Graduate Certificate in Lay Leadership is a postgraduate certificate in Religious Studies programme taught at Horizon College and Seminary in Saskatoon, Canada. The programme is delivered in a hybrid format. Tuition is CAD 346 per credit for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Postgraduate Certificate
Field:Religious Studies
Delivery: Hybrid
Local tuition: CAD 346 / credit
Last checked September 2026 · Source: horizon.edu ·
Program details
Overview
This 18-credit-hour Graduate Certificate in Lay Leadership is offered by Horizon College and Seminary at its Saskatoon campus, delivered through in-person modules or online video. It comprises six graduate-level courses covering interpreting Scripture, pastoral care, communication, theological foundations, and a leadership-focused elective; one of the required courses carries a stated prerequisite course. Credits earned in the certificate can later be applied toward a graduate degree at the institution, giving students a way to sample graduate-level study before committing further. The program is intended for lay people, rather than those seeking formal ordination, who want to build their capacity to serve within a church community through care, teaching, preaching, leadership, and outreach. It suits congregation members already active in volunteer or informal ministry roles who want structured theological grounding to support that service without pursuing a full graduate degree.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: The programme page carries no admission section of its own and defers to Horizon Seminary's general admission requirements page. Seminary entry generally needs a completed undergraduate degree with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, or 90 accredited undergraduate credit hours at the same GPA for degree equivalency; the seminary's own alternate pathway for applicants 25 or older without these qualifications is completion of this same six-course Graduate Certificate, reaching full graduate-programme standing at a 2.7 cumulative GPA or higher. Non-native English speakers must meet the language requirement: TOEFL iBT 86 overall with 19 minimum per section, IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with 6 minimum per component, CAEL 70 overall with 60 minimum per component, or CanTEST 4.5 overall. Applicants also submit original transcripts, a pastoral reference and a character reference, and pay a $50 CAD application fee.
Application Details
Start Date:Fall and January
Application Deadline:Horizon College & Seminary publishes no fixed application deadline: for domestic students it recommends applying by July for a Fall start and by early December for a January start, with all materials submitted at least three weeks before the term begins, and applications are otherwise processed on a rolling, first-come basis rather than against a published cutoff date. Horizon has paused international admissions for the 2026/2027 academic year and directs prospective international applicants to check back in Fall 2026 for the possibility of applying for 2027/2028; no international deadline is currently published. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
