Master of Science (MS)

Leadership

Program

Admissions criteria for the Master of Science in Leadership (MSL)

Graduate Admissions - Masters level

Prospective students are required to submit the following: 

  • Completion of application for admission
  • Official transcripts for bachelor or graduate degree within 5 weeks of the class start date (refer to Conditional Acceptance).  (All credentials earned outside the United States must be evaluated by a NACES or AICE-member credential evaluation service).  Please speak with an admissions representative for more information.

Note: See program notes and specific requirements below for each graduate - masters level degree program

Specific requirements for admission to classified graduate status are: 

  • A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Completion of application for admission.
  • A 2.0 overall grade point average or higher on completed requirements for the baccalaureate degree, or an earned graduate degree from an accredited institution.

For additional admissions information please see the admissions section here

Offered at Atlanta, Austin, Columbia, Montgomery, Online Programs, Richmond, Savannah, Tampa, Virginia Beach, and West Palm Beach.

Note: Not all Online Program offerings are available to residents of all U.S. states. Please contact an admissions representative for further information.

The Master of Science in Leadership degree program is designed to provide students the opportunity to develop skills in leadership, communication, problem solving and teamwork for use in a broad range of organizations. These skills are critical for successfully managing and leading organizations in today's dynamic organizational environment.

The 12-course (48 credit hours) program is designed for experienced professionals seeking to advance in their careers and for individuals with limited professional experience seeking to develop skills that can prepare them to seek employment managing and leading individuals, teams, departments and organizations.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates will be able to: 

  1. Assess how individuals, cultures, society, ethics, and psychological principles affect the actions and decisions of leaders as they influence individual and organizational stakeholders.
  2. Influence others through effective communication skills that present clear, scholarly, and persuasive arguments.
  3. Apply critical thinking to examine qualitative and quantitative data, including evaluation and synthesis of data for problem recognition and problem solving.
  4. Demonstrate information literacy, including the ability to determine the extent of information needed, assess the needed information, evaluate information and its sources critically, and use information effectively, ethically, and legally to accomplish a specific purpose. 

Master of Science in Leadership: 48 Credits

All campuses operate on 10-week quarters.  In May 2025 all campuses, except Online Programs, will offer a hybrid 10-week quarter program.

Foundation: Personal Leadership: 12 Credits

Course Code
Title
Quarter Credits
Leading organization wide structural and cultural change is a significant challenge facing today's organizations. This course will explore the nature of these changes, the basis for their adoption, and both the management and leadership of organizational change in the 21st century, including issues of managing growth, resistance to change, intervention phases, crisis management, inter and intra-group conflict/power.

Quarter Credits : 4

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This course compares and contrasts the disciplines of leadership and management with an emphasis on fostering organization culture and personal ethics. Topics include historical and contemporary leadership and management theories, current leadership research, and the practice of leadership and management across a wide variety of organizational contexts.

Quarter Credits : 4

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This course addresses the factors influencing human behavior in organizations. Human behavior is considered from the individual, team, and organizational levels of analysis. Concepts included in the study include motivation, leadership, communications, negotiation, conflict resolution, and team building.

Quarter Credits : 4

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Sub-Total Quarter Credits
12

Core: Organizational Leadership: 32 Credits

Course Code
Title
Quarter Credits

This course explores the critical principles and practices of team dynamics, focusing on both theoretical foundations and practical applications of teams in organizational settings. Students will engage in an in-depth analysis of the key functions, concepts, techniques, and vocabulary essential for understanding and leading teams. Emphasizing executive communication, the course develops skills to propose strategies that enhance team effectiveness and address challenges that disrupt team performance.

Quarter Credits : 4

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This course explores a variety of leadership approaches, with a special emphasis on leading with emotional intelligence. Topics include the roles and functions of emotional intelligence for successful leadership, the impact of emotional intelligence on the climate and culture of an organization, and how emotional intelligence affects teams. Students will gain an understanding of how emotional intelligence strengthens personal and organizational leadership.

Quarter Credits : 4

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This course equips students with the knowledge, skills, and ability to critically analyze and apply advanced mentoring and coaching strategies in professional development contexts. Focused on both the theory and practice of leadership coaching, the course explores key strategies for enhancing individual and team effectiveness through the development of core leadership competencies.

Quarter Credits : 4

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This course explores the critical role of culture in shaping leadership styles and organizational behavior in a globalized environment. Students will develop a deep understanding of how international cultures, historical contexts, and values influence leadership decisions, and organizational dynamics. Through a combination of theoretical frameworks and practical applications, the course will emphasize the importance of cultural awareness, diversity management, and effective executive communication in leadership roles.

Quarter Credits : 4

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This course provides an in-depth exploration of negotiation strategies, communication techniques, and ethical considerations essential for achieving successful outcomes in a variety of negotiation contexts. Students will learn to navigate complex negotiation scenarios with a focus on distributive and integrative bargaining, communication dynamics, and leadership in negotiation settings. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to design, execute, and evaluate negotiation plans while understanding the interpersonal and leadership complexities involved in the process.

Quarter Credits : 4

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This course continues to develop applications of single and multiparty negotiations in international organizational contexts. Topics include advanced role-playing among different stakeholders, impact of culture and political differences, and coalition building strategies.

Quarter Credits : 4

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This course explores human resources from a strategic perspective to help an organization achieve its goals. Topics may include investments in human resources, workforce demographic trends, theories of human resource management, workforce training and development, workforce utilization and assessment, and performance management systems.

Quarter Credits : 4

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This course explores the theoretical grounding and practical approaches necessary to effectively diagnose organizational problems, develop intervention approaches, and implement organizational solutions. Topics may include entering and contracting, organizational diagnostic models, organizational surveys, change impediments, managing the change process, organizational/interpersonal/group interventions, and evaluation approaches.

Quarter Credits : 4

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Sub-Total Quarter Credits
32

Capstone: 4 Credits

Course Code
Title
Quarter Credits
This capstone course explores the methods of providing leadership in a firm, or a significant division thereof in an internationally competitive environment. Students will develop an understanding of the way in which general managers integrate leadership and strategy in today's market economy.

Quarter Credits : 4

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Sub-Total Quarter Credits
4
Total Credits
48