Catalyst: The Leadership Accelerator Program
Build the Capabilities that Define Competitive Careers
Overview
The professionals advancing today aren't necessarily the deepest experts. They’re the ones working at the intersection of strategy, technology, and leadership—with the perspective and in-demand business skills to solve big problems, influence across teams, and drive change.
Catalyst: The Leadership Accelerator is an integrated leadership development program designed to help ambitious professionals stand out and get ahead. Rather than teaching AI, finance, strategy, innovation, and leadership separately, Catalyst shows you how they work together to prepare you for larger, more strategic opportunities.
Through applied online learning, you'll develop the range of leadership capabilities organizations increasingly expect and put them to work immediately, building the credibility to move beyond execution and into the conversations—and roles—that shape your organization's future.
Key Takeaways
Think More Strategically
Apply Berkeley's Innovation Cycle and AI-powered thinking to move ideas from opportunity to scalable business solutions.
Build Business Credibility
Develop the financial, strategic, and business acumen needed to make stronger decisions and confidently contribute beyond your functional expertise.
Put AI to Work
Develop fluency in AI for business and build your personal AI playbook to accelerate research, improve decision-making, and create practical value in your day-to-day work.
Influence and Lead Across Teams
Strengthen your leadership presence, communication, and ability to align people around ideas that drive meaningful organizational impact.
More about Catalyst: The Leadership Accelerator
You can build expertise one subject at a time, but today's business challenges rarely fit into a single discipline. Catalyst is different because it brings key capabilities together, so you can develop the integrated business perspective that transforms functional expertise into strategic leadership.
Designed for busy professionals, this online business training fits demanding schedules and realistic budgets without requiring you to put your career on hold to advance it.
Enjoy an Engaging Program Experience
Move your career forward through a high-touch learning experience that's practical, accessible, and grounded in Berkeley's academic rigor.
Faculty Directors Juliana Schroeder and Mathijs de Vaan, along with other distinguished Berkeley Haas faculty, lead participants through an interactive learning experience that includes:
- Live faculty teaching sessions
- Video lectures
- Hands-on exercises
- Engaging team-based simulations
- Team discussions and collaborative activities
- Practical frameworks
- Dedicated coaching and support
- AI training and strategic tools
Emerge as a More Strategic Business Leader
Are you ready to contribute beyond your functional expertise and be recognized as a more strategic leader?
Whether your goal is to accelerate your career, step into larger leadership opportunities, or stop being overlooked for your potential, Catalyst helps you build across key capabilities and develop the confidence to make your next move. You'll leave the program prepared to lead with a broader perspective, greater influence, and the business judgment to make an impact wherever your career takes you.
Who's it for
- Mid-level professionals ready to move beyond functional expertise into broader leadership roles
- Individual contributors and managers preparing for larger strategic responsibilities
- Professionals in marketing, operations, finance, HR, and other business functions seeking broader business capabilities
- Professionals without an MBA looking for a practical alternative to build business credibility
- Career-focused professionals who want to future-proof their careers in an AI-driven economy
- Busy working professionals seeking a flexible, high-impact learning experience that fits alongside work and life
Want to approach your employer about supporting your professional development? Check out this article.
Format & Structure
Online
- Six-month virtual leadership program, including faculty-led live and video lectures
- World-renowned UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and Berkeley Executive Education faculty
- Practical applications of AI tools, including a personal AI playbook
- One-on-one meetings with learning facilitators to help connect learning to personal context and support work on capstone project
- Practical exercises to apply tools and skills
- Small-team exercises, discussions, activities, and feedback
- Interactive simulations to apply training takeaways
- Exclusive network-building opportunities, including a two-day in-person graduation on the UC Berkeley Haas campus
- Access to the program alumni community
- Catalyst: The Leadership Accelerator Certificate of Completion
Apply for the Program
Apply for the Spring 2027 cohort by April 26, 2027. Program starts May 10, 2027.
Dates & Costs
Online
Other Ways to Participate
Attend this program with a group of your colleagues.
Attend this program with colleagues to gain greater organizational impact. Groups of five or more receive special rates.
Customize this program for your organization.
Use this program's curriculum as the foundation of a program based on your company's unique objectives.
Get more information
Download the Catalyst Leadership Accelerator Program Guide
The complimentary guide includes sample schedule, program curriculum, learning objectives, and more.
Employer Reimbursement
Gain tips on how to approach your manager about professional development and tuition reimbursement.
How do I apply to Catalyst: The Leadership Accelerator?
Applying to the program is simple:
- Click on the "apply" button on the program page
- Create your account in our customer portal
- Complete the online application form. You'll need the following:
- A professional bio
- A link to your LinkedIn profile
- Information about your experience and your role
- Our program services team will follow up after reviewing your application
Do the Catalyst program provide credits towards a degree, grades, transcripts, or Continuing Education Units (CEUs)?
Our programs are non-degree programs and do not hold any credit unit equivalency, letter grades, pass/fail designation, Continuing Education Units (CEUs), or transcripts. Rather, we provide a certificate of completion at the conclusion of the program.
To qualify for a certificate of completion, a participant must meet the minimum requirements as noted for each program and maintaining at least 80% attendance/engagement.
Why is Catalyst application-based?
The application helps us ensure the program is the right fit for your goals while building a cohort of motivated professionals who can learn from one another's diverse experiences.
I don't work in a technical role. Is the Catalyst program still right for me?
Yes. Catalyst is designed for professionals across functions—including marketing, operations, finance, HR, and more—who want to broaden their business perspective and prepare for larger leadership opportunities.
Will I be able to balance the program with work?
Yes. The program combines self-paced learning with live faculty sessions, allowing you to fit coursework around your schedule while continuing to work full-time.
Faculty
Juliana Schroeder
Professor | Harold Furst Chair in Management Philosophy & Values | Management of Organizations
Mathijs De Vaan
Associate Professor, Management of Organizations
Sara Beckman
Teaching Professor | Earl F. Cheit Faculty Fellow Entrepreneurship & Innovation | Innovation & Design | Operations & IT Management | Sustainability, Haas School of Business
Thomas Lee
Mike and Carol Meyer Faculty Fellow | Associate Adjunct Professor | Director of Data Science, Fisher Center for Business Analytics | Operations & IT Management
Homa Bahrami, PhD
Executive Teaching Fellow, Senior Lecturer: Entrepreneurship & Innovation | Management of Organizations, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Jennifer Chatman
Bank of America Dean | Co-Founder, Berkeley Center for Workplace Culture and Innovation | Professor, Management of Organizations, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
Certificates
Certificate of Completion
Signal your professional achievement to your network and get recognized for your completion! Upon successful completion of the program, UC Berkeley Executive Education grants a verified digital certificate of completion to participants that you are encouraged to add to your profiles.
Note: This program results in a digital certificate of completion and is not eligible for degree credit/CEUs. After successful completion of the program, your verified digital certificate will be emailed to you directly. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of UC Berkeley Executive Education.
Certificate of Business Excellence
Participants in the Certificate of Business Excellence (COBE) program will earn a mark of distinction from a world-class university, gain access to a powerful global network, and enjoy the flexibility of completing the program in up to three years. A UC Berkeley Certificate of Business Excellence allows individuals to create a personal learning journey structured by our four academic pillars to gain management essentials in Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Strategy, and Finance to drive both personal and organizational development.
