Non-Credit Certificate Program in Strategic Leadership in the Age of Generative and Agentic AI
Identify AI opportunities and drive measurable returns.
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Upcoming Dates
Certificate start
Students may register up to 7 days after the course start.
At a Glance
- Enrollment:
- Open enrollment
- Length:
- 7–8 months
- Format:
- Online
- Investment:
-
$15,000 for certificate
AI has become table stakes for organizations across industries, yet many are not seeing the returns they expect. The Strategic Leadership in the Age of Generative and Agentic AI certificate program prepares you to move beyond pilots and experimentation to scalable, measurable impact. It provides you with the knowledge to better understand what you should be doing and what you don’t need to be doing with AI resources.
Over seven to eight months, you will build strategic AI literacy, identify high-value use cases, and design workflows and governance frameworks that create and capture business value. The program is structured into courses—AI Fundamentals and Futures, Agentic and Generative AI for Business, Generative AI at Work: Workflows and Customization, Building and Leading AI-Powered Teams, and AI Governance and Responsible Leadership—each developing a core aspect of AI leadership. Each of the courses concludes with an AI acceleration project applied directly to your organizational context, helping you translate learning into action.
By the end of the program, you will be equipped to guide ethical, scalable AI adoption, lead human-AI teams and align AI portfolios with strategic goals.
Designed For
This program is an excellent fit if you are: a mid- to senior-level executive with at least five years of management experience; a leader collaborating with technical or cross-functional teams; a professional seeking to guide responsible, sustainable AI-enabled change; or someone who wants to align business strategy with technology-driven innovation. No technical background is required.
The program does not require coding, machine learning experience, or proficiency with any tools; all platforms are taught from a strategic, business-focused perspective.
Learning Objectives to Become an AI Leader
After completing this certificate, you will be able to:
- Evaluate foundational AI concepts, capabilities, and risks to build durable AI literacy and make informed leadership decisions.
- Identify high-impact AI initiatives and estimate ROI, building compelling business cases aligned with organizational priorities.
- Leverage generative and agentic AI to transform business models, improve efficiency, and unlock new value streams.
- Design custom LLM and agentic workflows that automate real business tasks and integrate with existing systems.
- Build and lead hybrid human-AI teams, combining human judgment and AI capabilities for sustained performance.
- Establish governance frameworks and leadership principles that accelerate innovation while ensuring responsible, accountable AI use.
Earn a certificate and a digital credential from the University of Chicago and join a global community of AI-focused leaders.
Ready to Take Your Career to the Next Level?
Unite your leadership experience with a rigorous, practice-focused curriculum designed for the AI era. Build the confidence to evaluate AI opportunities, lead cross-functional initiatives, and govern AI portfolios responsibly.
Enroll NowOur AI for Leaders Certificate Comprises the Following Courses:
Our Strategic Leadership in the Age of Generative and Agentic AI certificate program includes the following courses:
AI Fundamentals and Futures
Build a foundation in AI literacy and AI for business. Explore the language, core approaches, and fundamentals of how AI works; key trends and use cases; and how to estimate value for AI projects so you can identify opportunities that truly move the needle.
Agentic and Generative AI for Business
Focus on how generative and agentic AI are reshaping business models and processes. Examine opportunities to increase productivity, personalize customer and employee experiences, enhance decision-making, and automate operations in ways that create sustainable value.
Generative AI at Work: Workflows and Customization
Go deeper into how LLMs function and how they can be customized for your organization. Learn to enhance models with organizational knowledge, design effective prompts and workflows, reduce risks like hallucinations and bias, and build agentic patterns that support real business use cases.
Building and Leading AI-Powered Teams
Address the human side of AI adoption. Learn to translate your AI vision for technical and nontechnical stakeholders, build and lead teams enhanced by AI, set and track KPIs for AI initiatives, and manage talent, retention, and compensation in AI-focused roles.
