Accredited professional development programs built for government employees at every career stage. Choose in-person courses in Washington, DC or live online training led by experienced instructors.
We’re committed to empowering federal HR professionals. Our courses enhance knowledge, boost performance, and drive positive change in the federal workforce.
Gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities classifiers need to do their work successfully. The focus of this course is on helping participants develop competence in applying various classification standards. It also provides participants with exposure to other topics important to federal classification programs, such as writing position descriptions and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
This course provides HR practitioners with the knowledge and tools to navigate federal staffing procedures, covering recruitment, hiring, qualifications, merit promotion, and in-service placement actions.
Learn to accurately prepare, process, and approve federal personnel actions using the Guide to Processing Personnel Actions, including SF-52 and SF-50 forms.
This course teaches HR practitioners how to evaluate federal job applicants by applying OPM's Qualifications Standards, including eligibility, minimum qualifications, and specialized experience requirements.
This course provides federal personnel with the knowledge to set and administer pay for General Schedule (GS) employees, covering a wide range of pay-setting rules and scenarios.
We develop government leaders. Our programs are custom-designed for federal and state government leadership. Join our alumni community of thousands.
The New Leader Program (NLP) is a six-month program designed to prepare employees at the GS 7-11 levels for management and leadership positions. The program theme is "Leading Self." The program objectives are to give motivated individuals the confidence and training they need to set and meet personal and professional goals, expand their network, and broaden their experience.
The Executive Potential Program (EPP) is a 12-month competency-based leadership development program that provides training and developmental experiences for high-potential executives at the GS 13-15 levels or equivalent.
The Executive Leadership Program (ELP) is a nine-month competency-based leadership development program that provides training and developmental experiences for mid-level employees at the GS-11 to GS-13 levels or equivalent. The program theme is "Leading People." The program objectives are to help participants strengthen their knowledge, expand their experience, and increase their impact through a curated selection of competency-based developmental activities.
Develop essential leadership skills to resolve conflict and build stronger, more effective teams.
Build foundational supervisory skills aligned with OPM’s Federal Supervisory Training Framework, focusing on leadership, communication, and conflict management.
Prepare to lead teams through change by understanding reactions, navigating resistance, and using a structured six-step approach to support adaptation and growth.
Build leadership skills to guide teams through change, foster collaboration, and drive results. Best suited for federal professionals stepping into leadership roles.
Develop leadership skills in change management, team communication, and strategic decision-making.
Receive instruction from subject‑matter experts who bring proven government experience.
Courses that are regularly updated based on feedback and industry developments, ensuring versions are mapped to federal competencies.
The instructor was wonderful and so knowledgeable. The course materials were extremely relevant to what my job is. I feel like I can be better because of this class.
— 2025 student
Directly addressing the day-to-day challenges of federal employees.
Your trusted training partner, equipping public service professionals with the skills and knowledge to excel in their roles and drive meaningful impact.
We have been the premier provider of government audit training since 1978. Our program covers competencies needed at all career levels by government auditors and analysts.
This course introduces new government auditors to the fundamentals of performance auditing, including standards, evidence collection, and reporting.
Enhance your audit effectiveness by mastering proven interviewing techniques through hands-on exercises and role-playing scenarios.
Build a strong foundation in performance auditing by mastering the principles, methodologies, and techniques outlined in Government Auditing Standards.
Develop the skills to write professional, clear, and compliant audit documents that align with Government Auditing Standards.
Master the skills to develop and present audit findings that effectively communicate results and support audit objectives.
Enhance your skills in managing and executing complex performance audits through hands-on case studies and advanced techniques.
Our curriculum provides comprehensive training solutions that help you develop the broad range of knowledge and skills you need to make sound decisions.
Master the principles of federal appropriations law to ensure the proper use of appropriated funds and compliance with legal requirements.
Gain a foundational understanding of the federal budget process, including budget preparation, appropriation types, and performance measurement.
Build a strong foundation in federal accounting by mastering key concepts, financial management practices, and reporting standards.
Master the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) for temporary duty (TDY) travel, including allowances, reimbursements, and compliance for Department of Defense personnel.
Gain a comprehensive understanding of financial management principles, federal budgeting, and performance measurement.
Students will review current budget execution policy and guidance published in OMB’s Circular A-11; learn about the principles of purpose, time, and amount that govern how federal agencies can properly use appropriated funds, ensuring compliance with legal and budgetary constraints; and the relationship between performance plans/goals and operating budgets.
Our curriculum helps individuals develop the skills necessary to minimize risks, maximize competition, maintain integrity, and assure delivery of products and services according to contract terms and conditions.
Develop the knowledge and skills required to effectively perform the responsibilities of a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR).
Enhance your skills as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) by mastering acquisition planning, contract management, and performance evaluation.
