With today’s organizations prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their mission and workplace, DEI certification is quickly becoming an asset for HR professionals and workplace managers.
Last year, 35% of HR managers prioritized DEI in their goals and, as leadership continues to see how DEI boosts productivity, creativity, and revenue, we’ll most likely see more companies prioritize DEI in the future.
DEI is part of our own mission and the content we share, so we wanted to create a shortlist of great DEI certification programs to help you find effective strategies to build more adept inclusive, equitable workplaces.
Benefits Of DEI Certification
You might be wondering, “Why should I get certification for DEI?”
DEI benefits teams. DEI initiatives, such as employee resource groups, create a stronger culture of belonging that positively impacts employee engagement.
DEI can make you an effective change leader. Statistics show us that DEI initiatives also positively impact revenue and productivity— a huge asset for any executive team’s growth goals.
DEI certification is in-demand. Organizations are embracing DEI as part of their employee engagement strategy to attract and retain key talent, so we’re seeing companies build employee resource groups (ERGs), and track and set DEI goals.
Most importantly, taking a DEI certification course will help you and your team build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace that represents the diverse world around us.
10 Most Popular DEI certifications
1. eCornell University Diversity & Inclusion Certificate Program
Cornell University offers a holistic DEI education that will help any HR team or leaders in today's workplace. As a student, you'll learn the ins and outs of employee engagement and DEI training, along with strategies to overcome unconscious bias and how to create and support psychological safety and an inclusive work environment.
You'll also receive access to Cornell's online Diversity and Inclusion Symposiums that offer opportunities to join peers in an in-depth conversation on topics surrounding DEI education and workplace diversity.
Price: $2,589 or $975/mo
Duration: 2 months
Exam Required: Yes
Online, In-Person, or both: Online
Hours of instruction: 2 weeks
Eligibility Requirements: N/A
2. Georgetown's Executive Certificate in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
Georgetown University's Executive Certificate in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion is perfect for managers and workplace leaders seeking to grow HR and talent management initiatives with DEI goals.
This program is great for professional development and will help leaders understand the latest in cultural competency, DEI research, and DEI strategy.
Not only will you work and study alongside peer leaders reviewing theoretical foundations and social identities, but this inclusion certification program includes workplace application so you'll have the skill and real-life examples of how to create inclusion initiatives of your own.
Price: $8,490
Duration: 6 months
Exam Required: N/A
Online, In-Person, or both: Both
Hours of instruction: 3 weekdays x 1 mo
Eligibility Requirements: Bachelor's degree or equivalent
3. SHRM Inclusive Workplace Culture Specialty Credential
The SHRM certification program is globally recognized and is synonymous with being an expert and leader in the human resources industry. Its inclusion certification is no exception and offers training to help create a workplace culture that supports diversity and inclusivity to help people thrive and succeed.
You'll dive into SHRM eLearning courses focused on fostering inclusive work culture, specifically looking at allyship, cultivating support, and measuring success in an inclusive workplace.
SHRM certification is a great option in terms of continuing education, standing out in a job search, or staying up-to-date in the latest people management. After completing the course you'll be able to add a Specialty Credential badge to your resume, email signature, and Linkedin.
Price: Reach out for information on the package option. Each course is separately listed as $99 for members and $149 for non-members
Duration: Varies
Exam Required: Yes, a 50-question online assessment
Online, In-Person, or both? Both
Hours of instruction: Varies
Eligibility Requirements: N/A
4. Purdue University’s Inclusive Excellence Graduate Certificate Program
Purdue's Inclusive Excellence Graduate Certificate Program supports anyone looking to lead in the new frontier for businesses and academia. Graduate students and HR professionals alike will acquire skills in DEI topics from systemic oppression, social justice, and how to promote organizational change.
Participants in this program will have a deeper understanding of their role as an inclusive leader and how to better foster and support a diverse, inclusive, equitable community.
Price: Reach out to Graduate Program Specialist for more information.
Duration: Varies
Exam Required: N/A
Online, In-Person, or both? In-Person
Hours of instruction: 9 hours
Eligibility Requirements: Bachelor’s Degree
5. HRCI’s Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion in HR Management
The HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®) is the industry go-to in terms of HR accreditation, and their D&I Management course offers a strong inclusive education.
