M.A. PROGRAM GUIDE | SCHEDULE OF COURSES

CONCENTRATIONS:  LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT | COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP | MANAGEMENT AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES | SPECIAL TOPICS IN LEADERSHIP

Core Courses

MLDR 500: Leadership Theory and Practice

This course addresses leadership as a set of theories and models and serves as a basis for determining the specific environmental context within which an array of behaviors for success is identified. Students will individually build a personal leadership paradigm based upon theories, best practices, beliefs and assumptions as applied to a specific organization. An additional focus is on how leaders help followers shift paradigms. Ultimately, students compose a balanced perspective of leadership.

MLDR 501: Interpersonal Communications Skills for Leaders

This course is an introduction to interpersonal skills theories reinforced through experiential activities.  Focus is on the development of the interpersonal skills deemed necessary to become a successful leader and includes: intra- and interpersonal understanding; active listening; oral and nonverbal communication; cross-cultural communication, perceptions, self-concept and self-esteem; communicating online; skills in journaling, and methods for cultivating rewarding work-life balance will be introduced.

MLDR 528: Decision Making Tools for Leaders

The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the theoretical and practical aspects of the decision making process. The course is designed to equip leaders with a conceptual and practical understanding of decision making tools, and their use in making efficient and effective decisions.

MLDR 530: Organizations and Ethical Considerations for Leaders

Students will explore organizations as cultures that exist in complex ethical and legal environments.  Through case analyses, students will identify the community life of an organization and explore the ethical challenges leaders face in the midst of diversity, organizational expansion and contraction, and the introduction/transition to a virtual work environment.

MLDR 536: Research Design in Organizational Leadership

The course will introduce the basic concepts of research design and ethical research practices.  The course will provide opportunities to read, discuss, and critique relevant research.  Guidance will be provided in designing a research project proposal, using the library and internet-based resources to conduct literature searches, and in the analysis and interpretation of information garnered from interviews, observations, official documents, archives, etc.  Products designed to aid in the data collection/analysis process will be introduced.

Select one of the following capstone courses:

MLDR 590: Graduate Internship in Organizational Leadership

This is a 15-week, 200 hour internship in leader and or leadership development within the area(s) of community social/human services, non-profit leadership, business and or international management, public administration, human resource management, sales, marketing, and information technologies.

MLDR 592: Capstone in Organizational Leadership

Course is dedicated to topics in leader and leadership development.  Students will be required to make presentations in the class on specifically assigned readings, followed by questions and discussions.  In addition, a specific topic will be assigned to each student or a team of students for writing a substantive research paper and present research findings.

MLDR 593: Capstone in Community Leadership

Course is dedicated to community leadership and project-based research.  Students will be required to make presentations in the class on specifically assigned readings, followed by questions and discussions.  In addition, a specific topic will be assigned to each student or a team of students for writing a substantive research paper and present research findings.

MLDR 594: Directed Research Project in Organizational Leadership

In this course, the student works with a designated faculty member on a comprehensive research project in an area of inquiry that is not available through any course offered at the University.  A formal research project culminates the study.  Students must have approval of the MAOL program director and proposed faculty advisor prior to registration.

Career-focused electives

Leadership Development Concentration

In this concentration, students survey the field of leadership development emphasizing leader development, building teams, and explore how leaders/leadership galvanize individual and organizational change - delving into the needs, expectations, learning, motivation, and communication needed by today's leaders.  This focuses on the common human experience, factors that influence and challenge leader and constituent actions and interactions; and adult learning theory. 

MLDR 533: Women and Leadership

The purpose of this course is to analyze the roles and responsibilities of women in leadership positions. Current issues and trends are examined from historical, sociological, psychological, political, economic, and ethical perspectives. Analysis and synthesis are used to apply information from a variety of resources to issues facing women who hold or seek leadership roles. Strategies for developing leadership skills are integrated throughout the course.

