Learn to speak the language of business
In a recent Graduate Management Admissions Council (GMAC) survey, recruiters cited communication as a top skill they're seeking in new hires. Tippie's Business Communication Certificate is designed to hone your personal, leadership, and cross-cultural communication expertise.
The certificate's four courses cover all the bases of being an effective communicator—from writing, presenting, and visualization to crisis communication, organizational storytelling, global business navigation, and emerging technology, like AI. Credits you earn can count toward an MBA through the Iowa MBA Program, which has a separate application process.
“Something I often talk to people about who don’t have a business background but do want to move up within leadership is the value of being able to speak business vernacular. Being an engineer who is able to speak the lingo of the finance team members adds an incredible amount of trust and respect from those team members.”
Concentration curriculum
These four courses comprise the complete Business Communications Certificate. You can use these courses toward the Iowa MBA should you choose to pursue it later.
Required Course:
- Business Communication
Elective courses (select three):
- Communication with AI and Business Technology
- Leadership Communication and Story
- Dynamics of Negotiations or Managing and Preventing Conflict
Certificate-only option
It's possible to earn the Business Communications Certificate as a stand-alone credential outside of the Iowa MBA program. To get started, you must submit a separate application, which will be available in Spring 2025.
University fees
Business Communication Certificate students pay one university fee, a one-time Records and Documents fee. University of Iowa graduates who earned a degree prior to Fall 2016 get to skip this fee. If you begin with the certificate and later enroll in the master's, you'll pay only one records fee.