Master of Science in Leadership
| Campus Locations | Boston, Virtual, Charlotte |
|---|---|
| Also available 100% Online | Yes |
| Other Format(s) | Fast-Track Master of Science in Leadership |
| Credits Required for Graduation | 45 |
| Entry Terms | Fall Quarter, Winter Quarter, Spring Quarter, Summer Quarter (excl F1 visa applicants) |
| Meets International Visa Requirements | Yes |
Overview
Now offered in hybrid format at Northeastern's Charlotte campus.
As today's workforce continues to diversify, leadership tasks and responsibilities have become more complex. The Master of Science in Leadership prepares you to meet these evolving challenges by helping you cultivate a personal leadership philosophy. Leveraging students’ interdisciplinary backgrounds, this master's degree in leadership combines real-world lessons with an action-learning approach that is designed to build and strengthen your leadership capabilities.
Program Objectives
- Develop and bolster your leadership competencies
- Explore key leadership areas such as: management, ethics, strategic thinking, and organizational culture
- Prepare for the challenges and opportunities associated with leading in a global world
- Exercise leadership skills through action-learning and research projects
- Improve your ability to lead and work both independently and collaboratively
In September of 2009, the Master of Science in Leadership with a concentration in Project Management received accreditation by the Project Management Institute's Global Accreditation Center (GAC), the world's leading association for project management professionals. Accreditation is achieved by meeting the GAC’s rigorous standards, which include an assessment of program objectives and outcomes, a review of onsite and online resources, evaluations of faculty and students, and proof of continuous improvements in the area of project management.
The GAC logo is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
Formats: The Master of Science in Leadership is also available in a 12-month, fast-track format. For more information, please visit the Fast-Track Master of Science in Leadership page.
Please note: Effective August 1, 2011, courses from FIN and ACC may not be applied towards this degree.
Interested in learning more
Watch the Master of Science in Leadership Webinar.
Curriculum
Attention students enrolled before winter 2012: download your curriculum here. |
Total Quarter Hours: 45-46
(effective for students starting in winter 2012)
Required Courses (24 q.h.)
Please take courses in order listed below.
| LDR 6100 | Developing Your Leadership Capability | 3 q.h. |
| LDR 6110 | Leading Teams | 3 q.h. |
| LDR 6120 | Creating Leadership Capacity: Developing Bench Strength | 3 q.h. |
| LDR 6125 | Managing Organizational Culture | 3 q.h. |
| LDR 6135 | The Ethical Leader | 3 q.h. |
| LDR 6140 | Developing the Strategic Leader | 3 q.h. |
| LDR 6145 | Managing a Diverse Workforce | 3 q.h. |
| LDR 7995 | Master's Project (recommended as last course in program) | 3 q.h. |
Elective Courses (6 q.h.)
Complete two of the following courses:
| CMN 6060 | Negotiation, Mediation, and Facilitation | 3 q.h. |
| CMN 6110 | Group Dynamics and Interpersonal Conflict: Meeting Management |
3 q.h. |
| CMN 6080 | Intercultural Communication in the Organization | 3 q.h. |
| COP 6940 | Personal and Career Development: Leadership in Practice (enrollment into this course requires participation in the cooperative education program) | 3 q.h. |
| CMN 6015 | Introduction to the Digital Era: The Power of Social Media | 3 q.h. |
Concentrations (15-16 q.h.)
Health Management Concentration
| HMG 6110 | The Organization, Administration, Financing, and History of Healthcare | 3 q.h. |
| HMG 6130 | Healthcare Strategic Management | 3 q.h. |
| HMG 6140 | Principles of Population-Based Management | 3 q.h. |
| HMG 6160 | Healthcare Information Systems Management | 3 q.h. |
| HMG 6170 | Health Law, Politics, and Policy | 3 q.h. |
Human Resources Concentration
| HRM 6005 | Creating a High-Performance Organization | 3 q.h. |
| HRM 6010 | Total Compensation | 3 q.h. |
| HRM 6020 | Strategic Recruitment, Training, and Performance Management | 3 q.h. |
| HRM 6030 | Employee Rights and Employer Obligations | 3 q.h. |
| HRM 6040 | High-Performance HR Systems and Development | 3 q.h. |
Nonprofit Management Concentration
| NPM 6110 | Legal and Governance Issues in Nonprofit Organizations | 3 q.h. |
| NPM 6120 | Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations | 3 q.h. |
| NPM 6125 | Promoting Nonprofit Organizations | 3 q.h. |
| NPM 6130 | Fundraising and Development for Nonprofit Organizations | 3 q.h. |
| NPM 6140 | Grant and Report Writing | 3 q.h. |
Organizational Communications Concentration
| CMN 6010 | Foundations of Organizational Communication | 3 q.h. |
| CMN 6020 | Ethical Issues in Organizational Communication | 3 q.h. |
| CMN 6050 | Crisis Communication | 3 q.h. |
| CMN 6090 | Organizational Culture, Climate, and Communication | 3 q.h. |
| CMN 6110 | Group Dynamics and Interpersonal Conflict: Meeting Management | 3 q.h. |
Project Management Concentration
| PJM 5900 | Foundations of Project Management* | 4 q.h. |
| PJM 6000 | Project Management Practices | 3 q.h. |
| PJM 6010 | Project Planning and Scheduling | 3 q.h. |
| PJM 6015 | Risk Management | 3 q.h. |
Choose two** of the following courses:
| PJM 6020 | Cost and Budget Management | 3 q.h |
| PJM 6135 | Project Quality Management | 3 q.h |
| PJM 6125 | Project Evaluation and Assessment (recommended as last course) |
3 q.h |
| *This course is required for students who do not have at least 3 years of professional experience directing or leading project tasks. This course is highly recommended for students who don’t have a basic working knowledge of MsProject software. Students with project management experience are not required to take this course.. | ||
| **Students who take PJM 5900 are only required to take one course within this section. | ||
Sport and Social Change Concentration
| LDR 6410 | Leadership and Organization in Sport | 3 q.h. |
| GST 6102 | Global Corporate and Social Responsibility | 4 q.h. |
| HSV 6120 | Social Inequality, Social Change, and Community Building | 3 q.h. |
| LDR 6360 | Dynamics of Change at the Community and Social Level | 3 q.h. |
| LDR 6427 | Gender and Diversity in Sport | 3 q.h. |
Total Quarter Hours: 45-46
Tuition rates, all fees, rules and regulations, courses, and course content are subject to revision by the president and the Board of Trustees at any time.
Please note: Effective August 1, 2011, courses from FIN and ACC may not be applied towards this degree.
Admissions Requirements
Below are the official Admissions Requirements for this program.
- Online application
- Statement of purpose (500-1000 words): identifying your educational goals and expectations from the program; please be aware that the University's academic policy on plagiarism applies to applicant's statement of purpose
- Professional resume: current resume that displays job responsibilities, relevant experience, and education history
- Two letters of recommendation: from individual(s) with either academic or professional knowledge of your capabilities, such as a faculty member, current employer, mentor, or colleague
- Official undergraduate degree documentation
- Proof of English language proficiency: ONLY for students for whom English is not their primary language: English language proficiency guidelines
For general admissions information and recommended admissions deadlines, Graduate Admissions.
All requirements must be received prior to review.
Tuition
Estimated total tuition for this program is $24,075.00.
Tuition for individual courses is based on the number of quarter hours. Most courses are 3-6 quarter hours. See Graduate Tuition Rates for details.
Use our Tuition Calculator below to see if transfer credit or tuition reimbursement from your employer could reduce your total tuition.
Tuition Calculator
Please note: The estimated total tuition is based on tuition rates for Academic Year 2011-12 and does not include any fees or other expenses. Some courses and labs have tuition rates that may increase or decrease total tuition. Tuition and fees are subject to revision by the president and Board of Trustees at any time.
