Diploma in Catholic Leadership

Diploma in Catholic Leadership: Overview

The Diploma in Catholic Leadership is designed for mid-career and senior professionals leading in Catholic or mission-driven organizations. It integrates theological insight, ethical discernment, and practical leadership tools to support effective leadership in complex, pluralistic environments.

The program consists of four core courses, each aligned with a central competency area in Catholic leadership. Together, they provide a comprehensive and applied learning experience that bridges faith, leadership, and organizational practice.

Courses are 18 hours each, delivered over 4 weeks in a hybrid, synchronous format to support working professionals.

The four core areas are:

Making Change
Examine how to design and implement mission-aligned change initiatives. You will explore strategic planning grounded in Catholic social teaching, organizational culture, and ethical decision-making through real-world case studies.

Managing Change
Develop the skills to lead teams through transition in increasingly complex and diverse environments. Topics include change management theory, organizational behaviour, conflict dynamics, and religious literacy in secular workplaces.

Mission-Driven Leadership
Focus on articulating and operationalizing Catholic identity in contemporary contexts. You will explore Catholic social teaching, stewardship, ethical leadership, and how to communicate mission effectively across diverse audiences.

Leading Leaders
Learn how to mentor, support, and develop others while sustaining your own leadership practice. This course emphasizes coaching, team development, resilience, and fostering collaborative, mission-aligned organizational cultures.

Each course will support you in applying your learning to a real-world leadership challenge, demonstrating your ability to lead with purpose, navigate complexity, and advance the common good.

Micro Credentials

Each course within the Diploma endows a separate micro credential.

USMC CE is proud to offer micro credentials—digital, verifiable credentials that you own and can share on your résumé, LinkedIn profile, and more. Micro credentials are certifications of assessed learning that focus on specific, relevant skills and competencies. These programs are designed for professionals seeking rapid, practical training to meet today’s social and environmental challenges. Whether you’re advancing your career, or deepening your expertise, our micro credentials deliver focused learning backed by real-world relevance, and academic excellence.

Diploma Outcomes

By the end of the program, you will be able to:

1. Lead Mission-Driven Organizations Effectively – Apply Catholic social teaching and organizational leadership principles to guide strategy and decision-making.
2. Navigate Complex Organizational Challenges – Lead change initiatives with confidence, balancing mission, people, and performance.
3. Demonstrate Ethical and Reflective Leadership – Integrate faith, values, and professional responsibility in complex and often ambiguous contexts.
4. Strengthen Organizational Culture and Teams – Build collaborative, high-performing teams grounded in respect, purpose, and shared values.
5. Engage Diverse and Pluralistic Contexts – Lead effectively in environments shaped by multiple perspectives, identities, and belief systems.
6. Mentor and Develop Future Leaders – Support leadership growth in others through coaching, feedback, and formation practices.

The Diploma in Catholic Leadership is open to all. It was designed with the needs of mid-career to senior leaders in professions across:

• Catholic education (e.g., school board leaders, principals, administrators)
• Catholic healthcare systems
• Social service and community organizations
• Charitable and non-profit sectors
• Lay ministry and diocesan leadership

This program responds to a clearly identified gap in Canadian continuing education: leadership formation that meaningfully integrates Catholic identity with the realities of modern organizational life. Developed through sector-wide consultation, the diploma reflects the needs of today’s leaders by offering practical, applicable leadership skills grounded in Catholic social teaching and mission. It provides opportunities for interdisciplinary and cross-sector learning, equips participants to lead diverse and multigenerational teams, and supports leaders in navigating secular and pluralistic environments with confidence and integrity.

It is particularly suited to those managing complex organizations and seeking to integrate Catholic mission with contemporary leadership practice.

Admission Requirements

The Diploma in Catholic Leadership is an open-enrolment, non-degree credit program offered by Continuing Education.

There are no formal academic prerequisites; however, the program is designed for professionals with leadership experience or responsibilities.

To complete the diploma, you must:

• Complete all four core courses (Making Change, Managing Change, Mission-Driven Leadership, Leading Leaders)
• The maximum timeframe for completion is 6 years.

Note: If you completed SMCE2000 Leadership for Transformative Changemakers in Catholic Organizations in Fall 2025, you may apply this course toward your completion of the Diploma by using it in place of any one course.

Fees

Each course within the program is $795, with a 15% discount available for alumni of the University of St. Michael’s College, or senior citizens aged 65+.

Courses

To get started in the Diploma in Catholic Leadership, choose a course and enrol.

Courses are offered throughout the academic year in hybrid formats to support participation from working professionals across sectors.

You may also register for individual courses without committing to the full diploma.

Questions?

Land Acknowledgement

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of St. Michael’s College operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.