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Leading Across Difference, Certificate

See Program Details, Dates & Deadlines

Enhance Your Skills to Lead Strategic Organizational Change

Advance your career by gaining the expertise to diagnose organizational challenges, bring people together, and lead lasting change that enhances organizational culture and performance.

Details, Dates & Deadlines

Program Details

Class Format

Online, Full Time, Part Time, Asynchronous

Asynchronous learning means that learning takes place at all different times for students enrolled in a course.

Program Length

9 months

Credits to Complete

13

Cost/Credit Hour

In State: $806.25
Out of State: $1,027.25

  • Online application
  • Official transcripts
  • 300-500 word essay
  • Proof of English language proficiency
  • CV or resume

Dates & Deadlines

Fall Deadline: July 1

Program Overview

Develop Skills Today’s Organizations Need Most 

Modern organizations are navigating rapid cultural, technological, and structural shifts. Leaders who understand how organizations function, why challenges develop, and how to guide people through constant, unpredictable change are in high demand. 

Our certificate in Leading Across Difference provides advanced, graduate-level coursework that can be applied toward the Master of Science in Leadership for Organizational Change program. You'll apply root cause analysis, practice strategic communication, explore the histories and dynamics that shape workplaces, and build a practice of self-reflection, bias awareness, and respectful and equitable engagement across differences. 

Practical Preparation for Immediate Impact 

From the start of this program, you’ll be able to bring what you learn directly into your workplace. You’ll know how to diagnose problems, align stakeholders, and guide organizations through periods of growth, transition, or disruption. By the end of the program, you’ll be ready to lead change efforts that strengthen culture, enhance performance, and support diverse teams.  

These skills translate across sectors, expanding your impact in your current role or positioning you to pursue new opportunities. 

You Will Learn To

  • Analyze organizational systems using evidence-based frameworks 
  • Practice diagnosing the cultural, structural, and strategic challenges modern organizations face
  • Apply root cause analysis to organizational and systemic issues
  • Strengthen skills for working effectively across difference
  • Explore historical and contemporary forces shaping workplace dynamics and how people experience their environment  
  • Study scholarly literature alongside real-world practitioner tools
  • Enhance communication skills for diverse stakeholder groups
  • Build strategies for collaboration and coalition-building
  • Use data to inform decisions and evaluate outcomes 

You Will Be Equipped To

  • Lead strategic, sustainable organizational change 
  • Create environments that support people, and prioritize trust and well-being
  • Navigate complex organizational dynamics with clarity and confidence
  • Implement evidence-based strategies that improve culture and outcomes
  • Communicate a compelling vision and align diverse stakeholders
  • Understand how policy, power, and structures influence organizations
  • Respond effectively to anticipated and unexpected change
  • Lead with resilience, adaptability, and cultural awareness 

  • All five courses will be offered at least once each year to enable you to complete the program in 9 months.
  • Although most students complete the program in 9 months, you will be allowed up to 3 years to complete the program. 

Graduates of the Leading Across Difference certificate are prepared for roles in: 

  • Healthcare Leadership: Guide hospitals, clinics, and health systems in improving patient outcomes and shaping organizational policies that advance access to care. 
  • Philanthropy & Foundation Leadership: Direct grantmaking strategies, community investments, and nonprofit partnerships to ensure that resources are distributed to drive change. 
  • K–12 Education Leadership: Serve as school administrators, design inclusive learning environments, support diverse student populations, and align school policies to encourage universal success.  
  • Organizational Development and Change Consultants: Partner with organizations to reimagine strategies, structures, and practices that ensure fairness and long-term success. 
  • Higher Education Administrators: Lead initiatives focused on student success, institutional effectiveness, and organizational change through evidence-based approaches. 
  • Human Resources and Talent Development Leaders: Develop hiring, retention, and advancement strategies to strengthen organizational performance and employee well-being. 
  • Community and Nonprofit Executives: Shape policies, programs, and services that prioritize access and outcomes for diverse communities. 
  • Government Leadership & Policy Roles: Work within local, state, or federal agencies to design and implement policies that shape settings where all stakeholders can reach their full potential, promote fair distribution of resources, and strengthen community trust in public institutions. 
  • Marketing & Communications Leadership: Develop messaging, campaigns, and communication strategies that reflect organizational values, authentically represent diverse audiences, and build brand identities that resonate with stakeholders. 

Admission Requirements

Upload your transcripts as a supplemental item to the online application. 

You must submit transcripts from each college/university attended, including coursework in progress at time of application.  Unofficial copies may be provided for the application review process.  
If you are offered admission, you must then provide official transcripts from each college/university from which a degree was earned.  The transcript must be provided to the Graduate School directly from the prior, degree-granting institution in a sealed envelope in order for that document to be considered official.  Alternatively, it may be provided to the Graduate School electronically by way of a secure, encrypted platform.  Each transcript should bear the signature of the registrar and the seal of the granting institution. 

Transcripts (US only) may be obtained from/provided by one of the following secure, encrypted transcript services:
https://www.parchment.com/ 
https://www.studentclearinghouse.org/solutions/ed-transcripts/
Send encrypted, electronic transcripts from your issuing institution to: gradapply@umaryland.edu 

If provided by mail, send official transcripts in sealed envelopes to:
ATTN: Admissions
University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies
620 West Lexington Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-1508

Essay
Your essay must be uploaded as a supplemental item to the online application.  The statement should be between 300- to 500-words and should address your academic and/or professional career goals and objectives in pursuing graduate study.   

CV or Resume
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) or resume is required by most graduate programs.  Your CV or resume must be uploaded as part of the online application.

English Language Proficiency (International Applicants Only)
The Graduate School accepts the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) or the Duolingo English Test as a measure of English proficiency.  Minimum required scores are 80 on the Internet-based TOEFL, 7.0 on the IELTS, and 115 on the DET. Scores must be sent directly from ETS (for TOEFL, use institution code #5848), the IELTS agency, or Duolingo to the Graduate School.

Application for in-state status classification
Maryland residents only.  If you wish to be considered for in-state residency status for admission and tuition purposes, you must complete an Application for In-State Classification and submit it to the campus classification officer within the Office of the Registrar.

If you have problems with or questions about the application process, please contact us at 410.706.7131 or gradapply@umaryland.edu 

Contact Us

Admissions

Arielle Faulkner
Admissions Counselor 
afaulkner@umaryland.edu 
410-706-7132

Academics

Dr. Courtney J. Jones Carney 
Program Director
courtney.carney@umaryland.edu

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620 W. Lexington St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 706-3100

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