Favorites ()
Apply
Business people smiling at camera with arms folded.

Strategic Thinking Training

Graduate Certificate in Strategic Growth

Learn to Navigate an Environment of Constant Change

From mergers and acquisitions to innovative expansions, businesses and industries are constantly evolving. A Graduate Certificate in Strategic Growth from St. Thomas can help you develop the strategic planning skills you need to lead your company on a path of sustained growth. Hone your business model expertise, financial analysis and strategic thinking to drive business development, manage a product line, or expand a small company.

This certificate is designed for MBA graduates, and current St. Thomas MBA students. Our advanced, intensive curriculum builds financial acumen, strategic thinking and professional effectiveness in a flexible format convenient for working professionals. And since the program was developed with input from industry experts and employers, you can bring what you learned immediately back to the office.

Complete the program at your own pace by taking evening courses on our downtown Minneapolis campus. Convenient for working professionals, our flexible program can be completed in a year or longer – based on your individual needs and schedule. If you are currently enrolled in a St. Thomas MBA program, you may complete the designated courses as program electives to earn a graduate certificate on your transcript.

Program Overview

  • Format & Schedule
  • Admission Requirements
  • Degree Programs
  • Career Impact
  • Format & Schedule

    The Graduate Certificate in Strategic Growth program has both required and elective courses that you can complete at your own pace. Take one or more evening courses per term to earn your certificate while you work. You can also earn the certificate as you pursue an MBA from St. Thomas.

    Students are required to earn 15 – 16.5 credits:

    • 3 required courses
    • 2 elective courses
    • 1 professional effectiveness course

    Complete the program in as few as 12 months, or go at a slower pace to earn your certificate.

    Explore the Curriculum

    Admission Requirements

    • MBA from a regionally-accredited institution in the U.S. (or international equivalent) OR acceptance into a St. Thomas MBA program
    • Application form and essays
    • 2 years’ work experience recommended
    • Related professional experience is valuable, but not required
    See Application Checklist

    Degree Programs

    Are you planning to earn your St. Thomas MBA and this certificate at the same time? Explore our Part-time Flex MBA program to learn more.

    See Degree and Programs

    Career Impact

    To survive and thrive in a competitive landscape, businesses must grow and evolve. By earning a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Growth, you position yourself as a valuable player in today’s environment of constant change and disruption.

    See Career Impact

    Format & Schedule

    The Graduate Certificate in Strategic Growth program has both required and elective courses that you can complete at your own pace. Take one or more evening courses per term to earn your certificate while you work. You can also earn the certificate as you pursue an MBA from St. Thomas.

    Students are required to earn 15 – 16.5 credits:

    • 3 required courses
    • 2 elective courses
    • 1 professional effectiveness course

    Complete the program in as few as 12 months, or go at a slower pace to earn your certificate.

    Explore the Curriculum

    Admission Requirements

    • MBA from a regionally-accredited institution in the U.S. (or international equivalent) OR acceptance into a St. Thomas MBA program
    • Application form and essays
    • 2 years’ work experience recommended
    • Related professional experience is valuable, but not required
    See Application Checklist

    Degree Programs

    Are you planning to earn your St. Thomas MBA and this certificate at the same time? Explore our Part-time Flex MBA program to learn more.

    See Degree and Programs

    Career Impact

    To survive and thrive in a competitive landscape, businesses must grow and evolve. By earning a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Growth, you position yourself as a valuable player in today’s environment of constant change and disruption.

    See Career Impact

    Events

    All Events

    Featured Courses

    Introduction to Growth Strategies

    Get an introduction to the concepts of corporate strategy, including the pitfalls and benefits that firms face in their quest to ethically grow. Study the issues and analytical arguments behind them, drawing on recent advances in corporate strategy, organizational economics and organizational behavior. Focus on the essential issues and problems of corporate strategy and business growth faced by managers.

    Managerial Accounting

    Get an introduction to managerial accounting concepts. Learn how financial data—including cost information—is used in planning, controlling and decision-making. Topics include, but are not limited to, cost classification, profit planning, cost allocation, contribution margin analysis, cost-volume profit analysis, and the ethical aspects of decision making.

    Negotiation Skills

    This course focuses on interpersonal and inter-group conflict and its resolution. Through the analysis of bargaining and conflict situations, students will be able to learn their own individual negotiating styles. The course includes distributive (win-lose) negotiations, integrative (win-win) negotiations, the use of power in negotiations and negotiation ethics. Negotiation cases will be used extensively in the course to allow students to improve their negotiation skills progressing through simple to complex hands-on scenarios.

    Seeing is Believing

    Get in Touch

    St. Thomas Opus College of Business is an incredible place to learn, meet inspiring peers and mentors, and build a strong career path. But don’t just take our word for it—experience St. Thomas firsthand. Visit a class, attend an info session, or chat with the admissions team.