type: News topic: SPS News program: Professional Development

Professional Development: A Catalyst for Career Advancement

Most professionals in America can reasonably expect that their careers will last upwards of 40 years. With modern career paths spanning such a long length of time, almost everyone looking to advance can benefit from continual professional development along the road.

Northwestern University School of Professional Studies (SPS) has responded to the need for continuing education opportunities by offering a wide range of professional development programs (PDP) that can be completed in one to four courses. All of SPS’s PDP courses are designed for busy working professionals, are taught by leaders in their fields, and empower students to develop new skills or deepen knowledge in a particular field.

SPS offers more than 15 PDP courses across myriad subjects; registration for the winter quarter is now open, and you can learn about all of SPS’s PDP programs here. We're sharing a few highlights and new additions for the winter quarter:

Fostering Innovation in Biotech

SPS’s new Fostering Innovation in Biotechnology certificate program launches this winter, and it’s one of the only programs in the country that combines biotechnology and organizational development curriculum in order to prepare students for leadership roles in biotech organizations upon completion. Through a combination of group projects, guest lectures, and personal interviews with industry experts, students gain a thorough understanding of the needs of the biotechnology industry right now and will be well equipped to take on leadership roles in the industry.

The biotechnology certification encompasses four courses in total and the first course, Biotechnology Commercialization, is offered for the first time this winter. Biotechnology Commercialization begins Friday, February 5. For information and registration details, visit here.

Business Analytics

The emergence of big data in the last few years has had a profound effect on the way businesses across myriad industries operate, and has created a need for companies to employ data-fluent professionals capable of understanding and interpreting the large amount of information companies now pull in. In order to address this need SPS now offers two business analytics certificates: Business Analytics for Practitioners, and Business Analytics for Decision Makers.

The certificate program for practitioners consists of four core online courses that provide students with a practical understanding of how to harness the power of data into actionable business insights: Introduction to Business Analytics, Modeling Methods, Advanced Modeling Methods, and Analytics Communication and Management. Students also have the option of adding elective courses for a more in-depth exploration into topics that are relevant to their careers or interests. For registration information and course dates, visit the Business Analytics webpage.

The analytics certificate for practitioners is offered in a single three-day seminar on Northwestern’s Chicago campus that teaches organizational leaders and managers how to understand the value, power, and limits of analytics in a business context. Students will come away with a broad base of knowledge on strengths and limitations of analytical tools; strategies on how to effectively apply those tools in a business context; and insights on how to effectively oversee data strategies in their organizations. The course starts on Wednesday, February 10; for more information or to register visit here.

SHRM

SPS has partnered with the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), the world’s largest HR member organization, to provide HR professionals with critical HR training and test-prep courses for SHRM’s certificate exams.

Advanced and mid-career HR professionals who meet eligibility criteria can enroll in a SHRM Certified Professional course, a 36-hour test prep courses that use the SHRM Learning System® to provide a comprehensive range of HR competencies to best prepare students to succeed in the SHRM exam. The course starts on Thursday, January 7; for registration information, visit here.

SPS and SHRM also offer an Essentials of HR Management Certificate, designed to provide junior HR professionals, business managers, small business owners, and job seekers with a solid foundation in the basics of HR. Students will gain proficiency in human resources issues, and leave the program well-prepared to handle a range of workplace challenges. The course begins on Saturday, January 16; for info and registration, visit here.

Mediation

SPS offers two certificate programs in mediation — Mediation Training and Divorce Mediation — designed to provide students with techniques to successfully resolve disputes. Both certificate programs are offered in intensive five-day courses in downtown Chicago, in which students learn about the ethics of the field, work with mediation coaches active in the field, and gain hands-on mediation training through simulated mediations. Both courses count towards mandatory attorney continuing education hours.