AI Governance and Responsible Leadership
Develop a personal leadership philosophy for AI and explore shifting perspectives on risk and responsibility. Learn to translate complex AI risks into clear business language, design responsible innovation frameworks, and implement governance policies that balance top-down mandates with bottom-up, team-driven practices.
View the full Strategic Leadership in the Age of GenAI and Agentic AI curriculum.
Tools You Will Use
Gain hands-on exposure to leading AI platforms used for research, workflow automation, and content generation.
Prerequisites: The program does not require coding, machine learning experience, or prior proficiency with these tools; all platforms are taught from a strategic, business-focused perspective.
Large Language Models (LLMs):
ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini
Research Platforms:
Perplexity AI | DeepSeek
Content Creation Tools:
Midjourney | ElevenLabs
Disclaimer: All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of product and company names does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by the University of Chicago.
Program Format Features
- Live, interactive sessions with University of Chicago instructors and subject-matter experts.
- AI acceleration projects at the end of every course, tied directly to your business context.
- Case studies and real-world applications across industries and functions.
- Hands-on exposure to leading tools including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity AI, DeepSeek, Midjourney, and ElevenLabs.
- A certificate and digital credential from the University of Chicago.
Career Benefits
As AI investment accelerates, organizations need leaders who can think critically about AI—not just the technology itself, but its impact on strategy, operations, risk, and talent. This program helps you:
- Position yourself as a go-to leader for AI-enabled transformation.
- Strengthen your ability to evaluate AI opportunities and build business cases.
- Lead cross-functional initiatives that connect data, technology, and people.
- Build a portfolio of AI acceleration projects that demonstrate applied impact.
You will leave with practical frameworks, real project work, and experience with leading tools, preparing you to guide AI portfolios with confidence.
By the numbers
Projected compound annual growth rate of the global AI-as-a-service market from 2025 to 2030, reflecting rapidly expanding enterprise adoption.
Business leaders who say their most advanced generative AI initiative meets or exceeds ROI expectations, signaling that well-led AI projects are already delivering value.
Organizations that reported using AI in at least one business function, a significant increase from 55 percent in 2023.
Potential roles for AI-focused leaders
Professionals who complete this program may be well positioned for leadership roles such as:
- Director of AI Strategy
- Chief AI Officer (CAIO)
- Head of Data and Analytics Transformation
- Director of Digital Transformation
- AI Program Director
- VP / Director of Innovation
Actual outcomes will vary based on your background, industry, and organization.
Meet the Faculty Director
Dr. Green has reshaped the curriculum to align with advancements in data science, computer science, statistics, and financial mathematics. He has launched innovative courses such as Leadership and Consulting in Data Science and AI, Machine Learning, and Your Career in Data Science, ensuring participants develop technical expertise and industry insight. He helps bridge academic research with industry applications, equipping participants with real-world data science skills.
Greg Green, PhD
Senior Instructional Professor; Senior Director of the DSI Polsky Transform Initiative; Senior Director of DSI Executive and Professional Education
Greg Green is Senior Instructional Professor and Director of the MS in Applied Data Science Program at the University of Chicago, and Senior Director for Industrial Partnerships and Strategy at the Data Science Institute. Dr. Green helps the University of Chicago professional data science students...
Instructors
Learn from industry leaders, innovators, and experienced practitioners.
- Michael Butts: founder and CEO, Burtch Works
- Fouad Bousetouane, PhD: lecturer in generative AI, University of Chicago; cofounder and chief AI officer, InterspectAI
- Michael Colella, MS, MA: senior director of global data strategy and analytics, AXS
- Patrick McQuillan, MBA: analytics executive and strategy consultant
Earn Credentials in Strategic Leadership in the Age of Generative and Agentic AI
Upon successful completion of the program, you will receive a certificate from the University of Chicago and a digital credential that can be shared on LinkedIn or added to your professional portfolio.
Take Your Organization to the Next Level
Lead AI adoption with clarity, responsibility, and impact backed by the rigor and reputation of the University of Chicago.
Apply Now