Gain a foundational understanding of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and its application in federal procurement processes.
Learn how to execute streamlined procurement actions within federal simplified acquisition thresholds, including micro‑purchases and GSA schedules.
Gain foundational project and program management abilities aligned with PMI and FAC P/PM Level I competencies.
Master the essentials of managing contracts post‑award, including monitoring performance, resolving issues, and ensuring compliance.
Having a full complement of analytical skills is essential for career and mission success in the ever-changing federal environment.
Explore the role of management analysts and gain foundational skills in data analysis, problem-solving, and presenting findings effectively.
Learn practical techniques to collect reliable primary data through observations, interviews, and surveys.
Expand your analytical toolkit with structured methods for problem-solving, decision-making, and performance measurement.
Learn to transform data into compelling narratives and visuals that enhance understanding and drive decision-making.
Learn how to design structured, decision-informed research studies that guide effective program and policy analysis.
Gain foundational statistical skills using measures such as averages, proportions, and variability to interpret data effectively.
Master data analytics with hands-on training in Power BI, Excel, and SQL. You'll work on real-world projects to create dashboards, analyze data, and gain insights, preparing you for roles in business intelligence. No prior experience is required.
Become proficient in Microsoft Excel and go from beginner to pro with this hands-on bootcamp. Learn functions, Pivot Tables, macros, and time-saving techniques to conquer all the key skills needed to excel in Excel.
Unlock the power of Python for data-driven decision-making as you master Python programming fundamentals and dive into data analysis. Acquire essential skills to clean and manipulate data, create insightful visualizations, and perform statistical analysis, all through hands-on projects with real-world datasets.
Since 1921, Graduate School USA has partnered with over 125 federal agencies and trained more than one million federal employees. Led by instructors with deep, real-world knowledge of federal regulations, policies, and practices, our private group programs are practical, mission-driven, and tailored to your agency’s objectives. We offer expertise across key federal domains—including human resources, financial management, acquisition and contracting, leadership, and more—to deliver training where and how your team needs it.
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Our alumni consistently commend the expertise of our instructors and the real-world relevance of our programs. Their feedback highlights how Graduate School USA training has advanced their skills, supported their agencies’ missions, and fostered long-term professional growth.
I really enjoyed this class and learned a lot of valuable things to help me in my current position and to help advance my career. Cassandra Jordon did an amazing job juggling an in-person class and two people virtually. I was taking the class virtually from Kuwait. She stopped when I had any questions. Sometimes she allowed me to stay on a little afterwards to get any material when I internet skipped out. She is very knowledge with this subject. I really enjoyed her as an instructor.
Danielle S.
Knowledgeable instructor.
Dana-Lynn J.
Ms. Cassandra is beyond knowledgeable and an excellent subject matter expert in this area. Overall, I was pleased and would take a course with this instructor again.
Pharren C.
Trina is a great instructor for this course. This class was well structured, and material was aligned with resources from OPM. I learned a lot about classification from this class.
Milica Mitchell
The instructor was very knowledgeable and I appreciated how she adjusted the instruction to mirror the class needs.
Cynthia G.
Betsy was very knowledgeable and provide great insight on audit findings. I recommend this class and Betsy as the instructor.
Allen Ellerbe, III
I enjoyed the class, the team activities and the interactions with the instructor and the rest of the participants. The class helped me remember foundation concepts.
Brenda R.
The class was very easy to follow and instructor was very communicative.
Ryan B.
Ms. Scully was very engaging and concise in the presentation of the content and kept an open mind to the needs of the student's style of learning. Used visual and demonstration with exercises and prompts to garner learning which enhanced the concepts and gave applicability. Great experience will recommend to peers.
Danish A.
Overall, I learned a lot from this course.
Alicia C.
Our Federal Government Training are rated 4.8 stars by 10,091 students
I would recommend a class with Trina Petty. She was very good at listening, delivering, and creating a good learning environment to all. She made sure that nobody got overlooked. There can be students that are outspoken and trying to answer EVERY question. She spread the responsibility around which helped everyone, I think, grasp the topics/assignments.
Victoria was an awesome instructor who ensured we retained the information. She also answered all of our questions.
Trina was great, the material was great. I got a lot out of this course & feel confident on my career path as a classifier.
Great class, would definitely recommend to anyone looking to increase their knowledge of classification. Trina was very engaged and you can tell she loves what she does. She made sure everything was clear, and the things that were a little difficult we spent extra time on. Great instructor!
I am really glad to have taken the course. I feel better prepared to classify positions at my agency. Instructor led, is the only way to go with this course. Ms. Petty is very knowledgeable and answered questions along the way.