This program covers tenants for DEI professionals including how to foster an inclusive culture, HR metrics, and hiring and retaining diverse talent.
These courses are structured to provide effective strategies and critical thinking you'd face in the workplace. From diversity training, like how to identify bias at work to how to track the progress of DEI initiatives, students will come away with applicable skills to create a diverse and inclusive space.
Price: $449.00
Duration: Courses available for 180 days
Exam Required: No
Online, In-Person, or both: Online
Hours of instruction: 12 hours
Eligibility Requirements: None
6. American Management Association (AMA) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certificate Program
From managers to HR professionals, the American Management Association (AMA) offers a DEI certificate program with a full curriculum to help assess, create, and monitor success when launching your own DEI initiatives.
Courses will cover everything from the differences in overt versus unconscious bias, how to assess leadership styles, and the art of hosting inclusive meetings.
Upon completion, you’ll receive an exclusive AMA certificate and access to additional post-course lessons on-demand to help reinforce or refresh any skills.
Price: $3295 for non-members | $2995 AMA members
Duration: 3 days in-person | 3 classes online
Exam Required: N/A
Online, In-Person, or both: Both
Hours of instruction: Varies
Eligibility Requirements: N/A
7. ESSEC Business School – Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
The ESSEC Business School offers management courses to strengthen freedom, openness, innovation, and responsibility. Their Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace course provides an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of discrimination, unconscious bias, and how an inclusive leader or human resources team can manage it with your people.
You'll learn the filters through which diversity's understood and approached around the world, along with exploring equity and inclusion from an individual to an organizational perspective.
You'll earn DEI certification, along with learning valuable skills in how to apply the cognitive method in challenging our own personal perspectives.
Price: Free
Duration: 10hrs
Exam Required: N/A
Online, In-Person, or both: Online
Hours of instruction: on-demand
Eligibility Requirements: N/A
8. Catalyst edX's Inclusive Leadership Program
Catalyst's a leading nonprofit organization looking to elevate women in the workplace with inclusion resources and leadership courses. Everyone's welcome to join Catalyst modules and earn DEI or inclusion certification.
Catalyst's roster of online courses covers inclusive practices more in-depth from understanding gender equity to facing racism and emotional tax at work.
A great place to start is their Professional Certificate in Inclusive Leadership, covering inclusive communication and leveraging core leadership traits like humility and accountability. Join others from around the world tuning into this course.
Price: $147
Duration: 3 months
Exam Required: N/A
Online, In-Person, or both: Online
Hours of instruction: 1-2 hours per week
Eligibility Requirements: N/A
9. University of Pennsylvania's Optimizing Diversity on Teams
See how you can maximize your team's performance, handle conflict resolution, and overcome common biases from an Ivy League course courtesy of Coursera and Penn.
The syllabus includes lectures on promoting diversity at work along with diversity basics, and you'll also critically review case studies and examples from large organizations like Google, Nike, and UnitedHealthcare.
Price: Starts at $79 (free 7-day Coursera trial available)
Duration: On-demand
Exam Required: N/A
Online, In-Person, or both: Online
Hours of instruction: 12hrs
Eligibility Requirements: N/A
10. Rutgers’ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Certificate
Rutgers’ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Certificate is perfect for public and nonprofit managers and serves as an opportunity for individuals to dive into the foundational concepts of DEI, the realities of race and racism, and privilege.
Courses are interactive and include a live session online with pre-work required. Students are encouraged to participate and unpack their own biases and self-identify their own personal developmental areas through exercises and a reflection assignment.
Price: $300 per course
Duration: 6 weeks x course | 4 courses
Exam Required: N/A
Online, In-Person, or both: Online
Hours of instruction: 2.5 hrs per course
Eligibility Requirements: N/A
Further Reading
Diving into the nuances and mechanics of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work communities will help hone your skills as a leader, along with helping you build a stronger workplace culture.
Check out these resources to help you understand what’s needed to create more diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces:
- How to write your DEI mission (and how to do it justice)
- The ultimate DEI skillset? Mastering change management
- Humanize your workplace with employee resource groups
- 12 key DEI metrics to track for an inclusive workplace
- DEI Consultant: Signs You Need One And How To Hire One