Leadership (Master of Science)

The leadership degree program gives students an interdisciplinary framework for analyzing and understanding their leadership strengths as well as areas for improvement. This online degree provides plenty of opportunities to build, improve and refine leadership skills.

Upon completion of this program, graduates will have the credentials and confidence they need to make a greater impact at their workplace and communities.

WHAT WILL I LEARN WITH AN ONLINE MASTER'S DEGREE IN LEADERSHIP?

This master’s program explores the study of organizational behavior along with a number of leadership topics such as strategic communication, leading change and emotional intelligence. Students will learn to evaluate leadership at various levels, including people, structures, culture and tasks. They’ll also study management and ethics while analyzing the importance of diversity, inclusion and trust within the workplace.

HOW MUCH WILL THIS LEADERSHIP DEGREE PROGRAM COST?

The graduate rate for this master’s in leadership program is $350 per credit hour—lower if you’re a member of the military, a veteran or part of a military family. We also offer scholarships and financial aid for those who qualify.

WHY PURSUE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN LEADERSHIP?

Obtaining graduate-level leadership education will open the door to a number of managerial and director opportunities. By completing the program, graduates can demonstrate their commitment to organizational success and personal growth to employers. The master’s in leadership program is especially beneficial to those looking to manage personnel and move upward within their current company.

TIME TO DEGREE COMPLETION
36
CREDIT HOURS
24
MONTHS TO COMPLETE
UP TO
50%
CLOSER TO GRADUATION WITH CREDIT FOR PRIOR COURSEWORK + LIFE EXPERIENCE

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION GRADUATE DEGREE?

In addition to leadership and organizational skills, Grantham’s Master of Business Administration program covers technical topics like marketing, finance and accounting. Students in this program will develop a skillset designed to be applied to the corporate sector.

In contrast, the Master of Science in Leadership program focuses on the qualities and skills of good leaders. This program uses things like human behavior and psychology to teach students how to manage and motivate employees in all types of environments, including business, government and nonprofit.

WHEN CAN I START?

Courses begin monthly, so we’re ready when you are.

Call us at (888) 947-2684 to learn more about our programs, financial assistance opportunities or enrollment process.

Related Information

Master of Science in Leadership at University of Arkansas Grantham
Leadership isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept, and there are many approaches to effective leadership. As a student in this program, you’ll learn about different leadership theories and what it means to be a good manager. READ MORE

Leadership (Master of Science)

LEADERSHIP DEGREE PROGRAM OUTCOMES

After successfully completing University of Arkansas Grantham’s Master of Science in Leadership degree, you will be able to:

  • Evaluate leadership at various levels, including people, structures, culture and tasks
  • Explore key leadership areas such as management, ethics, strategic thinking and organizational culture
  • Analyze the importance of promoting diversity, inclusion and trust, while ensuring leadership accountability in a global setting
  • Implement leadership skills through action-learning and research projects
  • Examine and apply leadership theory through practice experience

CORE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES

University of Arkansas Grantham prepares graduates to succeed in a variety of professional and civic settings by incorporating the following critical life skills into the leadership graduate degree program curriculum:

  • Communication — Formulating and expressing thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written and non-verbal communication skills in person, in writing and in a digital world.
  • Distributed Collaboration — Working effectively across distributed locations and asynchronously to achieve a common goal through relationship-building, shared responsibility, empathy and respect.
  • Professional and Social Responsibilities — Engaging in social responsibility through seeking justice, valuing diversity, respecting the environment; demonstrating professionalism through integrity, mutual accountability and ethical behavior. This includes considering the social and global impact of individual and organizational decisions and an awareness of and adherence to regulations, professional standards and industry best practices.
  • Critical thinking/problem solving — Using analytical reasoning when gathering and evaluating relevant information to effectively formulate possible solutions for an issue, problem or a variety of issues. This includes the ability to recognize potential consequences of a decision.
  • Data Aptitude — Developing information literacy and the capacity to manage data with subsequent finding, structuring, evaluating and interpreting in order to provide meaningful analysis to accomplish a specific purpose.

Leadership (Master of Science)

As you consider your degree options for building and honing your leadership skills, bear in mind that University of Arkansas Grantham’s 100% online coursework is designed to help you prepare for a success in personal and professional leadership roles.

