EDIB Leadership Certificate Overview
With a graduate certificate in Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) Leadership, you can become a powerful voice for strategic change within your organization. You will gain critical knowledge and skills to address bias and marginalization and to foster an inclusive corporate culture.
Through your coursework, you will:
- Develop a strong understanding of history, bias, and power and privilege in the workplace
- Identify the opportunities and challenges of developing diverse, inclusive, and equitable initiatives and policies
- Become a more effective diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leader
- Learn to facilitate productive conversations that address equity, diversity, and inclusion
- Create a plan for addressing a real-world organizational challenge in DEI
Careers in EDIB
Whether you are seeking to expand your current role in EDIB or you are interested in starting a new career in EDIB leadership, an EDIB Leadership Certificate is a step in the right direction.
Executives, HR specialists, and managers will enhance their inclusive leadership skills to drive change in their organizations.
The certificate will also benefit analysts, program managers, and project coordinators responsible for policies and programs. The toolkit you develop will enable you to develop powerful initiatives to ensure a diverse and equitable workforce.
Our EDIB Curriculum
Our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Leadership Graduate Certificate is designed to give you an interdisciplinary perspective. Your coursework covers topics ranging from history, government, and psychology to management, leadership, and even legal studies.
To complete the certificate, you must take one course from each of the following categories:
- History and Context (recommended first course)
- Core
- Leadership Principles
- Applied Learning (recommended last certificate course)
Within these four categories, you can customize your coursework to focus on areas most beneficial for your career path.
You can find courses by course group and term — fall, spring, or summer — in the certificate course search within DCE Course Search & Registration platform.
Featured Faculty
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![Tracie Denise Jones]()
Tracie Denise Jones
Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, MIT
Teaches Diversity and Inclusion Management
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![LaChaun Banks]()
LaChaun Banks
Director for Equity and Inclusion, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School
Teaches Racial Equity and Economic Development
Earning Your Certificate
Most of our certificates can be completed online and no formal application process is required to pursue a certificate.
To meet the requirements of the EDIB Leadership Certificate you must:
- Complete the four certificate courses for graduate credit.
- Earn at least a B grade in each course.
- Complete the courses within three years.
Courses taken before Fall 2021 cannot be counted toward this certificate.
Learn more about pursuing a certificate and the process of requesting your certificate.
Stack Your Certificate Into a Degree
Stackable credential pathways allow you to earn multiple credentials by completing courses that meet overlapping requirements. In the short term, you can earn your EDIB leadership certificate. Once completed, those four courses may put you a third of the way toward earning a master’s degree in industrial-organizational psychology.
This stackable pathway offers an efficient, cost-effective way to earn short-term credentials to help fill immediate skill gaps and acquire specialized knowledge while building a foundation for long-term success that showcases your expertise in the field.
Learn how to plan a stackable credential pathway.
Cost
Affordability is core to our mission. When compared to our continuing education peers, it’s a fraction of the cost.
| Our Tuition (2024–25 rate) | $3,340 per course |
|---|---|
| Average Tuition of Peer Institutions | $5,476 per course |
| Average Total Cost | $13,360 |
FAQs
What is an EDIB Leadership Graduate Certificate?
An EDIB Leadership Graduate Certificate is an academic credential designed to help you create and lead strategic initiatives relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Through DEI coursework, you’ll gain a greater understanding of how history, bias, power, and privilege impacts DEI today. And you’ll enhance your ability to become a powerful voice for change.
Why is EDIB leadership important?
Creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive corporate culture is key to staying competitive in today’s marketplace — for attracting and retaining both talent and customers. Thus, demand for inclusive leaders is increasing.
Today’s inclusive leaders must have the skills and tools to create and sustain a diverse and inclusive workforce. They must design inclusive policies, facilitate dialogue, and lead strategic initiatives.
This credential—demonstrating inclusive leadership skills—will provide you with a competitive advantage in even the tightest job markets.
What can you do with an EDIB Leadership Graduate Certificate?
With a graduate certificate in EDIB leadership, you’ll be able to lead DEI-related programs, policies, and initiatives. You’ll have the skills and tools you need to facilitate dialogue, address unconscious bias, and build an inclusive organizational culture.
This certificate is ideal for individuals seeking to enhance their toolkit in their current role or move into a new role focused exclusively on EDIB.
How long does it take to complete this EDIB Leadership Graduate Certificate?
The EDIB Leadership Graduate Certificate can be completed in one year, depending on how many courses you take per term. You must complete all four courses within three years.
Most of our students are professionals working full time. The average completion time for a certificate at Harvard Extension School is 1.5 years.
How will this EDIB Leadership Graduate Certificate help me in my career?