Student Profile
Who Will Your Classmates Be?
This degree is designed for professionals who wish to advance their careers by assuming greater leadership positions. Those who apply to this program may hold titles including:
- Administrative assistant
- Supervisor
- Team leader
- Manager
- Director
- HR generalist
Applicants for the Master of Science in Leadership program are required to have 1-3 years of relevant experience. Fast-Track applicants should have at least five years of relevant work experience. An undergraduate degree is required for both programs.
Career Outlook
Put Your Degree to Work
As the global economy continues its recovery, the call for capable leaders is on the rise. Not surprisingly, employers are increasingly evaluating leadership skills as part of the interview process. Professionals who possess strong decision-making, organizational, and people skills will be well positioned to succeed in leadership roles.
End-of-Course Surveys
At the College of Professional Studies, we are always striving to ensure that we are providing the best possible education for our graduate students. We provide an anonymous survey to our students after each class where we solicit their opinions and feedback on the courses they have just completed. Here is what students have told us about our courses in the Master of Science in Leadership in 2010 and 2011.
| Statement | Average | Count |
| In class I learned to apply course concepts & principles | 4.37* | 1500 |
| I developed additional skills [that will help me in the workplace] | 4.22 | 1497 |
| This course helped me to analyze & evaluate [the information presented] | 4.31 | 1498 |
| I learned a lot in this course | 4.28 | 1486 |
These statements were scored on a scale of 1 to 5 where a score of 1 indicates strong disagreement with the statement and 5 indicates strong agreement. These scores indicate that students agreed to strongly agreed with these statements.
*Note the averages include only those with a valid response (1-5). It does not include those rating ‘0’ (not applicable) or those who did not answer their specific question.
Alumni Surveys
In an anonymous October 2011 survey, conducted by Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, graduates from the Master of Science in Leadership and the Master of Science in Project Management responded to a series of questions about how the overall program helped them in their careers. Please select the following link to review their responses.
Faculty Spotlight
Jane C. Edmonds
Jane C. Edmonds, a senior fellow at Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies, teaches graduate level courses in higher education and leadership. Edmonds is also a visiting fellow for the Northeastern-Swinburne (Melbourne Australia) Global Leadership Program.
A savvy practitioner with more than 30 years of business experience, Edmonds has successfully led and managed small and large businesses and government organizations. Through the years, her work has been hailed for excellence in the form of several distinguished business, academic, and professional organization awards from organizations such as Radcliffe College, Boston College Law School, and the Chamber of Commerce.
Prior to joining Northeastern, Edmonds founded and ran JCEA, Inc., a workforce development consulting and training business. At JCEA, Inc., she helped organizations such as GE Capital Corporation, Fidelity, the U.S. Census Bureau, United Technologies, and the American Red Cross with leadership development, coaching, team-building, dispute-resolution, and discrimination-prevention. In recent years, Edmonds served as a member of Governor Mitt Romney’s cabinet and as the head of the Department of Workforce Development, where she was responsible for three line operating divisions and the flow of over two billion dollars in federal, state, and tax revenues within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Edmonds is a former appointee of Governor Michael S. Dukakis and served as chair of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (“MCAD”), the civil rights law enforcement agency for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. At the MCAD, she was responsible for exercising the administrative, financial, and adjudicatory authority of the agency.
Edmonds was also elected to the Sharon School Committee, and served as a member of the State Board of Higher Education for ten years. She holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School.
Talk to an Enrollment Coach
We can walk you through your program options and the application process.
- Call Toll Free:
- 877.668.7727
- Email:
- Contact Us
Upcoming Academic Term Dates
-
Spring Term
April 9, 2012 (6- & 12-week classes)
May 21, 2012 (6-week classes) -
Summer Term
July 2, 2012 (8-, 6-, and 4- week classes)
July 30, 2012 (4-week classes)