Training Certificate Program

What It Is

The certificate program provides a framework for sustained departmental programming in diversity that may be pursued to earn a certificate from Virginia Tech’s Diversity Development Institute. The program is open to graduate students, faculty, and staff in the Department.

Department of Psychology
Diversity & Inclusion Training Certificate

Tier 1

Core – 3 Workshops (2 hours each)

Core workshops provide foundational information for an understanding of key issues in diversity and inclusion and form the basis of more advanced topics to be featured in discussion hours. Workshop topics include Principles of Community, Implicit Bias/Stereotype Threat, and Microaggressions/Recognizing Privilege.

Discussion Hours (Required to attend 4 hours)

Discussion hours facilitate the application of core concepts to more nuanced topics, a variety of which will be provided in order to ensure that many areas of interest are represented.

Other Opportunities (Required to complete 5 hours)

Individuals may pursue other opportunities for training in diversity and inclusion in a variety of ways, including:

• Participation in relevant days of ongoing courses in the department when the focus relates to issues in diversity and inclusion, at the instructor’s discretion. Participation in any one course may count for a maximum of 3 hours towards this certificate.
• Training opportunities outside the department, such as Safe Zone trainings, diversity discussion hours at conferences or professional gatherings, etc.

Personal Statement

Finally, individuals will write a 2-3 page personal statement describing the experiences they have obtained while completing the certificate and discussing how doing so has enabled them to become more sensitive to and knowledgeable about issues related to diversity and inclusion.

Tier 2

Apprenticeship (main addition to Tier 1)

Mentors may be a graduate student, professor, or a community member. The purpose of the apprenticeship is to gain better understanding of a specific diversity topic, integrate this specific interest with your knowledge from Tier 1, and foster your growing diversity expertise into action. You must submit a proposal for your apprenticeship, with measurable goals, and specify a particular topic or area of interest in the broad domain of diversity and inclusion.

Tier 3

Project (main addition to Tier 2)

Projects are meant to create inclusion at Virginia Tech or the surrounding community. The project must be a current topic in Diversity and Inclusion, based on relevant literature. A key part of the project design should be sustainability, where the Tier 3 participant plans for the project to continue even if they are no longer an active part of the community (i.e. move or graduate). The project should demonstrate learning from the workshops and discussion hours and expertise in a specific area selected by the participant. A proposal for the project should be submitted to the Chair of the Department Diversity and Inclusion committee.