Online Master of Science in Leadership Studies Courses

This course introduces foundational concepts essential for success in the Master of Science in Leadership Studies. Students develop critical thinking skills through metacognitive inquiry, the evaluation of literary sources, and a review of literary techniques. Emphasis is placed on digital literacy tools, library research, and academic writing following APA style guidelines. The course examines leadership intelligence, ethical standards, virtues, and common barriers to effective leadership. (Prerequisite course to enter the MSLS Program)

This course explores the historical roots of modern leadership theory and practices. Research of political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental (PESTLE) factors that led to the formation of specific leadership theories. Emphasize understanding the context of leadership theories and then applying that context to one’s environment

This course evaluates personal leadership theories and research. Students explore the meaning and impact of self-awareness to effectively lead their actions and behaviors, as well as those of others, in global organizations. Students take leadership inventories and use validated leadership instruments for self-reflection and improvements in their personal leadership attitudes, actions, and behaviors. The course examines behavioral competencies needed for success in the enterprise. Evaluations of emotional, social, and cognitive intelligence will establish the practical underpinnings of primal, resonance, and dissonance leadership.

Students explore the impact of leadership communication in contemporary global organizations. The course content is designed to teach students effective leadership communication, encompassing the human, contextual, and technical aspects of an organization impacted by technology and other external forces. The course content emphasizes the research and analysis of strategic communication, enabling students to understand how, what, why, when, and by what means leaders effectively communicate their messages. The application of various essential communication tools to visually display communication data is part of the experiential design of the course. Students practice communicating across cultures through innovative assignments that feature creative communication tools.

This course examines the internal and external organizational forces that influence change. Students explore change theories to examine both planned and unplanned changes that impact organizations. Topics include evaluating the change process, assessing the need for change, involving stakeholders in the change process, communicating the need for change, risk management, and developing strategies for managing and leading change.

This online, asynchronous course evaluates organizational leadership and followership theories and research. Students study the design and climate of various organizational environments structured by the dyadic relationships between leaders and followers. Students examine the micro, meso, and macro levels of organizations to discover the types of workers prevalent in the contemporary global workplace. Topics include organizational design factors and theories, organizational culture, principles of organizational development, followership theory and its impact on organizational leadership, and leadership skills in planning, organizing, and supporting organizational activities for various organizational sizes and types. (Prerequisites: MSLS 502, MSLS 503, MSLS 504, and MSLS 505)

The content of this course is designed to enable students to examine leadership decision-making in organizations. Students apply critical thinking, appreciative inquiry, and metacognitive techniques to assess and implement effective leadership decisions within organizations and global communities. Course content is designed for students to analyze and visually display decisions supported by data. Students develop strategies based on informed, relevant information and data. They examine data literacy, the decision-making process, and the use of analytics to inform decisions.

The study of the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) contemporary workplace is central to the course of study. Historical and modern leadership theories and practices, including complex adaptive leadership, are examined to determine current, future, and idealistic leadership actions and behaviors that drive and survive VUCA instances. Students design risk assessments for leaders to consider in various enterprises. Evaluating how to anticipate organizational challenges, identifying critical success factors, and preventing barriers to implementing viable action plans are crucial for achieving student learning outcomes.

The content of this course examines the actions and behaviors of leaders and organizational stakeholders in the context of High-Reliability Organizations (HROs). An in-depth study of the thinking and actions of reliable and resilient leaders, individuals, and organizational constituents is examined in the contemporary workplace to promote innovation, crisis management, and disruption management, and create a culture of resilience in an inclusive workplace with diverse workers.

This course is a service-learning project that enables students to demonstrate mastery of lessons and learning outcomes aligned with the Master of Science in Leadership Studies program outcomes. Reflective and experiential assignments demonstrate students’ proficiency in the MSLS coursework and program outcomes that impact people, communities, and organizations. (Prerequisites: MSLS 606, MSLS 607, MSLS 608, and MSLS 609)