Undergraduate Catalog 2024-2025

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Leadership Certificate Program

Program Requirements and Course Sequence. Successful completion of the Leadership Certificate Program will earn a student a Georgia College Certificate in Leadership Studies. The certificate in leadership studies is a pre-baccalaureate (undergraduate) embedded certificate, according to the University System of Georgia guidelines set forth in the Academic & Student Affairs Handbook, § 2.3.8. As an embedded certificate, the certificate in leadership studies is awarded to a student upon completion of a degree. To earn a Certificate in Leadership Studies from Georgia College, a student must complete the Leadership Certificate Program. The Leadership Certificate Program requires three sequenced, scaffolded steps: the Colloquium, Leadership Practice, and the Leadership Seminar. At the completion of the program, students will have earned Georgia College's Certificate in Leadership Studies, noted on their academic transcripts and coded in each student's academic record.

Colloquium. In Georgia College’s gateway leadership course, “How to Change the World” (LEAD 2010), students learn about principles for effective leadership by examining leadership theoretically and in historical case studies. The theoretical orientation prepares them to make both positive and normative statements about leadership—the practice of mobilizing people to achieve a desired end—and about public affairs—employing effective leadership in the public sphere as a civic good. Students bridge the divide between theory and practice, exploring the relationship between leadership and power, authority, and citizenship.

Leadership Practice. Students may complete one of three experiences.

  1. Leadership Practicum. Each semester, Georgia College leadership students complete practica in the community. Practica are projected-based assignments in which students apply their knowledge of leadership and public policy to solving a problem for an organization or community group. Students register for “Leadership Practicum,” (LEAD 2020).

  2. Intercultural Leadership Program. Students may complete our summer Intercultural Leadership Program based in Strasbourg, France.

  3. GC in DC Internship. Students may complete a Washington-based internship through the GC in DC program.

Leadership Seminar. Leadership seminars fuse theory with contemporary challenges of public and corporate leadership. Always with an eye toward practical applications, students practice strategic thinking and problem-solving and aim to connect their studies in leadership to their individual programs of study. Georgia College offers two options for the Leadership Seminar.

  1. Annual Leadership Seminar. Each year, the Office of Leadership Programs offers an advanced seminar, “Special Topics in Leadership” (LEAD 4950). Those seminars feature of range of approaches and approaches and connect leadership to a more specialized topic.

  2. Other Course. Another upper division course may be approved by the Office of Leadership Programs and Leadership Faculty Advisory Committee. Faculty affiliates are invited to develop seminars that integrate the theory and practice of leadership with their disciplines.

Program Governance and Administration. Authority in matters of curriculum, program requirements, course sequencing, and admission and selection shall be vested in the Leadership Faculty Advisory Committee and exercised by the director of leadership programs.

Application and Admission Procedures. To apply for admission, a student must complete the requisite online application form, appending a resume or CV. Application deadlines are October 1st for spring admission and March 1st for fall admission. Transfer students who apply by July 31st will be considered for fall admission. To qualify for application to the Leadership Certificate Program, students must:

  • Have completed at least fifteen credit hours by the anticipated start of their program experience.

  • Hold a minimum grade-point average of 3.0.

  • Be willing and able to enroll in the program's colloquium, "How to Change the World" (LEAD 2010), and to complete the Leadership Practice and Leadership Seminar requirements, totaling a minimum of nine credit hours.

  • Maintain Good Academic Standing, as defined by the University Registrar, and abide by the Georgia College Honor Code.

On behalf of the Leadership Faculty Advisory Committee, the director of leadership programs will invite qualified students to accept admission into the program and will register them for LEAD 2010.

Enrollment. The Leadership Certificate Program serves students from every major program of study and with a broad range of academic and professional aspirations. A student will be considered enrolled in the Leadership Certificate Program if he or she (1) has been admitted to the program, (2) has not affirmatively withdrawn from the program, and (3) has remaining requirements for completion of the program. Students may defer their admission to the program for up to one academic term.

For more information, visit www.gcsu.edu/leadership/certificate.