Advanced Graduate Certificates in Business

The Certificate in Business Fundamentals is designed to provide non-business undergraduate majors working in business with an opportunity to develop a broad background in the fundamental areas of business without committing to a full MBA.

Gain the strategic tools to approach business challenges in the workplace. Understand the basic principles of accounting, finance and operations. Learn the most up-to-date marketing techniques. Hone your management skills and envision yourself as a leader.

Students may complete this certificate following the Certificate Pathway to gain automatic admission to the Online MBA, provided minimum grade levels are met.

Required courses:

• AC604 Financial and Managerial Accounting for Decision Making
• FN608 Financial Management
• IS606 Business Information Systems
• MK610 Marketing Management
• OM607 Global Supply Chain Management
• OS603 Leadership and Organizational Behavior

Healthcare has become one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S. economy, characterized by rapid change and a need for management that will extend into the foreseeable future.

This 18-credit-hour program was designed for current healthcare professionals and individuals who are interested in how business and management intersect within the industry. The tools you gain during the certificate will allow you to tackle advanced business challenges in healthcare organizations.

Students may complete this certificate following the Certificate Pathway to gain automatic admission to the Healthcare MBA, provided minimum grade levels are met. The program can be completed onsite at the Capital Region Campus or in a hybrid format with select online courses.

Required courses:

• HC600 Introduction to Health Systems
• HC651 Health Systems Management

Specialty courses (select four):

• HC605 Health Operations Management
• HC617 Healthcare Finance
• HC620 Health Economics
• HC626 Health Systems Marketing
• HC647 Statistical Methods for Data Analytics
• HC648 Health Informatics
• HC650 Health Policy Dynamics
• HC656 Group Practice Administration
• HC657 Proseminar in Healthcare Leadership
• HC674 Legal Aspects of Healthcare
• HC680 Managerial Epidemiology

The principles behind supply chain management focus on developing seamless flows of raw materials, products/services, information and financial capital. The supply chain starts at the initial design process, includes raw material sourcing and logistics and continues through the delivery of that product or service to the end customer, with a goal of creating customer satisfaction at an optimal cost.

The certificate requires four courses. Completion of these courses allows individuals to be productive in this important area and can provide a strong concentration, should the individual decide to continue on to an MBA. Courses are completed entirely online.

Required courses:

• OM607 Global Supply Chain Management
• OM686 Quality Management and Process Improvement
• OS667 Negotiations and Relationship Management
• SB640 Advanced Topics in Supply Chain Management

The Certificate in Management and Leadership is designed to give entry- and middle-level managers the core business skills in organizational processes, change management, resource management and leadership. It is focused on assisting managers and executives in enhancing their management and leadership skills in order to positively affect their current organizations and help advance their careers. Courses are entirely online.

Required courses:

• OS603 Leadership and Organizational Behavior
• OS651 High Performance Leadership

Specialty courses (choose two):

• OS 657 Leading Organizational Change
• OS 667 Negotiations and Relationship Management
• SB 620 Business Process Analysis

The Certificate in Human Resource Management will provide the educational background necessary to make informed decisions in management related to human resource issues. This certificate is designed to equip professionals with the resources for strategic, critical thinking necessary to optimize the human resource needs of an organization. Courses are entirely online.

Required courses:

• OS603 Leadership and Organizational Behavior
• OS676 Current Issues in Human Resource Management

Specialty courses (choose 2):

• OS667 Negotiations and Relationship Management
• SB651 Communicating Globally
• SB655 Building and Managing Effective Teams 

The global economic landscape continues to evolve, and managers must be able to anticipate, develop and implement new products and new business models to be successful. This certificate develops professionals who can understand the development and management of innovation in terms of both market-driven and technology-driven new products.

In your electives, you’ll learn to research the needs and wants of end-users for innovation and to understand the role of information technology in innovative business models that are emerging in the new digital economy. You’ll learn about entrepreneurial leadership and building work cultures for innovation, as well. Courses are held onsite in Potsdam.

Required courses:

• MK609 Marketing Management (MBA Module)
• MK689 New Product Marketing
• OM676 Developing & Managing Technology
• SB613 Entrepreneurship & New Venture 

To succeed today, companies must deliver their products and services to customers around the world at the right time and at the right price. Supply chain management is the backbone of this complex system. Clarkson’s supply chain management courses will prepare you to succeed in a globally connected marketplace where advances in information technology are accelerating productively by providing a multitude of new, lower-cost options for integrating supply chains. With this certificate, you’ll learn to build and maintain networks of suppliers and customers that are fast, flexible and responsive.

Required courses:

• OM607 Supply Chain Management (MBA Module)
• OM671 Supply Chain Environmental Management
• OM685 Quality Management and Process Improvement
• SB641 Advanced Topics in Supply Chain Management 

Going green is no longer an optional initiative for many businesses. Consumers, investors and future generations are increasingly demanding that companies lessen their carbon footprint and consider their impact on the environment. With Clarkson University's Environmental Management Graduate Certificate, you will acquire the tools to make your organization more sustainable without sacrificing growth.

This certificate develops knowledge and proficiency in the assessment and development of organizational environmental strategies, including green supply chain practices, green marketing and risk management. Courses are held onsite in Potsdam.

Required courses:

• EC605 Managerial Economics (MBA Module)
• EC660 Environmental Economics
• OM607 Supply Chain Management (MBA Module)
• OM671 Supply Chain Environmental Management
• POL571 Energy Policy or SOC670 Environmental Policy

The certificates in business fundamentals and healthcare management provide students with an alternative pathway to admission into the Online MBA and the MBA in Healthcare Management, respectively. If you have thought about any of the following, this pathway might be right for you:

• I want to get started right away without taking an admission test.
• I want to be considered for admission into the MBA program based on my performance in core MBA courses.
• I’m not sure if I want to complete an entire MBA, but I would like to learn core business principles in a short amount of time and still be able to apply all my coursework, should I choose to go on to the MBA.
• I want to try out the MBA program by taking courses that I can use for a valuable and recognized credential, even if I decide not to complete the entire MBA.

Pathway specifics:

1. Applicants will be assigned an advisor as soon as their application is received. The application will not go to the Graduate Admission Committee for an admission decision; rather, applicants will be screened by their advisors.
2. The advisor will meet with the student and explain the pathway. If both agree that this pathway is good for the student, together they will develop a plan of study that best meets the student’s needs.
3. The student may then begin taking classes according to the plan.
4. If the student receives a grade of C (or below) in any course, the student will be automatically removed from the pathway and from the certificate program. If removed, a student may appeal to be reinstated. The appeal will go to the admission committee and essentially be treated as a normal application; they may reinstate, deny reinstatement or request that the student take the GMAT admission test prior to making a decision.
5. If the student completes the certificate with no Cs (or below) and an overall GPA above 3.2, the student will be automatically admitted to the MBA program (if desired) and will not have to go before the admission committee. Students not meeting these criteria may still apply to the MBA program but will go through the normal MBA admission process.
6. Students who complete at least three courses toward the certificate with a GPA above 3.7 will be eligible for early pathway admission and, upon request, will be automatically admitted to the MBA program without going through the normal admission decision process.