PROGRAM SNAPSHOT:
Program Core Credits: 36
Total Credit Hours: 36
Accreditation(s): DEAC
University Bookstore
Textbook Pricing
Program Core: 36
Course: Title: Credits:
Course: GU500 Title: Graduate Student Success Credits: 1
  This course is designed to help students learn and improve skills and strategies that are essential to academic success at a graduate level. Through activities, application and reflection, the material covered in this course should support and assist students in achieving their graduate level degree. Students should develop confidence in their ability to succeed as a graduate student.
Course: LD501 Title: Leadership Styles and Development Credits: 3
  This course is designed to provide a basic introduction to leadership by focusing on what it means to be a good leader. Emphasis in the course is on the practice of leadership. The course will examine topics such as: the nature of leadership, recognizing leadership traits, developing leadership skills, creating a vision, setting the tone, listening to out-group members, handling conflict, overcoming obstacles, and addressing ethics in leadership. Attention will be given to helping students to understand and improve their own leadership performance.
Course: LD510 Title: Grit, Performance, and Staying Power Credits: 3
  This course offers powerful yet practical advice for students to harness personal excellence. Grounded in research, this course is based on a simple yet revolutionary principle of learning to lead one's self first in order to more effectively lead others. This inclusive approach to self-motivation and self-influence equips students with the strategies and tips they need to build a strong foundation in the study of management and leadership, as well as enhancing their personal effectiveness.
Course: LD520 Title: Critical Communication and Leadership Credits: 3
  Effective leadership requires effective communication skills. In this course, we will explore the transformation power of words, and practice delivering messages with credibility and conviction. Additionally, we will examine the dynamics of conversation and how people jockey for power or manipulate others through rhetorical devices. We will learn how to interpret nonverbal communication as well as monitor our own nonverbal, so that we can align our message with our behaviors.
Course: LD530 Title: Leadership Theories and Strategies Credits: 4
  This course provides an in-depth review of the major theories and models of leadership as they function within an organization. A historical review of leadership theory will be combined with contemporary issues in leadership practice. Students will analyze individual models of leadership with an emphasis on the application of these models to organizational situations, including in their own workplace. Students will evaluate their leadership style through various self-assessments providing the framework for self awareness and evaluation. Students culminate their assessment of each model by designing a leadership action plan for a contemporary social issue.
Course: LD540 Title: Effective Coaching Credits: 3
  Effective leaders seek to enhance their teams through formal and informal coaching activities. This course teaches you practices you can use immediately to foster employee commitment and help employees gain the skills necessary to sustain and grow any type of organization. Topics covered in this course include: the attributes of a good coach, powerful listening, asking good questions, mentoring, and creative solutions through coaching.
Course: LD550 Title: Cross Cultural Communication and Leadership Credits: 3
  This course presents students with challenging cross-cultural situations that develop for different reasons and from different backgrounds. This course provides a look for practical work solutions and ways to integrate culture into social change and civic engagement. This course helps students master the skills necessary to connect globally and grasp the role of cultural nuances, behaviors, attitudes and emotions in a harmonious and equitable global environment. Topics include civic and political engagement, social action, relationships, consumption and production of media, global workplace, cross-cultural adjustment and competence, and other practical issues.
Course: LD560 Title: Ethics in Leadership Credits: 3
  This course examines the unique ethical challenges faced by leaders with an emphasis on building ethical competency. Topics include virtue ethics, evil, forgiveness, moral theories, moral reasoning, ethical decision-making, ethical influence, transformational leadership, servant leadership, ethical group problem solving, ethical organizational climate, ethical diversity and ethical crisis leadership.
Course: MGT517 Title: Organizational Behavior Credits: 3
  This advanced course examines how human behavior in organizations plays a crucial role in achieving organizational effectiveness, while simultaneously promoting positive human outcomes. This course is designed to introduce students to key theories and concepts, as well as practical applications related to the field of Organizational Behavior. While the course will focus on such pertinent issues as the behavioral science theories, and associated concepts, the course will emphasize such areas of concentration as, but will not limited to: personality, values, diversity, communication, leadership, attitudes, conflict management, motivation, group/team dynamics, and organizational culture. This course affords students both a firm theoretical background and foundation upon which to build, but likewise instructs and builds the practical skills necessary to understand and manage organizational behavior within a variety of milieus.
Course: LD570 Title: Leading and High Performance Credits: 3
  Human and organizational learning are intertwined. Improving their performance means learning new ways to work. For many people, learning theory and practice has been embedded in the training function of most organizations; however, organizational learning may best be described through change and innovation. This course considers the issues of human and organizational learning that changes performance.
Course: LD580 Title: Leadership Strategies for Change Credits: 3
  This course is designed to expose students to a broad spectrum of leadership issues relative to the strategic importance of leading organizational change, including the dynamics of leadership, successfully implementing change and the impacts of change affecting today's and tomorrow's organizational leadership. This course provides a practical, real-world understanding of several dimensions of leadership in relation to change. Topics include the importance of leadership, how successful leadership can result in a more effective organization and how leaders can identify and overcome resistance to change.
Course: LD599 Title: Leadership Capstone Credits: 4
  The Leadership Capstone course is intended to be concluding and integrative experience of the leadership coursework. It is an opportunity for students to integrate concepts learned throughout the program into a leadership portfolio that showcases their leadership abilities, personal reflections, accomplishments, skills, activities and effects on individuals and environments. Topics include an application of leadership theories and incorporates leadership development with people, structures, culture and tasks. (including those relating to the internet), as well as descriptions of the different protections offered by patents, copyrights and trademarks and how they can affect individuals.