Master of Arts in Leadership

MASTER OF ARTS (M.A.) IN LEADERSHIP

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Masters of Arts in Leadership program graduates possess the confidence to make tough decisions of real consequence in an uncertain world. To support the program's mission, our leadership program focuses on four principle areas: communication, leadership skills and character, leadership theory, and ethics. In addition to the Leadership Core, you would elect a concentration that fits your career and personal development needs.

The Leadership for Sustainable Communities concentration prepares emerging leaders to excel in positions of leadership in the neighborhood, workplace, business, faith, institutional, or governmental communities to which they belong. Students sharpen their leadership skills and discover diverse perspectives that enable them to become agents of social change through critical discussion and analysis of community issues from income gaps to education and climate change.

The Organizational Leadership concentration prepares professionals to meet the unique leadership challenges of the 21st century. The program is designed for technical and functional experts, supervisors, managers, and executives looking to develop the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors required to effectively lead teams, groups and organizations in a complex and dynamic global business environment. We embrace motivated individuals from the for-profit, non-profit, and public sectors who want to grow as leaders and make a positive impact on individuals, organizations, and society.

A unique aspect of our leadership program is that each concentration requires a culminating capstone project enabling the student to provide the leadership needed for positive change in a real world setting.

CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

The Program for Leadership leading to a Master of Arts degree is accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Middle States Commission of Higher Education.

The program requirements for this degree are as follows:

Course Requirements - 30 credits
Required Interdisciplinary Course (3 credits)
- COR 520: Ethics and Moral Leadership
Required Leadership Core (9 credits)
- LDR 520: Leadership Development
- LDR 540: Leadership Theories
- LDR 550: Introduction to Research Methods
Organizational Leadership Emphasis (12 credits)
- LDR 510: Social Theory
- LDR 620: Organizational Theory
- LDR 630: Organizational Change
- LDR 670: Applied Leadership Capstone
Leadership for Sustainable Communities Emphasis (6 credits)
- LDR 508: Leadership for Sustainable Communities
- LDR 670: Applied Leadership Capstone
Elective Options
- 6 credits required for Organizational Leadership (may be interdisciplinary)
- 12 credits required for Sustainable Communities (six credits may be interdisciplinary)
- 6 credits Capstone applicable to both emphases by taking LDR 671 Applied Leadership Capstone II
Electives:
- LDR 512: Poverty in America
- LDR 514: Economics, Sustainability and Risk
- LDR 516: Leadership in Literature
- LDR 518: Management in the Non-Profit Sector
- LDR 521: Grant Writing
- LDR 555: Policy and Policy Analysis
- LDR 570: Followership, Groups and Teams
- LDR 590: Special Topics
- LDR 612: Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
- LDR 638: Environmental Sustainability
- LDR 671: Applied Leadership Capstone II
- Interdisciplinary – With appropriate approvals, candidates for the M.A. in Leadership make take up to two courses (six credits) from other graduate programs.