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The Graduate Certificate in Servant Leadership is designed to guide you on how to create a positive work culture of growth, engagement and employee well-being. Available through Grand Canyon University’s Colangelo College of Business, this graduate certificate program is offered entirely online. The courses in this program offer a balance of structured curriculum, flexibility and engagement with peers and faculty.
During this online servant leadership certificate program, you will participate in group discussions, coaching, company case studies and leader interviews to help identify your leadership styles. Using your unique leadership identities, you can develop skills on how to apply servant leadership in the workplace.
As a faith-based university, GCU encourages all students to view the curriculum through a Christian worldview.
Servant leadership skills can be applied in every career, industry and job function to create sustainable results and a positive workplace culture.
These industries are typically aligned in their mission to serve others and include:
Healthcare
Education
Ministry
Government/politics
Nonprofit
Retail
Some industries may tend to place a higher value on servant leadership careers.
As with the healthcare industry as a whole, servant leadership in nursing is particularly well-aligned due to the direct patient care involved in the nursing field. Nurses build relationships with many of their patients through regular, personal interaction. Through this interaction, nurses and physicians are able to create personalized care plans that best meet the medical needs of each patient.
Servant leadership can be an effective leadership model used in schools. School principals who incorporate servant leadership in education can help encourage, empower and serve their teachers. Teachers who feel supported increase their effectiveness in the classroom; thus, positively impacting student learning as well as their relationships with parents and colleagues.
Many companies favor servant leadership training in business. Chick-fil-A, Whole Foods, Marriott, Southwest Airlines, Nordstrom and REI are among the long list of recognized companies who understand the importance of creating nurturing workplace environments for their employees.1 When employees feel respected, heard and appreciated, their morale, engagement and productivity increases.
In our servant leadership certificate program, you can develop advanced leadership skills in effective communication, critical thinking, global awareness, ethics and conscious capitalism.
Throughout your courses, you have the opportunity to articulate the responsibilities of leadership in a Christian context. This includes the biblical basis of servant leadership and the professional integrity and commitment to the good of all stakeholders required of Christian leaders.
While completing this servant leadership certificate program, you will be taught to:
Earning a graduate servant leadership certificate can help prepare you to lead with compassion, integrity and in service to others. Individuals who pair their servant leadership education with an advanced degree, such as a master's in leadership, may be found to be great candidates for various positions, including:
• Chief executive
• General or operations manager
• Human resources manager
• Sales manager
• Training and development manager
• Social and community services manager
Read through some of the most frequently asked questions to learn more about becoming a servant leader and earning your graduate certificate in servant leadership.
The length of this servant leadership certificate will depend on different factors, such as modality and commitment. For an estimated timeline of completion, fill out the form on this page to speak with a university counselor.
Servant leaders put the needs of others first. The focus of servant leadership is to empower others to help them grow and be their best self. According to the National Society of Leadership and Success, there are ten characteristics of servant leadership. These include listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of others and building communities.2
The servant leader certificate is designed for those who want to enhance their existing leadership skills and build new servant leadership skills, leverage the strengths of their employees, build a collaborative workplace and reshape the processes and operations of their business.
Earning a graduate certificate in servant leadership can be a great start to your transition into a servant leader. These certificates teach you how a servant leader is different from other types of leaders, and how you can acquire those skills to help develop yourself as a servant leader and apply those skills to various settings. Through your servant leadership training, you can establish yourself as a servant leader and begin applying your knowledge to your professional and personal life.
If you’re interested in becoming a servant leader, fill out the form on this page to get in contact with a university counselor and get started.
1 Lichtenwalner, B. (2024, Aug. 21). Servant Leadership Companies List. Modern Servant Leader. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
2 VanBenschoten, B. (2020, Nov. 25). What Is Servant Leadership and How To Apply It. The National Society of Leadership and Success. Retrieved June 20, 2023
Online: $665 per credit [More Info]
The University will accept one course of the total certificate requirements in transfer.
Credits: Fill out the Lopes Eval to find out what will transfer
Admission Requirements (Master's)
OR 2.5+ Unweighted GPA and
Admission requirements may differ based on degree level, program and modality, or transfer status. Some programs of study may require a higher GPA and/or other qualifying criteria for admission. Please review full admission and program requirements in the University Policy Handbook.
* Degree must be from an accredited college or program that has been approved by GCU.
** Combined verbal/quantitative, after August 2011 (1,000 combined verbal and quantitative, prior to August 2011).
