Leadership Education and Development LEAD)CertificateFAQ’s
I’m interested in the LEAD Certificate Program and have some questions. Who do I contact?
Email your questions to the LEAD Certificate Program Manager at or 202-606-1652
What is the process to get a LEAD certificate?
The LEAD certificate program is a self-paced program, which means OPM is not formally involved until you complete the 5 required courses for a given level of leadership. This also means you register for each course individually as you progress through the courses.
OnceIhavecompletedthe5coursesfora levelofleadership,howdoI getmyLEADCertificate?
Within 90days ofcompletingthelastofthe fivecoursesata given level,email alist ofthefive courses with theirstartdates tovalidatecompletionwithinthe threeyear periodtotheOPMLEADCertificate ProgramManagerat ,thentheguidelinesforyour lastrequirement, the4-6page capstonepaperwillbesentto you. Ifyouareoutsidethe threeyeartimeline,youmayemailarequest for awaiveronthetimelinetothe OPMLEADCertificateProgramManager.
Once OPMhasverified thatyouhavecompleted yourrequired courses, youwillhave90daysto completea capstonepaper. Youwillemailthe paper to theLEADCertificateProgramManagerat . AnOPM ProgramDirector/Faculty Memberwillevaluatethe paper onaPass/Fail basis toascertainyour abilitytoclearlycommunicatethekeylessonsgained fromthecoursesandhowyou applied atleastoneof thoselessons backatyour agency.
Onceyoureceivea"Pass" ratingonyourcapstonepaper,theLEADCertificateProgramManagerwill emailyournotificationas your official recordfor personnel. Thenyour LEADCertificatesigned bythe DirectorofOPMwillbemailed to you.
DoesitmatterwhatorderI takethe5courses inLEADCertificate level?
It isrecommended, butnotrequired, tocompletetheAssessmentandCorecoursesfirst,beforetaking the PolicyandSkillcategories.
IfIhavethreeyears tocompletea LEADCertificate, whendoes theclock startticking?
All trainingprograms for aLEADCertificatemustbecompletedwithin3yearsofthe startdate ofthe firstcoursetaken.But duetoAgencybudgetcuts, OPMisbeingveryflexibleonthe timeline.
WhatifIhavetakenOPM coursespreviously thatarelistedintheLEAD Certificate Program,can they counttowardsaLEAD Certificate?
Yes, butremembertokeepin mindthatthethreeyear windowfor theLEADCertificatewillbeginasof the startdate ofthefirstcoursetaken;besure toleaveyourself enoughtimetocompletethenecessary coursesfortheLEADCertificate.DuetoagencybudgetcutsOPMisbeingextremelyflexibleonthe timeline.
CanI substitutecoursework fromotherprogramstocounttowardsa LEAD Certificate?
OnlyOPMtrainingprograms listedfor a given level of leadershipwillcounttowards a LEADCertificateat that level.
CanI takea LEAD courseabovethelevelof mycurrentposition?
YoumayearnaLEADCertificatefor alevelof leadership, even if youarenotatthatlevelexcept the
Executivelevel,whereyoumustbeatleastaGS-14.Westronglyrecommendcheckingwithyour
trainingmanagertoseewhetheryouragencyhas anyspecificrulesregardingtakingcoursesforahigher levelthan your current position.
Willa LEADcertificate translate intopointsonajobapplication?
No, butthecertificatewillshow your employerthat youhavemastered acertainbodyofknowledge that OPMrecommends foraspecificlevelof leadership.
Cana LEADCertificate counttowardsa Master'sDegree?
Manycoursesoffered inthe LEADCertificateProgramarecertifiedby theAmericanCouncilon Education(ACE)for collegeor graduatecredit. Thecredit hoursvarydepending onthelength and content ofthecourse. ACEservesasa registryfor studentstocollectACE-certifiedcoursecredits for nontraditionaltrainingcourses. Afterpayinga one-timefeetoestablishatranscriptwith ACE,students canuseACE tocollectandmaintainapermanent recordof classesandcredits.TheACEtranscriptis acceptedfortransfercreditatmostcollegesanduniversities,dependingonspecific degreeprograms. Thetranscriptalsoservesas an easywayfor degreedparticipantstodocument continuous learning. For further information, CE websiteis: