Program Overview

The Leadership in Enrollment Management online certificate program is 26 weeks over the span of an academic year.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the schedule is:

• Sep 23, 2024: Program start date
• Nov 25-30, 2024: Thanksgiving break
• Dec 16, 2024-Jan 6, 2025: Winter break
• April 27, 2025: Program end date

For the 2025-26 academic year, the schedule will be:

• Sep 22, 2025: Program start date
• Nov 24-29, 2025: Thanksgiving break
• Dec 15, 2025-Jan 5, 2026: Winter break
• April 19, 2026: Program end date

Webinars

Webinar 1: June 5, 12pm PT
The Leaders We Need: And How to Become One
Jerry Lucido and Wendy Marshall

This interactive session will highlight trends in the growth of enrollment management as a profession, pathways to leadership, essential attributes of successful leaders, and a self-assessment of those attributes and discussion on how to develop them. The Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice has led the conversation on leadership in enrollment management for 15 years and uses that knowledge to support the development of leaders who are highly in demand.

Register for Webinar 1

Webinar 2: July 11, 12pm PT
Reaching Gen Z: Harness the Potential of Digital Marketing
Bob Massa and Andrew Roth

Explore the distinctive characteristics of Gen Z, their on-line preferences and behaviors and what they expect and want from the college search process.

Register for Webinar 2

Webinar 3: August 6th, 10am PT
Using Systems Thinking to Enrich Enrollment Management
Julie Posselt

Enrollment management is by definition a system of interlinked policies and practices. By knowing how systems work, you can be a more effective and savvy professional by spotting systemic weaknesses and pulling specific levers of systemic change. This webinar will offer insights and tools from complex systems theory and research to help you toward these ends, and allow for exploration of specific systemic challenges that many educational institutions are currently facing.

Register for Webinar 3

Program Benefits

The curriculum content includes enrollment management in the institutional and societal contexts, information and knowledge management, marketing, pricing and aid policy, college admissions policy and practice, retention organization, leadership and case studies.

The online program has been newly redesigned so that you will gain:

• Intensive training for insightful leadership
• Live sessions (optional) bringing together your peers, faculty and alumni
• Extensive content knowledge across the field
• An expansive view of enrollment management, policy and practice
• Practical case study experience
• A national network of dedicated professionals
• Opportunity to meet your peers and faculty in-person with complimentary registration to annual CERPP Conference
• Instruction and advising by recognized leaders in the field
• Complimentary registration to the annual CERPP Conference held in February
• A USC Certificate in Leadership in Enrollment Management to acknowledge your achievement

Check out our faculty roster of stellar enrollment leaders who teach in the program.

Program Curriculum and Course Structure

We have just revised the curriculum and course structure to meet the needs for today’s EM leaders.

The curriculum has been carefully structured to cover the breadth as well as the depth of proficiencies necessary for success in enrollment management. It begins with a foundational understanding of enrollment management and progresses through the various areas of expertise, emphasizing leading in the field throughout the curriculum.

The curriculum includes this content to ensure you build robust enrollment management competencies:

Introduction to EM Concept

• How and Why Enrollment Management Works
• The Functional Units
• Admissions Models

Information & Knowledge Management

• Securing Institutional Cooperation
• Campus Politics
• Demonstrating Value
• Setting Enrollment Goals and Targets
• Data-Driven Decision Making

Marketing & Communications

• Marketing in the Modern Era
• Marketing: Translating the Mission Externally
• Evaluating ROI
• Working with Media

Pricing & Aid Policy

• Financial Aid Philosophies and Policies
• Financial Aid in the Enrollment Management Planning Process

Admissions Policy & Practice 

• Student Recruitment
• Student Selection/Holistic Review
• K-20 Pipeline (Pre-College and Transfer Students)
• International Students

Diversity in Action

• Leading with an Equity Perspective
• Recruiting, Retaining, Graduating a Diverse Student Body

Retention & Graduation

• Organizing for Graduation Success

Leadership

• Managing Up
• Leadership: Institutional Change
• Leadership: Hiring, Retaining and Diversifying Staff
• Ethics

Case Studies

How much time will I invest in the program each week? Do I have to be online at any certain time?

Weekly topics include video content, readings, discussions, and activities. We expect you to contribute approximately 5-7 hours working through the content and participating in discussion in the program each week.

Designed for busy professionals, the program is complete online and hybrid, with asynchronous as well as live sessions. The bulk of the program is asynchronous, and we do not require you to be online at any certain time. You can participate day or night, whenever you like!

We will offer live synchronous sessions throughout the program, as a chance to connect with your peers and our faculty on a regular basis. Participation in these sessions are optional for program participants. These sessions will be recorded and posted to allow those who are unable to participate during the live sessions to view the information presented.

You also will be offered complimentary registration to the annual CERPP Conference, which draws enrollment management leaders and scholars from across the nation in Los Angeles.

Technology Requirements

In order to participate in the program, you will need a computer and high-speed internet access.

Various elements within our online environment will require free and downloadable software, such as Adobe Reader and Quicktime. When such tools are needed, we include the download links in our online classroom.

Ready to apply? Check out the simple and online application for the USC Leadership in Enrollment Management certificate program.