Graduate Diploma – Leadership and Management

Applicants to the Graduate Diploma – Leadership and Management (GDLM) must have

1. an undergraduate degree from an accredited university, OR permission from the dean or LMD program director of AU Faculty of Business based on prior learning, including a review of other credentials or certifications, OR
2. professional experience and a letter of support from your employer identifying readiness to complete the program.

There will be an ongoing admissions process for this program, meaning students may start the program with any scheduled course with the exception of the capstone.

Corporations and organizations may continue to select to use AU course/program offerings to customize their own internal development programs, which provide their employees with an open study option opportunity at AU.

English language proficiency

There are minimum English language proficiency requirements allowed for admission to a graduate program at Athabasca University. It is the student's responsibility to ensure they meet the minimum requirements.

Students applying for the Graduate Diploma – Leadership and Management (GDLM) must submit a completed application package, consisting of:

• a completed application form;
• a current, chronological resumé detailing work experience;
• official transcripts of post-secondary education and/or professional designation(s) sent directly to the Faculty of Business, Athabasca University, from the respective institution(s). Applicants with degrees obtained outside of North America may be required to have educational qualifications assessed independently (see International transcripts). International programs accredited by AACSB are accepted without this assessment;
• the non-refundable application processing fee.

Non-program application

The LMD non-program applicant is a student taking a Leadership and Management Development (LMD) course who is not enrolled in the GDLM program.

The LMD non-program applicant must:

• meet the admission criteria, or receive a special exemption for admission from the dean or designate;
• demonstrate an appropriate level of professional experience required to contribute positively to online group discussions/projects;
• meet all course prerequisite requirements.

If a LMD non-program student subsequently applies for GDLM program admission, credit for AU LMD courses previously completed will be evaluated for credit towards the GDLM program requirements, where appropriate. Transfer credit fees will normally be waived in such cases.

Transfer credit

Transfer credit means that students may apply to transfer graduate course credits earned elsewhere at recognized academic institutions into the GDLM program.

Only graduate level course credits that have never been applied toward any degree program, are eligible for consideration.

Courses being considered for transfer credit must be from a fully accredited institution (i.e. members of Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, Canadian Association for Distance Education, Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), etc.). Applicants will be required to complete a transfer credit form, pay a transfer credit evaluation fee, and provide official transcripts and detailed course outlines for each course (outline requirements will be provided by the program director). Executive education course credits may also be accepted at the discretion of the dean or program designate.

The program director and/or Faculty of Business faculty will determine whether transfer credits will be permitted into the GDLM program. If transfer credit is awarded, a study plan will be provided outlining how students will integrate previous coursework with the program.

Other

Students must confirm access to a computer system that meets the program requirements. Upon acceptance to the program, students must pay the required non-refundable admission fee.

Detailed instructions for assembling an application package can be found on the Faculty of Business website.

Program structure

Credits for the Graduate Diploma – Leadership and Management (GDLM) program are comprised of fifteen 1-credit courses and a 3-credit capstone course for a total of 18 credits.

Program requirements

To meet the residency requirements, students must complete a minimum of 9 credits through Athabasca University.

To be awarded the Graduate Diploma – Leadership and Management (GDLM), the graduate student must successfully complete core and elective courses required in the program. A minimum grade of 60% is required for both the assignment and participation components in each course, unless otherwise specified in the course study guide. The capstone course requires an overall grade of 70%.

Upon successful completion of the GDLM, student may be eligible for transfer credit into other AU graduate programs.

Timelines

GDLM students will be expected to complete their program studies within 5 years.

A student may repeat any course only once. Full tuition fees for each failed course will be required when repeated. Permission is required by the dean (or designate) to take a course more than twice.

To maintain active status, a student must successfully complete at least 3 courses in their program of study within a 12-month period.

Student progress reports and transcripts

Upon completion of all of the requirements for the GDLM program, the graduate student will receive his or her diploma from Athabasca University.

Graduation requirements

To be awarded the Graduate Diploma – Leadership and Management, a graduate student must:

1. successfully complete the courses set out above;
2. complete an application for graduation form;
3. satisfy all other regulations.

In addition, students must have paid any fees owed to the university and have returned all library resources. All applications for graduation must be approved by General Faculties Council.

Course delivery

Courses in the Graduate Diploma – Leadership and Management (GDLM) are offered on a paced basis with specified start and completion dates. The university reserves the right to change the list of available courses at any time.

Course registration

Students register and pay for each course at the time of registration and prior to the registration cutoff date.

Successful course completion

A minimum grade of 60% is required for both the assignments and participation components in each course. The capstone course requires an overall grade of 70%.

It is each student’s responsibility to ensure that any course participation and any assignment requirements are maintained and submitted on time. There will be no leniency or considerations given to students who choose a double course workload.

Course withdrawal

Students may withdraw from the course in which they are registered, without academic penalty, subject to the following:

• Withdrawal must take place on or before the 7th day of the course.
• The course withdrawal fee must be paid in full.
• A refund of tuition fees (minus the withdrawal fee) is only payable if withdrawal occurs within 7 days from the course start date.
• Students must maintain "active status" in the program as defined in the information about timelines under Program regulations.

A withdrawal:

• prior to and up to 7 days after the course contract start date will not appear on the student's transcript,
• after 7 days and on or before the course contract end date will be recorded as a "W" (Withdrawal) on the student's transcript and credit will not be awarded for the course.

A student may not withdraw after the course contract date. If no course work has been completed, a grade of "F" (Failure) will be assigned and recorded on the transcript.

Students who do not maintain "active status" will be deemed withdrawn from their program of study.

Re-admission to a program can occur with payment of all applicable fees in current regulations. Credit for courses previously completed will be re-evaluated and applied to the program requirements, where appropriate.

Appeals to the university concerning these re-admission procedures will be governed by the university's appeal process.

Re-registrations and repeats

Students who fail a course in the GDLM program may repeat that course only once. Full tuition will be required for each course repeated.

Students who fail the same course twice will be withdrawn from the program with no chance for appeal or re-enrolment.

Course refunds

Students will receive a refund of the full course fees if they withdraw from their course more than 7 days before the course start date. Students will receive a refund of the full course fees minus the course withdrawal processing fee if they withdraw from the course 7 days prior to the course start date and up to 7 days after the course start date. After then, no refund will be given.

Grading system

Each assignment and participation component that is to be counted towards the final grade for a course shall be given a percentage grade from the academic coach. The official recorded grade will be the Alpha/4.0 grading scale. Please review the Graduate Grading Policy and information about academic records on the Office of the Registrar site for more information on grading scales.

The following fees are effective for courses starting Sep. 1, 2025 to Aug. 31, 2026. All fees are quoted in Canadian dollars and are subject to change. Academic-related fees are exempt from the Federal Goods and Services Tax (GST). GST is added to all other goods and services; for example, workshops, some publications, self-help seminars, and Athabasca University promotional sales items.

Program tuition fees

All AU degree holders are eligible to receive a 20% discount.

Estimated program cost (2025-2026)

The total tuition cost for a student who takes all courses from Athabasca University, would be $23,147. (Application fees are included in this calculation.)

Note: Fees are subject to change. The Athabasca University Graduate Student Association (AUGSA) Fee (18 credits x $14/credit = $252) is not included in the above calculation.

Other fees

¹ The Course Withdrawal Processing Fee is a mandatory administrative fee charged when a student withdraws from a course. Refer to the information about course withdrawal under Course regulations and procedures.

Fee information effective Sep. 1, 2025 to Aug. 31, 2026.