Investigator 12-week Certification Program
The DCS Investigator Certification Program is a 12-week, cohort-based professional certification designed for investigators and compliance professionals responsible for conducting fair, defensible, and equity-centered investigations. Delivered through live, virtual sessions, this program equips participants with the practical skills, analytical frameworks, and professional judgment required to manage complex civil rights investigations from intake through final report.
Description
This certification goes beyond theory. The DCS Investigator Certification Program emphasizes real-world application, consistency, and defensibility in investigative work across higher education and institutional settings.
Over 12 weeks, participants progress through a carefully sequenced learning journey that covers the full lifecycle of an investigation, including:
-
The investigator’s role, ethics, and professional responsibilities
-
Jurisdictional analysis, intake decision-making, and scope control
-
Notice, procedural fairness, and due process considerations
-
Trauma-informed and culturally responsive interviewing techniques
-
Evidence collection, organization, and documentation standards
-
Credibility assessment and analytical reasoning
-
Investigation report writing, quality assurance, and professional judgment
Each live session blends expert instruction, guided discussion, applied exercises, and scenario-based learning, allowing participants to immediately translate concepts into practice.