Executive Education and Professional Advancement

Take your vocation and organization further, faster. Whether you’re an experienced executive or just looking for a career jumpstart, ACU’s Executive Education and Professional Advancement programs can help. Specializing in custom programs that focus on immediate achievement and long-term sustained success, our goal is to increase the worth of you and your organization by equipping you with the strengths of service and leadership.

Quickly learn a new way of thinking, or transform your entire organization over time; contact one of our partnership specialists now to get started.

Our Programs

ACU’s Executive Education and Professional Advancement initiative is proud to offer four distinct programs focused on developing, matching, and advancing professionals in their careers by providing an innovative and quality education. Focused on a professional’s well-being, servanthood, and vocational formation, each program is uniquely designed to accelerate the holistic growth of each participating individual and organization.

Employee Candidate Program

Geared at closing the skills gap between professionals and organizations, the Employee Candidate Program partners with employers to design custom curriculum pathways for their potential new employees. By recruiting and training high-quality candidates, organizations can begin to build a secure new employee pipeline while work-seeking individuals can start to possess the skills to enter the workforce at little to no cost quickly.

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Employee Upskilling

Standing alongside businesses and individuals to meet today’s workforce demands is essential to achieve tomorrow’s vision. Through the Professional Advancement program, companies can have the opportunity to request customizable, relevant programs and packages focused on enhancing their employees’ leadership or technology skills that are relevant to their type of work. Geared to instilling a lifelong learning mindset, businesses and working individuals can start to build applicable skills and long-term knowledge.

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Executive Coaching

Designed to increase your professional development and productivity, the Executive Education program blends academic research and real-world experiences to tailor the learning to your career and organization. As the pace of business accelerates, the need for confident and multifaceted trained employees continues to grow. As such, our program focuses on four critical aspects of building the next generation of highly skilled professionals, including leadership, entrepreneurship, technology, and communication.

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Emotional Intelligence

Our transformative training programs equip individuals and organizations with essential skills for success. With experienced faculty, customized solutions, measurable results, and flexible learning formats, our EI training is designed to enhance self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication, fostering stronger relationships and driving positive workplace outcomes. Partner with us to unlock the potential of Emotional Intelligence and thrive in today’s dynamic business environment.

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Corporate Partnerships

ACU Dallas prides itself on advocating for business-to-business partnerships across the state of Texas and beyond. Continuing relationships with leading medical companies, hospitals, sports teams, school districts, and community colleges, ACU Dallas aims to grow its network by offering online degree programs to educators, professional athletes, and business leaders at an exclusive discount.

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Featured Partnerships

An Online Learning Community Created Just For Texas Rangers Players

A partnership of the Texas Rangers and Abilene Christian University, RangersU provides an accessible and advanced approach to online learning created for professional baseball players determined to pursue their education toward an accredited bachelor’s or master’s degree.

RangersU Players Program

Progressing Precision Medicine with Caris Life Sciences

ACU Online has partnered with Caris Life Sciences, a pioneer Texas-based biotechnology company and leading innovator in precision medicine, to further educate the workforce through three custom academic programs — the Master of Science in Precision Medicine and graduate certificates in precision medicine and precision medicine administration. Together, ACU and Caris are tackling one of our science’s most critical challenges: advancing cancer research.

Caris Life Sciences

Serving Central Texas Teachers and Students with ESC Region 13

ACU Online has joined forces with Education Service Center Region 13 to provide various educational programs for teachers and students in 57 Central Texas school districts. Offerings will span from high school students to classroom teachers to administrators.

ESC Region 13

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of a corporate partnership with ACU?

Abilene Christian University is proud to partner with industry-leading businesses and organizations to continue its legacy of educating students about Christian service and leadership worldwide. When you partner with ACU, you will receive great benefits, including the opportunity to receive a 10% tuition discount on all online degrees with waived application fees, engage in strong brand-building opportunities with ACU; and join the growing and collaborative Wildcat network. Learn more about our partnership opportunities today.

What programs are available to partners?

Through the Executive Education and Professional Advancement initiative, partners will have the opportunity to partake in any of our four distinct programs, including the Employee Candidate, Executive Education, Professional Advancement, and Corporate Partners programs. Partners can also select any of our standard ACU degree programs or courses by enrolling as ACU Online students.

What is the Employee Candidate Program?

