Program Overview

Interprofessional Graduate Certificate in Improvement Science and Implementation

The Interprofessional Graduate Certificate in Improvement Science and Implementation is a three-course, 9-credit hour program designed to prepare practitioners and clinicians in organizational learning, collective impact, strategic doing, systems transformation, human-centered and liberatory design, rapid prototyping, implementation practice, and the science of improvement.

Curriculum & Courses

The program consists of three courses, taken in order: Change Leadership and Systems Improvement, Rapid Prototyping, and Implementation and Equity.

• Change Leadership and Systems Improvement: This course applies knowledge, tools, and dispositions from improvement science, organizational and management studies, psychology of change, strategic doing, relational leadership, team science, and collective impact to support the development of learning systems capable of bringing about their own continuous transformation.
  • Spring 2026 Course Meeting Dates:
    • Friday, January 2: Canvas Site Launches (Virtual Asynchronous Lessons)
    • Friday, January 9 (5:00 pm – 7:30 pm): Kickoff Session (Zoom)
    • Friday, January 23 (5:00 pm – 8:00 pm) and Saturday, January 24 (8:30 am – 3:30 pm): Weekend Session (In-Person, Chapel Hill)
    • Friday, February 20 (5:00 pm – 8:00 pm) and Saturday, February 21 (8:30 am – 3:30 pm): Weekend Session (In-Person, Chapel Hill)
    • Friday, March 13 (5:00 pm – 7:30 pm): Final Presentation Session (Zoom)
• Rapid Prototyping: This course applies the mindsets, methods, and processes associated with design thinking to solve real-world problems, prioritizing co-design, convergent and divergent thinking, and rapid prototyping.
  • Spring 2026 Course Meeting Dates:
    • Friday, March 20: Canvas Site Launches (Virtual Asynchronous Lessons)
    • Friday, March 27 (5:00 pm – 7:00 pm): Kickoff Session (Zoom)
    • Saturday, March 28 (8:30 am – 2:30 pm): Weekend Session (In-Person, Chapel Hill)
    • Friday, April 10 (5:00 pm – 7:00 pm): Virtual Session (Zoom)
    • Saturday, April 25 (8:30 am – 2:30 pm): Weekend Session (In-Person, Chapel Hill)
    • Friday, May 8 (5:00 pm – 7:00 pm): Virtual Session (Zoom)
    • Saturday, May 16 (8:30 am – 2:30 pm): Weekend Session (In-Person, Chapel Hill)
    • Friday, May 29 (5:00 pm – 7:00 pm): Final Presentation Session (Zoom)
• Implementation and Equity: This course applies lessons from implementation practice and research to tailor implementation frameworks and strategies to different settings, meeting the unique needs of communities and improving outcomes reliability and at scale.
  • Fall 2026 Course Meeting Dates: Mid-August – December 1 (specific dates TBA)

Format

Courses are offered in a blended, weekend format to enable full access to students from different professional schools and work settings. Asynchronous online content is complemented with 6-8 project-based weekend sessions. During in-person weekends, students engage with faculty and community partners in interprofessional learning opportunities, including panel discussions, interviews, case studies, project-based learning, tool application, and team-based activities.

Program Details

• Each course includes 6 to 8 virtual lessons, with students expected to complete approximately one lesson per week asynchronously.
• Student teams are required to work together to schedule and complete two Design Sprints alongside a community partner to which they will be matched.