What is the ILA Leadership Badge?
The ILA Leadership Badge is a digital credential awarded to students who complete an approved ILA elective and demonstrate key leadership competencies. More than a certificate of completion, the badge provides verified recognition of your leadership development that you can share with employers, graduate schools, and your professional network.
Badge earners also gain access to an exclusive leadership workshop—available only to students in the program at no additional cost—providing an opportunity to deepen their skills and continue their leadership journey
What’s in it for you?
Stand Out Professionally
Showcase your leadership development with a verified badge that highlights your commitment to growth—visible to recruiters, employers, and peers.
Amplify Your Experience
The badge is reserved for students enrolled in one of our ILA electives, providing a unique way to spotlight your advanced leadership skills and experience.
Access an Exclusive Workshop
Participate in a high-impact leadership workshop available only to badge earners—at no additional cost.
What do you need to do?
Step 1: Class Registration
Taking an ILA elective (ILAD 5610S or ILAD 5980) is the first step toward earning the ILA Leadership badge. You are automatically registered once you enroll in the course, and then there are just three steps left!
Step 2: Attend 1 ILA Leadership Lecture
With approval, a different leadership event at Terry or across UGA may be substituted.
Step 3: Attend 1 Leadership Workshop
We hold two workshops, one at the start of the semester and another at the end. For specific dates, contact tcblead@uga.edu.
Step 4: Complete 1 Reflection Paper
Reflect on a current leadership or service-learning experience.
Open Elective Leadership Courses
The Institute for Leadership Advancement (ILA) offers two leadership-focused courses separate from its undergraduate certificate programs. Often, requirements for majors, minors and other certificates may conflict with a student’s availability to complete the full ILA curriculum. It is important to ILA that a student interested in fine-tuning their leadership skills still has the opportunity to take a leadership-focused course without having to commit to a certificate program. As such, the courses below aim to produce the same results as all of ILA’s offerings — to create values-based, impact-driven leaders. Taking one of these electives is the first step towards the ILA Leadership Badge.
ILA Electives
This course focuses on personal and organizational leadership and incorporates a broad survey of theory, research, and practice on leadership in formal organizations.
To develop personal and organizational leadership skills, we use a variety of instructional approaches:
- Self-assessments
- Case analyses
- Experiential exercises
- In-class discussions
Today’s challenges are complex and require a collective effort, as no one person is capable of fixing them. To work collectively, leaders must develop the capacity to engage and mobilize diverse groups of people. This course on inclusive leadership prepares you to do just that and includes a service learning component that provides you with an opportunity to exercise leadership and learn from seasoned leaders.
To develop the capacity needed to lead diverse teams, we use a variety of instructional approaches:
- Case analyses
- Experiential exercises
- Discussions
- Service learning activities
Contact Us
- Student Services Specialist, Institute for Leadership Advancement
Hear From Students
When I signed up for ILAD 5980 last spring, I honestly chose it because I needed another upper-level elective for Terry. I didn’t know then just how much this class would change my life. … This class pushed me into real introspection about who I am, what I value, and how I want to move forward in both my personal and professional life. … I learned how to build a leadership style that actually fits me rather than attempting to force myself into a mold.The leadership workshop was especially engaging, as it gave me a deeper understanding of what it takes to lead effectively in a group. … I really liked the workshop’s focus on the DAC model (Direction, Alignment, and Commitment), and how leadership works best when all three are present. This model, in particular, was something new to me, and as a coach, I see how this applies directly to my team.This semester has changed how I think about leadership in some pretty fundamental ways. It’s not about reaching some end point where you’ve ‘become’ a leader. It’s an ongoing practice that requires continuing to learn, being honest with yourself about strengths and weaknesses, and staying committed to something beyond just personal advancement. …I’ve learned that good leadership combines strategic thinking with genuine care about other people’s growth, that feeling uncomfortable often means I’m learning something, and that being authentic requires aligning what I say I value with what I actually do. Most importantly, I’ve figured out that leadership development isn’t about trying to become someone else. It’s about understanding who you already are and being more intentional about how you show up.