The class content was both well-developed and will prove useful in my future progression into the classification field. Trina's experience was evident by her presentation of the materials. She was able to deliver the course with clear instruction to ensure we capture the key elements to be a federal position classifier. I enjoyed the virtual experience as it meant I could complete this training while I'm overseas. Using Zoom was extremely helpful and hope to attend future courses in the same manner.
Excellent material and knowledgeable instructor that could think outside the box. The pacing of the class was great. A lot of great information and overview of all things HR. First time exposure to discipline issue and a deeper dive into performance management.
Wow, what a difference a year makes! You have changed my mind regarding Graduate School USA, by bringing on an instructor who is extremely knowledgeable on HR Management. All hail Dawndee Crawford! I will look for courses lead by her in the future. Dawndee Crawford is a wonderful instructor. Thank you.
This was a good refresher course and materials were great.
Candace kept in mind the varying experiences that were in the class. The materials provided enough content in that someone with little experience could follow along and that someone more experience could figure out more tricky or complicated exercises.
It's a great class to take to understand the base of rules and regulations of setting pay. I learned a lot in the three days of the class. Rhonda was a great instructor. She made sure to take the time to answer any and all questions the students had. She made sure we all understood before moving on to something new.
The Graduate School conducts quality classes for the Federal HR Specialist.
Ms. Rhonda was awesome! I do not work in staffing, but am considering making a move. Everything made sense as I watched her explain. Thank you Ms. Rhonda!
I would encourage my coworkers to take this class, all of the topics in the course are relevant and it is good to know where to find these topics if you need them. Ms. Rhonda Coach-Steward is very knowledgeable on Pay Setting, this is not an easy topic to learn, however her instruction helped enhance my limited skill set. I feel more confident in performing this task.
The class and group exercises were very beneficial. It was helpful to talk it out and work through examples in a smaller group. Rhonda was very knowledgeable and engaging. She did a great job of presenting the information. Great content.
Loved it. Great teacher and excellent course. Will come again!
Great course and refresher for all level of staff. Instructor was very supportive and provided encouraging and relevant feedback.
The instructor was informative and gave sufficient feedback on how my interviewing techniques could be improved. Overall, I enjoyed this class, although it was intensive and it challenged my skills. I definitely left the class knowing how to structure my interviews so that they are efficient and effective.
Enjoyed this more than other classes I have taken.
Johanne was very well spoken and had a a great level of expertise on the course material. Learned a lot and appreciate the information.
I was very pleased with the experience. Appreciated the communication from registration to start of class.
This course and the instructor provided me with valuable information and guidance for someone who is fresh in Federal HR. The class did not feel rushed, and the instructor was patient, confident, and well prepared. I have some many additional recourses to use now.
Very informative. Enjoyed this course very much.
Overall experience was good. The course was a challenge for me; however, the instructor was amazing over going over the course material.
This experience was wonderful and rememberable. Instructor was also very knowledgeable and provided excellent insight into this course.
Showing 25 of 400 reviews
Attend courses in-person in Washington, DC or live online. Engage with expert instructors, ask questions, and get feedback on your exercises and projects.
Unlike other providers, these are not mass open-enrollment classes. At Society of Defense Financial Management, you’ll learn in small groups (typically 8-15 students) and receive personalized attention.
Get face-to-face interaction with an instructor and other students when you learn at our DC campus. Courses are hands-on with a computer and software provided.
Get the same interactivity and access to the instructor as in-person students. There are no extra fees and we’ll work with you to ensure your remote setup is perfect.
All times are listed in Eastern Time unless otherwise specified.
| Course, dates, and times | Price and duration | Description | Registration |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | |||
|
September 22–24
Tuesday to Thursday
9–5pm
|
$1,649
3 Days
|
Build a strong foundation in federal accounting by mastering key concepts, financial management practices, and reporting standards. |
|
|
September 22–23
Tuesday to Wednesday
9–4:30pm
|
$1,249
2 Days
|
Expand your analytical toolkit with structured methods for problem-solving, decision-making, and performance measurement. |
|
|
September 22–24
Weekdays
10–5pm
|
$599
18 Hours
|
Become proficient in Microsoft Excel and go from beginner to pro with this hands-on bootcamp. Learn functions, Pivot Tables, macros, and time-saving techniques to conquer all the key skills needed to excel in Excel. |
|
|
September 23–25
Wednesday to Friday
9–4:30pm
|
$1,349
3 Days
|
This course provides federal personnel with the knowledge to set and administer pay for General Schedule (GS) employees, covering a wide range of pay-setting rules and scenarios. |
|
|
September 23–24
Wednesday to Thursday
9–4:30pm
|
$1,249
2 Days
|
Learn to transform data into compelling narratives and visuals that enhance understanding and drive decision-making. |
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Showing 5 of 425 courses