New graduate certificate will hone skills to navigate successful organizational transformation

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western Michigan University is launching a new graduate certificate that is designed for individuals who wish to drive successful organizational change.

The Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology's new graduate certificate in organizational change leadership (OCL) will be offered in both a hybrid and online format beginning fall semester 2024.

"We are excited to offer this pathway for leaders across all sectors to explore new perspectives and strengthen their abilities to guide change and elevate their organizations and communities," says Dr. Tova Sanders, associate professor of organizational change leadership.

Given the ability to lead change is one of the most sought-after skills of people working in organizations, this 12-hour certificate program is designed for professionals working in any type of organization in any functional area. Students achieve new change leadership abilities to augment the role of their current position, or they leverage the new skills to attain change management or organizational development positions either in their current organizations or other organizations. Some graduates of the program have gone on to launch their own consulting practices. 

An Master of Arts in OCL was first offered at Western in 2017 after a re-design of the M.A. in organizational learning and performance program. OCL emphasizes cross cultural understandings and is designed to build change competence at the individual, group, and organizational levels. The M.A. has expanded since that time, and WMU now offers a Ph.D. in education and human development program with a concentration in OCL. 

"I really appreciated that the OCL program focused, not only on practices and models, but also the human and emotional side too," says Sarah Miklusicak, M.A.'21, organizational change leadership, director of human resources at Lake Michigan Credit Union. "Not only do you explore large scale change, but you also explore being a change agent on a day-to-day basis. And when we really think about our lives and the amount of change that we are exposed to, it's everywhere."

For more information, visit the organizational change leadership graduate certificate webpage.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.