What is Typical Coursework in a Master’s in Leadership and Change?

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Completing a Master’s in Leadership and Change can instill in you the skills that you need to facilitate change within a corporation and get employees to listen to you carefully.

Though there are only a handful of these programs operating within the country today, most include some courses in business and management.

According to Kathryn Dill of Forbes, management and leadership masters’ degrees are among the top in the world today. Take a look at some of the classes you might take in one of these programs before you sign up.

Core Courses

Graduate programs today typically feature three distinct types of classes. When you enroll in a leadership business program, you’ll take core courses on the topic, core business classes and a few electives. The core courses that you take within the leadership and change area include courses on change within organizations and leadership theories. A class on leadership theories will go over different leadership and management styles to find the style that works best for you. The classes you take on change will show you how to slowly incorporate and introduce changes into your company.


Business Classes

Even if you want to focus your studies on leadership and change, you’ll still need to take a handful of business classes. These classes give you a better understanding of how companies, corporations and nonprofit organizations operate. You might take classes on financial accounting that teaches you how to file taxes and budget for your business, marketing classes that highlight successful marketing campaigns and administration courses that show you how to work with your employees.

Recommended Resource: 50 Most Affordable Master’s in Organizational Behavior Degree Programs 2016

Some grad schools offer unique classes that look at the social responsibilities that corporations have to both their customers and the general public.

Electives

While working on a Master’s in Leadership and Change, you will usually need to take some electives too. Undergrads have more options and can take “fun” classes outside of their majors like creative writing, sociology and pottery.

As a graduate student, you need to look at and take electives that have some relationship to your career. You might take a team building class that shows you how to foster a better environment in your company or a course that looks at new innovations within the business world. You’ll also have the option to take special topics courses that look at a more unique aspect of the leadership and change industry.

Internship Component

Though some business schools focus more on classroom learning, you should look at whether students can do internships for course credit. Doing an internship is a great way to see how your leadership skills translate into the working world. You might spend the summer working in the human resources department of a Fortune 500 company or spend a few hours each week during a semester doing volunteer work for the IT department of a local nonprofit. Depending on the number of hours you work, you should get one to three or more credit hours for your internship.

Leadership and change is one of the newer topics you might major in and study while in business school. Often offered through the school of business or management, a Master’s in Leadership and Change can help you excel in your job, lead your workers to success and ensure the livelihood of your company.