Diversity Institute

Certificates and Degrees

Master’s Degree in Diversity Leadership and Change Management
As a track within the MS in Urban Studies degree, this program offers a wide array of learning opportunities beyond the classroom, including a capstone project, graduate assistantships, and internships where students gain practical experience, build professional networks, and enhance their opportunities for job placement and career advancement. The foundational and core content of the program ensures students develop knowledge and skills related to diversity and organizational change, with curriculum in the following areas:

  • Diversity management
  • Organizational behavior and organizational development
  • Leadership and change management
  • Diversity and inclusion
  • Foundations in public administration
  • Nonprofit administration and leadership
  • Human resources management
  • Program evaluation

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Graduate Certificate In Diversity Leadership and Change Management
The Diversity Leadership and Change Management (DLCM) certificate is designed to supplement a student's major area of study by offering basics of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a cohesive, structured manner. The certificate has value that draws upon the diversity of our students and our urban campus. Appropriate for practitioners of all stages in their careers, the program will incorporate theoretically grounded research and guide students to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts in their chosen fields. They will learn about the fundamentals of diversity, equity, and inclusion while obtaining the following insights:

  • Foundations of difference that undergird the basis for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts
  • The history of human behaviors and societal practices and their impact on achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Organizational strategies to foster and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • Awareness of current practices that either hinder or foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in various settings
  • Characteristics of life-long learners and learning-oriented organizations
  • Capacity to collaborate with others in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space
  • Enhanced ability to lead or direct diversity, equity, and inclusion work
  • Management of complex problems in increasingly diverse workplaces in global and domestic settings
  • Professional change management and change leadership skills applicable in their respective workplace sectors, including private, public, and nonprofit

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Professional Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
Understand the multiple complexities associated with diversity dynamics in the workplace. Create the structures to advance adaptive and transformative organizational culture change. Cultivate a workplace culture that can effectively leverage its diverse talent. Support leaders in becoming sensitive to and skilled in responding to the needs of its multicultural workforce and consumer population. Each week you will study a self-directed module, then meet with your cohort members and two expert facilitators for a group discussion. Upon completion of all four modules and discussion groups, you receive a Cleveland State University Certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 

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Workshops are supported by Lubrizol.