102 Professional Courses to Propel Your Career in 2024

From project management and conflict resolution to Microsoft Teams, check out the new catalog of courses offered by Duke Learning & Organization Development

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With 102 courses on leadership, management, interpersonal communication and technical skills, L&OD provides learning opportunities to gain new hard and soft skills to grow in a role and improve communication and lead more effectively.

Whether you’re looking to become a successful manager or want to sharpen your PowerPoint skills for presentations, Duke Learning & Organization Development’s courses in 2024 will support you in taking the next step in your career.

With 102 courses on leadership, management, interpersonal communication and technical skills, L&OD provides learning opportunities to gain new hard and soft skills to grow in a role and improve communication and lead more effectively. Enrollment for the 2024 catalog is open.

“We want all staff and faculty to identify and participate in the learning opportunities that will foster immediate improvement in performance, relationships and interpersonal communication skills,” said Joy Birmingham, Duke Associate Director of Leadership and Professional Development. “They are investing in themselves, so when that new position or promotion shows up, they will be ready immediately.”

Courses vary from multi-day sessions on management and Microsoft Office products to single-day deep-dives into topics such as valuing differences, managing from the middle and providing feedback. Many classes are virtual but signature classes, such as the Star Achievement Series and CliftonStrengths, are in-person.

In addition, employees can register for one of two nationally recognize Certificates and six internally recognized Certificates of Excellence that guide learners through a specific combination of courses to meet professional development goals.

The catalog of offerings in 2024 brings back popular courses, including Keys to Supervisory Success (Feb. 20, May 14, Aug. 14 and Nov. 6), Managing Multiple Priorities (March 18, May 22, Sept. 24 and Dec. 9) and Communicating with Diplomacy and Tact (Jan. 16, April 3, Aug. 21 and Oct. 9).

Duke Learning & Organization Development logo.

The course roster features a revised version of Leading through Generational Differences (April 3 and Oct. 16) and two new courses: CliftonStrengths for Managers (Feb. 28 and Oct. 24) and CliftonStrengths for Individual Contributors on (June 3 and Nov. 18). These courses, Birmingham said, help managers and employees identify their strengths to maximize their potential.

“We wanted individual contributors to be able to have the language that they could go back to their managers and say, ‘These are the 10 areas I excel in, and then these areas are very difficult for me,’” said Birmingham who will lead the courses. “For managers, we are going to teach that from the perspective of their top 10 strengths as individual contributors, and how they must also work to bring out the strengths of their direct reports.”

L&OD is also introducing two new certificate programs. The additions of the Communications Certification of Excellence and Self-Leadership Certificate of Excellence focus on helping employees become stronger, more effective communicators and leaders.

“We have leaders all over Duke because they lead themselves,” Birmingham said. “Everybody has a role in their own leadership.”

For Treasure White, an Advanced Medical Lab Scientist in the Duke University Health System Clinical Laboratories Division of Molecular Pathology, Genetics and Genomics, the L&OD courses have helped her to thrive in her career at Duke. She first learned about the classes from a course catalog in her breakroom in 2019 and has tried to enroll in a course every semester.

White has taken a course on managing multiple priorities that has helped balance duties as she’s taken on more leadership roles, as well as classes on PowerPoint to strengthen her presenting skills. She’s currently taking courses to work toward a promotion.

“The most beneficial part for any of my classes is just seeing what I can take from the class and how I can apply it to my current position,” she said. “I appreciate the classes because they are building new skillsets for me — permanent skillsets that I can take anywhere within Duke and beyond Duke.”

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