The College of Business and Leadership at Fort Hays State University offers graduate certificates for students who wish to specialize in business areas without completing an entire Master in Business Administration program. These Graduate Certificates can increase your career mobility, can be earned quickly, and most can be completed either entirely online or on campus. Another advantage of our Graduate Certificates is they allow you to get a feel for graduate business courses while earning certification before pursuing your MBA. Or you can earn your Graduate Certificate and immediately begin using your new-found skills to advance your career. Our Graduate Certificate programs are distinct because:
- The Graduate Certificate program utilizes the same highly qualified graduate faculty who teach in our MBA program.
- Our tuition rates are competitively set below other Graduate Certificates.
- We offer a variety of Graduate Certificates to target the skills you’re seeking.
Our Graduate Certificates are non-degree credentials designed to provide students with specialized and less extensive knowledge than our Master of Business Administration program. These Graduate Certificates represent selected courses of academic accomplishment within the College of Business and Leadership that result in a professional certificate suitable for framing. Graduate Certificates require from nine (9) to twelve (12) student credit hours (i.e., three or four graduate courses) for completion.
Whether you are interested in learning more about basic concepts to enhance your career, preparing to move on and eventually complete our MBA, or seeking to complete specific educational or certification requirements, you’ll find we offer a Graduate Certificate that will meet your needs.
The College of Business and Leadership at Fort Hays State University offers the following Graduate Certificate options:
- Graduate Certificate in Business
- Graduate Certificate in Organizational Leadership
- Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management
- Graduate Certificate in Accounting
- Graduate Certificate in Management Information Systems
- Graduate Certificate in Advanced Business
Graduate Certificate in Business
The Graduate Certificate in Business is designed for professionals who do not possess a business degree. The Graduate Certificate in Business consists of our three (9 hours) MBA foundation courses listed below.
Graduate Certificate in Business ( 9 hours for students without an undergraduate business degree only)
Foundation Courses – take all three of the following (9 hours total):
- GBUS 801: Economics and Quantitative Methods for MBAs
- GBUS 802: Management and Marketing Concepts for MBAs
- GBUS 803: Accounting Theories and Practice for MBAs
Graduate Certificate in Organizational Leadership
The Graduate Certificate in Organizational Leadership is designed for students seeking a specialization in Organizational Leadership - a skill surveyed business leaders say they value highly. Students wishing to earn the Graduate Certificate in Organizational Leadership will be required to complete three (3) leadership concentration courses.
Organizational Leadership Courses – take all three of the following (9 hours total):
- *LDRS 800: Organizational Leadership
- *LDRS 806: Teambuilding, Teamwork, and Teamleading
- *LDRS 810: Leadership Assessment and Intervention
*(These courses substitute for MBA 830 Theoretical Foundations of Leadership, MBA 831 Leadership and Organizational Behavior, and MBA 832 Leadership in Teams and Collaborative Environments )
Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management
The Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management helps prepare students for the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification examination through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). Actual designation of PHR occurs upon successfully passing the exam and achieving two years of exempt-level human resource experience. (Please contact HCRI for more information.) Students wishing to earn the Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management will be required to complete the following four (4) human resource management concentration courses.
Human Resource Management Courses – take all four of the following (12 hours total):
- MGT 611: Human Resource Management
- MGT 612: Recruitment, Selection, and Retention
- MGT 613: Total Compensation
- MGT 614: Training and Development
Graduate Certificate in Accounting
The Graduate Certificate in Accounting is designed for students with an existing extensive accounting background who wish to expand their knowledge base and update their skill levels. Students wishing to earn the Graduate Certificate in Accounting will be required to complete the following four (4) accounting concentration courses.
Accounting Courses – take all four of the following (12 hours total):
- ACCT 605: Accounting Theory
- ACCT 611: Advanced Cost Accounting (will be replaced soon by an accounting ethics class)
- ACCT 612: Advanced Auditing
- ACCT 6XX: Elective (by advisement)
Graduate Certificate in Management Information Systems
The focus of the Graduate Certificate in Management Information Systems is on the computerized business applications in a global environment. Students wishing to earn the Graduate Certificate in Management Information Systems will be required to complete the following four (4) management information systems concentration courses.
Management Information Systems Courses – take all four of the following (12 hours total):
- MIS 602: Information Systems Design & Analysis
- MIS 603: Database Systems
- MIS 605: Principles of Computer Security & Forensics
- MIS 650: Networks and Data Communications
Graduate Certificate in Advanced Business
The Graduate Certificate in Advanced Business allows students who earned an undergraduate business degree to launch into graduate business courses immediately without the need to sit for the GMAT which is required for admission into the MBA in Leadership program. The Graduate Certificate in Advanced Business consists of any three (3) approved courses from the MBA in Leadership courses listed below.
Elective Courses ( 9 hours for students with an undergraduate business degree only)
- MBA 811: Advanced Managerial Accounting
- MBA 812: Marketing Management
- MBA 813: Information Systems for Management
- MBA 814: Business Research and Quantitative Methods
- MBA 815: Managerial Economics
- MBA 816: Advanced Corporate Finance
- MBA 817: Strategic Management
- MBA 818: Ethical Leadership Critical Issues Seminar
- MBA 820: Critical Issues Seminar
- MBA 830: Theoretical Foundations of Leadership
- MBA 831: Leadership and Organizational Behavior
- MBA 832: Leadership in Teams and Collaborative Environments
Admission Requirements
Before you may register online as a non-degree graduate student, you must gain admission to the Graduate School. This process requires the following:
Graduate School
Fort Hays State University
Picken Hall #202
600 Park Street
Hays, KS 67601
- Provide a Transcript from the institution awarding your Bachelor's degree (may be photocopy). If you have credits at FHSU, you do not need to request that transcript; we can obtain a copy of it at no cost to you.
Copies that are stamped "issued to student" (unofficial) can be accepted when applying for non-degree graduate status, but official transcripts are needed when applying for admission to a degree program. The Degree Must Be Indicated On The Transcript And Must Be From An Accredited Educational Institution.
Students must possess a minimum of a 2.50 grade point average (GPA) on the last 60 credit hours of the undergraduate degree to be eligible to receive graduate credit. No more than 9 credit hours may be transferred into a regular degree program if a student is later admitted into a regular degree program.
- Include an e-mail address at which you can be contacted.
The Graduate School will enforce a one (1) semester limit on enrollment for students who have not completed the graduate application process. Students will be allowed to continue in the first semester in which they enrolled, but must complete the application process during that semester. Failure to complete the application process will result in a "hold" being placed on a student's record, which will exclude that student from future enrollment until the application process is completed. Once the application process is completed and the student has been accepted into the Graduate School, the hold will be released from the student's record.
Click here for tuition and fees.
For questions or more information, please
contact our Graduate Coordinator Lisa Treece at lltreece@fhsu.edu or
call (785) 628-5696.
