RMIT University
Graduate Certificate in Leadership
- Delivery: Online
- Study Level: Postgraduate
- Duration: 8 months
- Course Type: Graduate Certificate
Gain the skills and knowledge you need to boost innovation and success in businesses that are ripe for disruption.
Course overview
Become the leader today's businesses need. Agile, strategic, ethical and ready to navigate the complexities of digital disruption and organisational change.
The Online Graduate Certificate in Leadership is designed to equip you with the skills, strategies and mindset needed to navigate complex organisational challenges, inspire teams and drive meaningful change. Through subjects focused on organisational behaviour, personal branding, digital entrepreneurship and leadership in the age of disruption, you'll gain insights into what makes great leaders thrive in diverse environments. You'll explore the impact of innovation and technology on leadership, develop strategies to tackle real-world challenges and build essential skills such as decision-making, communication and team-building.
Ideal for professionals looking to step into leadership roles or enhance their current expertise, this course connects you with a global network of industry experts, academics and like-minded peers. By the time you complete the course, you'll be prepared to lead with agility, harness opportunities in the digital era and make a lasting impact in your organisation and beyond.
Develop leadership skills for future-oriented and tech-advanced organisations with a strong focus on technology, digital and innovation, while learning from world-leading research academics across areas such as sustainability, technology and innovation and build the ability to apply these skills in real-world contexts across diverse industries, equipping you to thrive in any environment shaped by technological advancement and innovation.
Key facts
August, 2026
October, 2026
What you will study
To complete the Online Graduate Certificate in Leadership, students are required to fulfil the following core subjects:
- Personal Branding and Authentic Leadership
- People and Organisations
- Digital Entrepreneurship
- Leading in the Age of Digital Disruption
Entry requirements
Academic requirements
To be eligible for the Online Graduate Certificate in Leadership, you must have an Australian bachelor's degree or equivalent or a higher-level qualification, in any discipline.
If you do not meet the above entry requirement for the Graduate Certificate, you may be considered if you have a minimum of five years of full-time equivalent work experience. Applicants will be required to submit a curriculum vitae (CV).
English language requirements
You must meet the University’s minimum English language requirements for postgraduate coursework programs to be eligible for a place in this program.
Recognition of Prior Learning
RMIT assesses each student’s prior learning and qualifications to grant credit so you can complete your online postgraduate degree sooner. Your application will be decided on a case-by-case basis. RMIT aims to grant as much credit as possible at the time of offer, so it’s important to provide as much evidence of prior study and work experience as possible with your application. Contact the university for more details.
Outcomes
Learning outcomes
By the end of the Online Graduate Certificate in Leadership, you'll be able to:
- Critically evaluate characteristics of various types of leadership and their strengths and weaknesses.
- Analyse organisational and leadership challenges and develop strategies for addressing them.
- Effectively analyse and assess the impact of technology and innovation on achieving environmental, social and financial goals in diverse global contexts and provide evidence-based recommendations for leadership practices that align with these goals.
- Demonstrate responsibility, accountability and critical self-reflection to enhance personal leadership skills and drive continuous development within broad organisational parameters.
- Exhibit leadership skills for entrepreneurial, digital organisations, such as communicating, advocating, making decisions, leading innovation and building teams.
Career outcomes
As a graduate, you'll have the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in a variety of leadership roles and the opportunities available to you will continue to grow. Some examples of the roles you will be ready to step into include:
- Manager
- Executive
- CEO
- Consultant
Fees and FEE-HELP
Indicative tuition per subject in 2026: $4,920 (domestic full-fee paying place)
Indicative total tuition fee in 2026: $19,680 (domestic full-fee paying place)
Additional expenses:
- Student services and amenities fee (SSAF): $373 maximum fee for 2026
- Other items related to your program include field trips, textbooks and equipment.
All costs are calculated using current rates and are based on a study load of four subjects per year.
Student fees may vary in accordance with:
- The number of subjects studied per term.
- The choice of major or specialisation.
- Choice of subjects.
- Credit from previous study or work experience.
- Eligibility for government-funded loans.
You may also need to pay the student services and amenities fee.
Student fees shown are subject to change. Contact the university directly to confirm.
FEE-HELP loans are available to assist eligible full-fee paying domestic students with the cost of a university course.
Who You Will Learn From
Professor Zhou Jiang
Program Manager
Professor Zhou (Joe) Jiang is Head of Department (Business Administration) at the Graduate School of Business and Law, RMIT University, Australia. Professor Jiang is a researcher ranked in the top 2% of scientists globally by Stanford University (single year impact: 2021, 2022 and 2023). He was a recipient of the ANZAM Early Career Researcher Award (2016), which is to foster and recognise the research and scholarly achievements of emerging researchers who are at an early stage in their academic careers. He also received Best Paper Awards from the US Southern Management Association (Careers/Social Issues/Diversity Issues/Ethics Track) (2022) and the ANZAM Gender, Diversity and Indigeneity Stream (2015) for a paper focused on LGB individuals’ work-related wellbeing.