Program Overview
Earn your Certificate in Professional Impact Analysis in as little as 6 months.
Four online learning modules. Designed for full-time professionals.
Two program starts per year: January and July.
Contact our team
NEXT CLASS starts July 2026. Space is limited.
Four learning modules:
Program format at a glance
Fully online
No in-person requirements
3–8 hrs/week
Self-paced study
1 hr/week live
Weekly online session
3 capstone days
Live online, modules 2–4
6 months
Modules back-to-back
Each learning module includes pre-recorded videos, case studies, weekly one-hour live sessions, a capstone project, individual assignments, and recap quizzes. Certification requires a final learning assessment. To support participants with diverse backgrounds, the program also includes an optional half-day bootcamp on working with spreadsheets.
Take the four learning modules back-to-back and earn the Certificate in Professional Impact Analysis in six months.
Who Should Take This Program?
The Certificate in Professional Impact Analysis prepares you for consequential decisions in complex environments shaped by multiple worldviews, competing priorities, and incomplete information. CPIA is for leaders, managers, and practitioners interested in advancing their careers or pivoting to a new, exciting strategic role, including those at:
Large corporations
Make more durable strategic decisions.
Small firms and entrepreneurs
Grow with better judgment under uncertainty.
Governments
Make more transparent and defensible public decisions.
Municipalities
Improve both impact reporting and decision-making.
Large NGOs
Move from reporting results to guiding choices.
Small NGOs
Make limited resources go further with stronger analysis.
Development organizations
Navigate complexity across systems and time.
International foundations
Compare diverse opportunities more rigorously.
Family foundations
Translate values into more disciplined decisions.
Think tanks and advocacy groups
Argue for change with greater confidence.
For organizations
Build your team’s capacity to measure, report, and defend impact. CPIA is available for group enrollment — teams complete the program together and can bring real cases to capstone sessions. Ideal for organizations that want to develop internal capacity and complete a major impact analysis assignment at the same time. Institutional and group rates available.
Contact us to discuss team enrollment
“DO WELL AND DO GOOD - I believe it is possible to ‘do good and do well’ from societal impact and business perspectives. Throughout my career I have been part of initiatives related to optimizing sustainability efforts including reducing carbon intensity, reducing emissions, and elevating contributions related to improved social outcomes. I believe it is valuable for businesses to align strategy with actions and metrics for improved environmental or community related impacts while also delivering bottom line results. I was interested to learn more about the introduction of the Certificate in Professional Impact Analysis in 2025 from Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. I can see the value in academic focus on how to contemplate, analyze and understand the cost-benefit of corporate efforts to deliver results in areas beyond financial contributions.”
Director of Loyalty
Suncor Petroleum, Canada
Schedule
Two program starts per year: January and July.
| Next Program (July – December 2026) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Learning Module 1 – From Evidence to Decisions | Begins week of July 13 | Half-day live Orientation Day (Friday, July 17) |
| Learning Module 2 – Measuring Impact | Begins week of August 3 | Concludes with live Capstone Day (Friday, August 28) |
| Optional Bootcamp: Building Transparent Impact Models | Bootcamp Workshop (Friday, September 18) | |
| Learning Module 3 – Valuing and Estimating Impact | Begins week of September 21 | Concludes with live Capstone Day (Friday, October 23) |
| Learning Module 4 – Integrated Impact Analysis | Begins week of November 9 | Concludes with live Capstone Day (Friday, December 4) |
Fees
Program Fee: $ 7,500 (plus applicable taxes)
Includes all three learning modules, program materials, and capstone project coaching support.
More about program feesLearn from Expert Faculty & Instructors
You’ll learn from distinguished Queen’s University faculty members and expert instructors, and benefit from years of academic research and industry experience.
Dr. Christopher Cotton
Chris Cotton is a Professor of Economics at Queen's University, holds the prestigious Jarislowsky-Deutsch Chair in Economic & Financial Policy, and is a co-founder of the Certificate in Professional Impact Analysis program. He is Director of the John Deutsch Institute for the Study of Economic Policy, co-director of the Centre for Innovative Policy Research at Queen’s, and has advised organizations around the world on defining and measuring their impact.
Learn more about Dr. Christopher Cotton
Dr. Bahman Kashi
Bahman Kashi is a Continuing Adjunct Assistant Professor at Queen’s University, and the founder and an economist with Limestone Analytics. He is a co-founder of the Certificate in Professional Impact Analysis program.
Dr. Kashi has 16 years’ experience in designing and delivering executive education and professional consulting in the areas of economic impact assessment, public investment management, economic analysis of investments and policies, and evaluation of social programs. He serves as an advisor to the economic analysis teams of the United States Department of State and multiple international NGOs.
Learn more about Dr. Bahman Kashi
Dr. Elspeth Murray
Elspeth Murray is an Associate Professor, Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Social Impact, and CIBC Fellow in Entrepreneurship at Smith School of Business, Queen’s University.
Dr. Murray served as Associate Dean (MBA and Master’s Programs) from 2012-2022 and has been a professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship since 1996. Prior to joining Smith, she worked in industry for firms including IBM and Canadian Tire, and today is widely consulted by industry and start-up ventures for her expertise. Dr. Murray teaches on many MBA and executive education programs at Smith School of Business.
Learn more about Dr. Elspeth Murray