MLDR 540: Leader Development

Effective leadership begins with self-awareness.  In this course, students will define authentic leadership and effectiveness; students will excavate what it means to work mindfully while applying principles of authenticity, intentionality and integrity.  Students will examine preferred learning and communication styles, cultivate relationship building strategies, and identify the best-fit organization culture for growth and maturity.

MLDR 541: Team Building for Leaders

This course is an introduction to team dynamics and team building.  This course will focus on creating teams, understanding the team life-cycle, the dynamics of teamwork, building trust within teams, reducing communication barriers, strategies to encourage leadership development, and offer intervention strategies to enhance the team process.

MLDR 545: Organization Development for Leaders: Orchestrating Change

Students will be introduced to the tenets of organization development; OD history, theory, and techniques will be explicated.  Students will be immersed in the OD view of organizational functioning and purposeful change;  the role of organizational structure, people, culture, and power.

Community Leadership Concentration

Students in this concentration are required to complete either (a) an internship with a community service provider or agency, or (b) through the directed research project option, create a proposal that will be submitted to a service provider or agency for consideration and implementation. 

MLDR 534: Leaders as Partners & Mentors

In this course, MAOL students will learn the role and responsibilities of mentors; identify and examine the structure, planning, and support needed in creating mentoring programs.  Students will also explore both community and corporate mentoring initiatives that seek role-model leaders.

MLDR 546: Leading in Diverse Communities

This course examines the interactive impact of leaders on diverse communities.  This course will ask students to identify the leadership needed in communities (local, regional, national and international) and explore the institutional influences of family, religion, education, government, and commerce.

MLDR 575: Community Leadership: Cultivating Networks

Students will identify the role of the local, state, federal as well as international social service and mental health organizations and agencies.  Students will evaluate or create a communication medium for corporate and community leaders and the appropriate audiences.

MLDR 595: Independent Study in Community Leadership

Management and International Studies Concentration

Students will review the historical and contemporary literature on international business management.  In addition to contemporary theories and practices, students explore multinational organizations, the impact of cultures on organizations and assumptions about the indigenous population, geo-politics, legal issues and international laws as well as understanding organizational systems and socio-technical perspectives.  These courses are offered under the MBA program; students must check the course schedule to see when these courses are offered throughout the year.

MBA 541: Cultures of International Business

An overview of structure and functions of multinational organizations.  Included are the role of manager in various organizational settings, the influence of manager and organization upon each other, comparisons of the effect of cultures upon organizations, managerial assumptions about people when designing organizational structure, and the impact of the socio-cultural environment on the multinational firm.

MBA 570: Global Environment of Business

Introduces the multinational enterprise and reviews basic terminology and general practices of international business.  Geo-politics and comparative cultures are studied in relation to basic world geography. World organizations of potential assistance to the international business manager are introduced.

MBA 571: Legal Environment of Business

The relationship of the business manager to the legal foundations of the business/economic system is considered through theory and case studies.  The legal and regulatory climates in which businesses operate are examined.  The impact of international laws such as the act of state doctrine, and the effects of the U.S. legislation on multinational business operations will also be considered.

MBA 575: Organizational Systems

This class will examine organizational change, transformation and evolution from the systems and socio-technical perspectives.  Models to be explored will involve mechanistic and cybernetic systems.  Moreover, recent models looking at organizations from the organic/biological perspectives will also be examined.  Finally, an attempt will be made to see how the above can be used for strategic corporate applications.

Special Topics in Leadership Concentration

This concentration is offered as a self-designed 12 credit concentration with course from other master-level courses offered at the University.  Students in this concentration must have the pre-approval of the program director(s) for all courses.  For example, if opting to build on the MAOL special topic seminars, a student interested in consulting/organizational development may find the courses listed below support desired outcomes.  The MLDR courses listed in this series can be taken as an independent study -- allowing students to focus on their industry, domain of interest, upcoming assignment or organization.

*Contact the program director for more information and course descriptions specific to the special topic concentration area.

*Special topic courses will appear in MLDR range 55x through 57x.

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