begins the certificate program they hope to incorporate聽 鈥 students have five years to complete the master鈥檚 program and eight years to complete the doctoral program.听
That means if a student began their certificate studies three years ago, they would only have two years in which to complete the master鈥檚 program using that certificate as a concentration. Or, the student could choose to earn a graduate degree without using their certificate credits, which would lead to extra educational expenses.听
However, if certificate and graduate studies begin concurrently, both time and money are saved as a student earns a certificate and a degree, completely within the degree鈥檚 time parameters.听
More Information Is Just an Email Away
Goss notes that the programs are open to a wide variety of certificate options being combined with Shenandoah鈥檚 organizational leadership graduate degrees. He also invites anyone interested in crafting a degree tailored to their interests by incorporating a certificate program into it to 鈥渆mail me and we’ll set a time to talk.” Email him at jgoss@su.edu.听