The Employee Candidate program matches people seeking jobs with employers seeking employees by providing training and mentoring to accelerate the holistic growth of both individuals and organizations for streamlined productivity.

What programs do you have for individuals?

Individuals seeking new employment could benefit from the Employee Candidate program and the Professional Advancement program. Each of these programs provides workers with new marketable skils and connects them with potential employers.

What programs do you have for organizations?

Organizations actively seeking new employees could benefit from the Employee Candidate program and the Professional Advancement program. Each of these programs allows organizations to train future or current employees to maximize their productivity and knowledge.

Do you offer degree programs?

Yes, we do! With more than 40 online undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs, you can start or advance your career by speaking with one of our ACU advisors.

Are there discounts available?

Yes! You can request more information by speaking with one of our advisors today!

What are the mission and core values of ACU?

The mission of Abilene Christian University is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.

How does Christianity fit in?

We achieve our mission through exemplary teaching, offered by an innovative and caring community of Christian scholars, that inspires a commitment to lifelong learning; significant research, grounded in the university’s disciplinary strengths, that informs and impacts issues of global importance to the academy, church, and society; and meaningful service as a divine calling that enriches our global society, academic disciplines, the university, and the church to God’s glory.

About ACU

Degrees to fit your career goals. Online to fit your life.

Through ACU’s more than 40 online undergraduate and graduate degree programs, you’ll receive a powerful learning experience that combines Christian values, real-world skills and career-boosting connections. Our accredited degree programs are designed with busy working adults in mind. That means you can further your education at a nationally recognized university without the need to relocate – all while balancing the demands of work, life, and community.

View Our Online Degree Programs

Newsweek Top Online Colleges 2024

One of America’s Best Colleges

Recognized as one of America’s Top Online Colleges for the third consecutive year by Newsweek and Statista Inc., ACU proudly stands among the nation’s premier online institutions. Seamlessly combining a top-tier education with the flexibility of an online format, ACU Online offers you a transformative learning experience. Discover the perfect balance of academic excellence and online convenience as you chart your course to success with ACU.

See Our Recent Rankings

Executive Education and Professional Advancement News

What Employers Think About Online Degrees

With over 1.3 million students taking their college education exclusively online, knowing what employers really think about online degrees is critically important. From the skills obtained during an online program to the accreditation of the university, it’s clear that as online universities become more popular and in demand, employers are more accepting of online degrees.

ACU, Texas Education Service Center Region 13 partner to address teacher shortage

In an effort to help solve the teacher shortage across the state, ACU and ESC Region 13 are establishing new pathways for prospective teachers to obtain their teaching certification, undergraduate degree or graduate degree while also helping upskill the next generation of district leaders by providing unparalleled opportunities to earn graduate degrees and advance their leadership capacity.

Addressing the Middle Managers Skills Gap: A Strategic Approach to Retention and Upskilling

The skills gap for middle managers is a significant challenge affecting employee retention rates and turnover. Developing both hard and soft skills in middle managers can help organizations ensure a skilled and engaged workforce that stays committed to their roles. ACU’s Executive Education and Professional Advancement division is making a significant impact in addressing this challenge. By staying proactive and adaptive in our approach to upskilling managers, we can create a resilient and empowered workforce ready to thrive in the ever-evolving business landscape.

ACU Names New Vice President of Innovation and Business Development

As vice president, Dr. Jeff Frey will be responsible for developing a new business unit that forms innovative partnerships with businesses creating direct employment pathways for ACU students. This initiative will accurately match people with professions by partnering with employers to not only upskill existing employees but find and quickly educate potential employees and prepare them for their new jobs.

The Popularity of Cybersecurity Degrees

As citizens of the digital age, the risks of cyber attacks have grown exponentially. Today, over 60% of all corporate data and 65% of personal data is stored in clouds around the world making the need for cybersecurity analysts extremely important and the popularity of such degrees even more important. With a booming job market and the versatile skills acquired in programs like ACU Online’s B.S. in Cybersecurity, it’s no surprise that more people are interested in preventing cyber crimes that affect millions of Americans just like you.

ACU partners with Texas Rangers to offer RangersU courses to players

RangersU launched two Player Pathways for Rangers players interested in gaining continued education, academic credit, or new skills through ACU’s fully online, bilingual seven-week courses. Harnessing their shared mission, ACU and the Texas Rangers are eager to see the impact these pathways will have on players both on and off the field.