Police Leadership Certificate
A graduate-level professional credential built for current and emerging law enforcement leaders. Enrollment is limited to ten officers each year to ensure intensive engagement and faculty access.
Purpose of the Certificate
Modern policing requires more than supervision or administrative oversight. Leaders must demonstrate integrity, fairness, and accountability while guiding personnel through complex, high-pressure environments. This certificate equips officers with skills grounded in adaptive and authentic leadership, with an emphasis on ethical decision-making and community legitimacy.
Program Advantages
- Leaders learn to operate with integrity and clarity under pressure
- Officers practice leadership aligned with agency values
- Participants develop innovative approaches for dynamic challenges
- Cohorts create resilient, collaborative teams
- Coursework strengthens community trust and internal morale
Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Use adaptive and ethical decision-making in operational and organizational contexts
- Demonstrate leadership anchored in core values
- Build trust-based, high-performance teams
- Guide organizational change without disruption
- Promote community legitimacy and effective internal culture
Program Structure
- Format: Two graduate courses (8 credit hours)
- Schedule: One evening per week, Fall and Spring
- Delivery: In-person, cohort-based
- Course 1: Thinking as a Leader (Fall)
- Focus areas include adaptive decision-making, authentic leadership, and strategic reflection.
- Capstone: A leadership strategy applied to a real agency challenge.
- Course 2: Building Teams & Leading Change (Spring)
- Focus areas include team dynamics, resilience, and organizational culture.
- Capstone: A change initiative designed for implementation within the officer’s agency.
Cost and Value
Tuition: $1,500 per officer, plus books
Key benefits include:
- Values-driven leadership development across supervisory levels
- Stronger succession planning
- Improved crisis response and organizational stability
- Reduced reliance on external consultants
- Graduate credit that applies toward a master’s degree in criminal justice
Enrollment Information
- Limited to ten officers per cohort/year
- Participants must hold a minimum of an undergraduate degree
- An admissions essay is required
