Nearly half of all working adults are women, and women now make up the majority of students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. Despite these indications that they have the skills and education to be leaders in the workforce, women are still underrepresented in many areas, and the persistent wage gap demonstrates that their work is often undervalued. This certificate explores both the social and psychological mechanisms that create challenges that professional women often face. Alongside commentary from women leaders, the material also provides concrete and data-driven recommendations for advancing in your career. The courses in the certificate introduce key concepts and practices that all successful business people should be familiar with, thereby serving as a general introduction to topics like leadership, management, communication, work-life balance, networking, negotiation, and body language.

This course has been evaluated by The American Council on Education's College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT®) with a recommendation of 3 credits, lower division, in women in leadership.

Body Language for Women in Business

By understanding the impact of body language, leaders can learn how to communicate in a way that builds and sustains positive relationships with employees, clients, and business partners. This course will help women business leaders learn how to read body language cues and use them to exude both strength and warmth. It considers the role and impact of gender stereotypes in nonverbal communication and explains how facial expressions, hand gestures, body movements, and eye contact can be used in various business situations like negotiations. The course also addresses cross-cultural body language and explores the role of body language in virtual communication.

Current Issues Facing Women in Business

This general awareness course will assess the representation of women in various domains, including sports, politics, education, STEM fields, pink-collar jobs, and managerial positions. We will also review challenges that many working women face, as well as strategies for addressing those challenges both as an individual and from an organizational perspective. The course concludes with a brief review of milestones in the history of women in the workplace and an assessment of some ways that better representation of women can benefit businesses.

Leadership and Management for Women in Business

Leaders are people who can change the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of the people around them. Successful organizations must have leaders who take them in the right direction. While not all leaders are managers or even occupy positions of authority, managers are often leaders for the employees who report to them. While companies with more women in leadership positions tend to see benefits to their bottom line, gender stereotypes and biases can make it difficult for women to become recognized as leaders and to advance into managerial or executive positions at work. This course reviews various qualities of leaders and styles of leadership and management. It also reviews common managerial challenges and introduces techniques, strategies, and best practices to overcome those obstacles.

Communication for Women in Business

The course will provide a general overview for effective communication at work. Learners will review tips and strategies for communicating with small and large groups, being heard in meetings, projecting confidence, and more—especially as these concepts apply to women. This course also considers communication in the context of public speaking, and discusses the importance of understanding the audience, preparing for a presentation, using visual aids appropriately, and more. Learners will be able to identify criticisms of, and biases toward, women speakers, and the course introduces strategies for how to counteract them.

Work-Life Balance for Women in Business

Everyone finds that their life is unbalanced from time to time. If left unaddressed, that lack of balance can cause stress, decreased productivity, and even health problems. Stereotypes and expectations about what matters to women can exacerbate work-life balance challenges. This course explores the importance of prioritizing things that matter to you, both at work and at home, and introduces techniques that can help individuals and organizations make work-life balance possible.

Networking and Mentorship for Women in Business

Making meaningful connections can be critical to professional success. Although many find networking to be difficult, it is a learned skill that can improve with technique and practice. This course introduces techniques and strategies for networking, finding mentors, and attracting sponsors, as well as common anxieties and obstacles that people face when trying to expand their professional connections. It highlights the ways that networking can be both particularly difficult and especially important for women in business.

Negotiation for Women in Business

This course defines negotiation and reviews the importance of advocating for yourself and your interests. Because negotiation tends to be characterized in a stereotypically masculine way, this course considers some of the challenges that women tend to face when negotiating. The course reviews key negotiation concepts such as BATNA and ZOPA as well as common negotiation mistakes and the five stages of the negotiation process. The course-takers will also engage in negotiation scenarios for opportunities to prepare for common situations they may encounter.

Leadership for Women in Business Final Exam (ACE CREDIT®)

This is the final exam course for this ACE CREDIT®-bearing bundle. This course is not available for individual sale.

Leadership for Women in Business Introduction Course (ACE CREDIT®)

This course introduces the learner to the topics covered in this course bundle, as well as the process for earning ACE CREDIT®.

This course has no prerequisites.

These courses are 100% online and self-paced. Instructors are available to help you through content areas by request.

Exam preparation training and study for this certification is approximately 23 Hours.

• PMI PDUs: 23
• Leadership PDUs: 9.25
• Strategic & Business Management PDUs: 5.5
• Technical PM PDUs: 8.25
• IACET CEUs: 2.3 (Contact Hours: 23 hours)
• HRCI Credits: 23 (Type: General: 20, Specified - Strategic Business: 3)
• SHRM PDCs: 23
• ACE Credit: 3

Learners must achieve an average test score of at least 70% to meet the minimum successful completion requirement and qualify to receive IACET CEUs.

• High quality online videos 

• Classroom study materials 

• Chapter tests 

• Study guides

• Exams