Stackable Graduate Certificate Program

Advance your career and increase your earning potential

Do you want to advance your career but aren’t sure whether you’re ready to commit to a master’s degree program? University of the Pacific offers a diverse range of stackable graduate certificates to help you develop the skills in a specialized area that can lead to higher pay, better job security and promotion in your current position.

When you join the graduate certificate program at Pacific, you’ll choose between six unique and exciting programs. Whether you’re interested in design thinking, strategic consulting, corporate innovation, healthcare or making a social impact, we have the program for you.

Earn a highly accessible stackable graduate certificate.

We offer both hybrid and 100 percent online graduate certificate programs, so you can create the course of study that aligns with your professional and personal schedules. Never sacrifice time at work or with your family while you earn a highly ranked graduate certificate from Pacific.

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Hybrid and Online Course Format

Experienced Faculty

Easy Transition Into Master's Degree

Why join the graduate certificate program at Pacific?

There are many features that help Pacific’s stackable graduate certificates stand apart from others around the nation. From the experience of our esteemed faculty to our focus on hands-on learning, you’ll have everything you need to push your career to new levels.

When you join our in-person, hybrid or online graduate certificate program, you’ll be able to choose from these practical four-course, 12-unit for-credit graduate certificates focused on personal and professional growth.

Graduate Certificate

Leadership for Social Impact

Our Leadership for Social Impact online graduate certificate program is designed for students interested in learning how to lead social justice efforts in their organization. This graduate certificate focuses on advancing our understanding of our own leadership identity and the impact of that identity on our perception of the barriers that reinforce social inequalities, as well as developing strategies for dismantling structures that support existing systems of privilege.

With the Leadership for Social Impact stackable graduate certificate, you can stack 12 units into Benerd’s Master of Arts in Leadership, Leading for Social Justice program. In the master’s program, classes are fully online on nights and weekends, with three in-person weekend residencies at the beginning, middle and end of the program.

Learn about the MA in Leading for Social Justice

Graduate Certificate

Design for Innovation in Education

The Design for Innovation in Education online graduate certificate program is designed for professionals interested in being more creative educators and trainers. Take the graduate certificate as a standalone accelerated pathway if you want to enhance your knowledge of the principles of learning and your ability to create dynamic, innovative and more human-centered learning experiences.

For students who wish to continue their academic journey, all 12 units can be stacked into Benerd’s Master of Arts in Education, Learning, Innovation and Design. Classes are fully online.

Learn more about the MA in Learning, Innovation, and Design

Graduate Certificate

Leading and Facilitating Innovation

Our Leading and Facilitating Innovation graduate certificate provides hands-on skills for leaders and consultants fostering innovative organizations. Students master and apply strategic innovation tools in a variety of real-world professional settings as part of the graduate certificate program.

This primarily online certificate can be taken as a standalone experience, or it can be transferred into the Master of Arts in Leadership with a concentration in Organizational Innovation in Change. Classes are offered online, with one in-person residency weekend at the beginning of the program

Learn More About This Stackable Certificate

Learn More About the MA in Organizational Innovation & Change

Graduate Certificate

Strategic Consulting

When you join our Strategic Consulting graduate certificate program, you’ll build practical knowledge and skills to become a more impactful change professional. You’ll also gain real-world experience applying new perspectives within a supportive mentoring environment.

The stackable graduate certificate can be taken as a standalone experience, or it can be transferred into the Master of Arts in Leadership, concentration in Organizational Innovation & Change. Classes are offered online, with one in-person weekend residency at the beginning of the program.

Learn More About This Stackable Certificate

Learn about the MA in Organizational Innovation & Change

Graduate Certificate

Teaching, Innovation and Design

In the fully online Teaching, Innovation and Design certificate, you will learn how to apply design thinking to create innovative approaches to teaching. In this graduate certificate program, you’ll evaluate existing innovations, create lessons that apply appropriate learning principles and create systems for multimodal learning.

The graduate certificate can be taken as a standalone program. Additionally, students who wish to continue their education can stack the 12 units into Benerd’s Master of Arts in Education, Learning, Innovation and Design

Learn more about the MA in Learning, Innovation & Design

What you can do with a stackable graduate certificate

Whether you want to continue your education in a master’s program or are looking for immediate career advancement, our stackable graduate certificate program will put you on the path toward success, an increased salary and a better career outlook.

Once you complete the graduate certificate program, you can move directly into the corresponding master’s degree program.

Career outlook for graduates

Workers with graduate degrees have the highest earnings and lowest unemployment rates on average across the country, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.

On average, professionals who hold a master’s degree enjoy a salary increase of around $10,000, depending on their industry and position.

Program Testimonials

Halea Walters

“I am so incredibly thankful that I found this program. I can confidently say that not only have I gained leadership skills for innovation, but I have also been able to cultivate my own personal self-growth journey. The professors truly do practice what they preach and are directly connected to all the fields that they teach, such as innovative and strength-based leadership. Using these tools have made me an even stronger leader and human.”

-Halea Walters, Leading and Facilitating Innovation Certificate, 2022 cohort student

Financial Aid and Scholarships

Tuition and Fees

Explore Courses for the Stackable Graduate Certificate Program

All our four-course, 12-unit for-credit graduate certificates are designed around a rigorous curriculum emphasizing hands-on experience and career preparedness. Thanks to the small cohorts of our hybrid and online graduate certificate programs, you’ll have plenty of chances to work closely with highly esteemed faculty mentors who prioritize their students’ academic and professional success.

From influencing educational programs to instructing organizations on how to make a positive impact on their communities and the world — our faculty bring their decades of experience into each and every course to prepare you for the daily challenges and rewards of working as a leader and agent of change in the 21st century.

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Take the next step

We take a hands-on approach with our students. This means we want to get to know you throughout your discovery and application process. Help us connect with you by taking the next step.

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