The Inclusive Excellence in Professional Practice Certificate is offered by the Center for Academic & Faculty Excellence at CGU. This non-degree certificate program aims to equip Claremont Graduate University students and alumni with the frameworks, theories, systems, and competencies needed for a deep understanding and application of equity and justice-centered practices in their professional careers. The certificate is for CGU scholars who seek recognition for their focus on inclusive professional practice. The certificate has been crafted to address the immediate needs of students in their professional goals and careers.

Within the certificate program, scholars begin their journey with the TNDY 440 course, emphasizing the integration of transdisciplinary perspectives in crafting principles and tools for championing inclusive excellence in the professional realm. This foundational course sets the stage for the CAFE 540 course, where scholars take their knowledge from the previous course and apply it in real-world scenarios, culminating in the creation of tangible assets like a diversity statement, a changemaker project, and a community engagement plan.

• Open to all students and alumni
• Two online courses required (see below)
• Taken in addition to your current degree
• You can earn this certificate even if you already have the Inclusive Excellence in College Teaching Certificate, as it is a separate certificate.

University Policies

Policies detailed in the current Policies and General Information Bulletin apply.

Admissions Requirements

Admission requirements are detailed in the Admissions section of the current Policies and General Information Bulletin.

Certificate Courses

The Inclusive Excellence in Professional Practice Certificate requires successful completion of two courses, TNDY 440 Professional Practice for Inclusive Excellence and CAFE 540 Professional Practice Pathways. Each course and the certificate completion are recorded on your transcript. See our course schedule page to plan your certificate.

Important: The certificate courses build on each other, so students must take the courses in different semesters or modules. The TNDY 440 course must be taken first, followed by CAFE 540. The certificate courses must be taken for credit to earn the certificate. Students must earn at least a 3.0 (B) on each course to earn the certificate.

TNDY 440 Professional Practice for Inclusive Excellence
4 units, regular tuition cost

Course Description: This course focuses on integrating transdisciplinary, personal, and professional lenses in developing principles and tools for becoming a changemaker in professional practice for Inclusive Excellence. In this course, we address the complex problem of organizations and institutions grounded in societal kyriarchal systems designed to perpetuate oppression and inequities for a diverse body of organizational and institutional stakeholders (e.g., customers, service recipients, organizational and team members, workers, volunteers, employees). We will discuss and develop strategies for inclusive and equity-minded professional practice – in formal organizations and institutions, and in informal spaces- that balances meaningful authentic experiences with productive professional work. We will integrate transdisciplinary lenses for systems, complexity, reflexivity, design thinking, and the methodologies of appreciative inquiry, human-centered design, and job and career crafting. We will leverage scholarly frameworks from intergroup dialog, diversity management, organizational behavior, positive organizational scholarship, leadership, and emotional and relational theory. Individual transformative work for the practice of allyship, as part of professional practice, will require transdisciplinary teamwork to develop team collaboration, team functioning, and inclusion engagement capacities. This way, scholars will connect values and beliefs with their discipline-specific professional strategies and tools to develop a living vision and mission for professional practice that is justice-centered and equity-minded. In sum, this course will support scholars in their development as changemakers in professional, institutional, organizational, and community spaces.

CAFE 540 Professional Practice Pathways
2 units, regular tuition

Course Description: This class structures your progress through the professional practicum and completion of all the professional portfolio items for the Inclusive Excellence in Professional Practice Certificate. In this course, you will apply the principles and frameworks from TNDY 440 into practice. The class focuses on coaching and a structured assignment submission and feedback process. Using the work that you began in the first course, you will complete your diversity statement and changemaker project. In addition, you will develop a community engagement plan. The course culminates in a final integrated reflection of your entire journey toward becoming an equity-minded and social justice-focused changemaker in your professional practice.

If you cannot take on the full demands of the certificate you can build your own portfolio and useful documents through the Center for Academic and Faculty Excellence’s consulting and appointment service. You can also just take the TNDY 440 course for professional development without planning to take the second class or earning the certificate.