How to Improve Your Leadership Skills Without a Master’s Degree

Great leaders can bring out the best abilities in their teams, motivate others and solve complex problems in the ever-changing workplace. Regardless of your field or industry, continuing your education can help you earn more and advance in your career — but returning to graduate school for a master’s degree in leadership isn’t your only option.

Seminars, conferences and graduate certificates (sometimes called “professional certificates”) are all viable options to expand your leadership and career skills. However, while conferences and seminars are often low-stakes and affordable ways to develop new skills and gain insight from other professionals in the least amount of time, their long-term impact can be minimal.

Graduate-level certificate programs from accredited colleges and universities, on the other hand, offer longer-lasting impact on your career and allow you to obtain master-level training with lower up-front costs than a master’s degree. Even better? The credits you earn in a high-quality graduate certificate program can be applied toward your master’s degree in a related field if you decide to pursue a degree in the future.

What is a Graduate Certificate?

A graduate certificate is a shorter course of study designed to support working professionals as they pursue advanced knowledge or skills in their area of focus. Graduate certificates can often be completed in under a year, and have a lower up-front cost than a master’s degree.

Graduate certificates can be a great way to get a feel for a subject or career you’re interested in before you commit to a full graduate degree program. Additionally, grad certificates can boost your existing skills, make you more competitive in the job market and demonstrate your readiness for a promotion.

Graduate Certificate vs. Master’s Degree in Leadership

Graduate certificates and graduate degree programs have a lot in common. A high-quality certificate program will often be taught by graduate school faculty and share elements of a master’s degree curriculum. You may find that after completing a graduate certificate program you feel prepared to complete a master’s degree (or maybe even higher!).

The most obvious differences between a graduate certificate program and a master’s degree are the amount of time required to complete the program, the overall cost and the award you receive for completion.

In-person or online grad certificate programs offer many benefits, especially for those who wish to expand their knowledge in fields like leadership, teaching, arts and culture management and restorative justice.

If you’re trying to decide between a graduate certificate or master’s degree, this chart can help you visualize the key differences (you can also see this chart in our interactive resource):

chart from pp

Enhance Your Skills With a Graduate Certificate from the School of Leadership and Education Sciences

If you’re not ready to commit the time or money required for a master’s degree, or you just want to dip your toe into the water of a new field, a graduate certificate from SOLES will set help you improve your leadership skills and set you on the right path to earn a degree in the future.

USD SOLES offers several graduate-level certificate programs that will help you prepare you to advance your career, improve your community and enhance your personal and professional development.

Want to learn more about graduate certificates offered at SOLES? to learn how you can expand your reach at SOLES.

Written By:

We are the admissions team at the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES). SOLES offers graduate and doctoral degrees in Counseling & Marital and Family Therapy, Leadership Studies, and Learning and Teaching. Through inquiry and practice, we combine educational equity with compassionate service to help our students develop the skills and vision necessary to become powerful agents of change.