Professional Development for the Leaders of Today and Tomorrow
Wake Forest Executive Education combines academic rigor with real-world application to help professionals lead at a higher level. Our non-credit certificate programs, short courses, workshops, and custom programs deliver practical, relevant business insights for both individuals and companies.
Why Executive Education?
Leadership Training That Scales With You
Our goal is to equip participants with the tools and tactics to grow as a strategic leader. Online and in-person options fit your schedule while preparing you to lead through complexity and build strong teams.
A Proven Partner
For decades, organizations have trusted Wake Forest to strengthen their leadership pipelines and drive performance. Our programs are built in collaboration with employers to ensure they meet real-world needs and deliver lasting value.
Relevant Topics and Real-World Learning
Our programs are designed with direct input from industry leaders to ensure every lesson translates to real business impact. You’ll gain applicable skills that swiftly improve performance at both the individual and organizational level.
Find the Program That Fits Your Purpose
Availability:
Course Format:
- $1650-2750
- March 31 - May 10, 2027
Executive Education
The AI Playbook is a flexible learning experience with Certificate, strategist or practitioner pathways, or a build your own journey format. Throughout each session you will add tools to your “AI Playbook” leaving the course with a comprehensive resource for implementing and using AI effectively at your organization.
- Monthly Cohorts
Executive Education
By completing four (4) of the available leadership open enrollment programs, participants will earn a Certificate in Leadership from the School of Business’ Allegacy Center for Leadership and Character and Wake Forest Executive Education. The certificate is self-guided as participants can register for programs at any point in the cycle, with completion required within 24 months.
- $995
- Oct 30, 2026
Executive Education
This one-day leadership development experience is designed for leaders to build a comprehensive toolkit for navigating professional relationships with both the “soft” power of persuasion and the “hard” skills of high-stakes negotiation.
- $995
- Nov 20, 2026
Executive Education
This one-day leadership development experience is designed for mid-to-senior professionals who are ready to move beyond managing tasks and start developing the people around them.
- $995
- Dec 11, 2026
Executive Education
This 1-day program equips people managers with the insight and practical tools needed to lead effectively across cultures and generations. Participants will explore how cultural and generational differences show up in the workplace and learn strategies to manage individuals in ways that honor those differences while aligning teams around shared goals, purpose, and values.
- $995
- May 15, 2026
Executive Education
This 1-day program will provide the participant with the knowledge and tools to build and lead effective teams (standing, temporary, and/or virtual), manage conflict, build trust with others, and shape a culture of empowerment and shared leadership.
- $995
- March 19, 2027
Executive Education
This interactive program is designed to help you embrace challenges as opportunities, to be more resilient in the face of adversity, to pursue your goals with reckless abandon, and to help others do so as well. We will focus on your own development of a growth mindset as well as ways to influence your workplace and team to adopt this way of thinking.
- $995
- Feb 19, 2027
Executive Education
In this interactive full-day workshop, participants will identify a current organizational boundary challenge and evaluate the structural strengths and gaps of their personal network. Grounded in the proven 5-step Influence Without Authority framework, participants will learn how to diagnose stakeholder contexts, uncover mutual currencies, and build effective coalitions across business units. Through a hands-on, structured help exchange, leaders will practice applying give-and-take network dynamics in real time. Participants will leave equipped with a concrete 90-day action plan to execute their
- $995
- April 16, 2027
Executive Education
This 1-day program will provide the participant with the foundation of authentic and effective leadership, while exploring who the leader is as a person. Fully understanding the factors driving behavior enhances leadership authenticity, assists in building trust with others, increases leader effectiveness, and contributes to personal fulfillment and team performance.
- $995
- May 7, 2027
Executive Education
This 1-day program will provide the participant with the knowledge and tools to lead organizations at the enterprise level.
- $995
- June 4, 2027
Executive Education
AI is changing how work gets done faster than most organizations can decide what to do about it. Leaders are being asked to approve, to restrict, or simply to react to AI use across their teams — at times without knowing the difference between AI use that deserves encouragement and AI use that demands a closer look. This full-day program is built for exactly that gap.
- Coming Soon
Executive Education
Finance for Healthcare Professionals is ideal for administrators and providers who work in the healthcare industry looking to increase their financial acumen. This program provides participants with the financial literacy that is becoming an increasingly important skill in a healthcare environment.
1
2
What is Executive Education?
Why Executive Education?
Corporate Members
Executive Education FAQs
What kinds of programs do you offer?
We offer three main types of executive education programs:
- Custom Programs designed in partnership with organizations to address their specific leadership and business needs. These are tailored learning experiences built for teams or companies.
- Open Enrollment Programs for individual professionals who want to strengthen their leadership, strategy, or business skills. These short, intensive programs are open to participants from a wide range of industries and backgrounds.
Industry Certifications and Bootcamps that provide targeted, skills-based training in high-demand areas. These programs help professionals earn recognized credentials, stay competitive in their fields, and demonstrate expertise to current or future employers.
Where can I find information on professional designations/certifications?
Many of our open enrollment programs award a non-credit certificate of completion from Wake Forest University, School of Professional Studies or Wake Forest Executive Education. Some programs may also align with external professional designations or continuing education credit. Details are listed on each program page, and our team is happy to help if you have specific certification questions.
How do I contact someone in Executive Education for more information?
You can reach our Executive Education team at executivewake@wfu.edu. A member of our team will respond promptly to answer your questions.
Executive Education Articles
What Executive Education Is, What It Isn't, and How to Know If It's Right for Your Organization
Most organizations respond to new market disruptions by looking outward for fresh consulting or new tools. But the most durable growth strategy usually...
Choose Your Own Adventure: The Case for Modular Leadership Development
Wake Forest Executive Education's Certificate in Leadership works around a different logic: choice and flexibility. By selecting any four specialized,...
The Missing Piece in Your Talent Retention Strategy: A True Learning & Development Partnership
When professional development is treated as a quick, "one-and-done" transaction, your organization leaves true strategic value on the table. Discover why...
How Two Companies Are Leveraging Wake Forest Executive Education's Corporate Membership to Transform Their Leadership Development
Learn more about the Corporate Membership program as a leadership development tool for organizations
Move Beyond AI Awareness to Operational Mastery: The AI Playbook
Learn more about the Leadership Launchpad: A Virtual Certificate for New Leaders
Elevate Your Career: Announcing Our New Catalog and Fall 2026 Lineup at Wake Forest Executive Education
Fall 2026 is here. Wake Forest Executive Education's new catalog features five leadership workshops, including courses on influence and talent development,...
