Widener’s graduate certificate programs expand your education expertise without fully committing to a multi-year master’s or doctoral program, with an option to later matriculate into master’s and doctoral programs.
Our Center for Education’s graduate certificate programs expand your expertise in a variety of disciplines without having to fully commit to a multi-year master’s or doctoral program. If you decide later to pursue a full advanced degree, your credits will matriculate into the corresponding master’s and doctoral programs.
Certificates include:
Counselor Coach Certificate
Higher Education Leadership and Administration Certificate
The counselor coach certificate is designed to prepare you with knowledge and skills to engage students in a supportive, nurturing way when they exhibit challenging behaviors and emotional distress. The 12-credit counselor coach certificate will have a sequence of four graduate courses with a field experience component. You may complete the sequence within one academic year.
If you want to acquire new knowledge and develop skills grounded in theory, scholarship, educational research and best practices, this 15-credit hybrid/online graduate certificate in higher education leadership and administration will enable you to pursue your goals. You’ll learn how the field of higher education is organized and studied, best practices in institutional effectiveness, and how to integrate data and theories into decision-making practices.
This 12-credit certificate program is designed for working professionals who want to develop their expertise in online instruction. The certificate in online teaching will help instructors develop insights and strategies into how they can develop curricula, implement instruction, and assess student learning in an online environment.
Official transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate coursework are needed for admission into certificate programs. Official transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate coursework are needed for admission into certificate programs.
We have rolling admissions, so you may enter the program in any semester.
Two letters of recommendations are needed for admission into certificate programs.
Applicants will have an admissions interview with a faculty advisor.
Our Center for Education certificate programs prepare you for professional advancement within counselor coaching and higher education.
A Professional Learning Community
You will take courses as part of a professional learning community (PLC), where your knowledge and work experience are integrated with that of others. You'll take the fast-track to developing leadership, consultative, and collaborative skills.
Choosing Widener’s graduate certificate programs is an investment in you—your education, your career, and your future. You'll benefit from individualized mentoring relationships with your professors and advisors.
Faculty
Get to know our faculty who teach in our certificate programs.
"I have authored or co-authored 15 publications in top-tier education journals and am honored to be a highly rated online professor of Widener students."
Associate Dean of the College of Health & Human Services
"My philosophy for teaching graduate courses in educational leadership revolves around the importance of integrating theory and practice. I believe my courses need to be grounded in research and theory related to students' particular areas of study, and also provide opportunities for students to apply that research and theory to practice."
"Learning to be a teacher requires discipline and hard work. Learning to be great teacher requires passion and a deep dedication to the many and diverse children that we serve."
When the pandemic struck, Widener education faculty developed a webinar to help teachers learn more about online instruction. It focused on collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking and led some participants to enroll in Widener's online teaching endorsement certification program.
People will continue to seek post-secondary education to accomplish their career goals. More post-secondary education administrators will be needed to serve the needs of additional students.
At Widener, opportunities for financial aid extend to graduate students. Discover how Widener can help make obtaining your degree possible.
Apply
We’re glad you made the decision to apply. All applications and supplemental materials are submitted through the online application system. There is a $35 application fee to apply to Widener.