Strategic Leadership, M.S.
[Strategic Leadership—0506]
Joel R. Hoomans, Director
The Master of Science in Strategic Leadership Program (MSL) is the next generation graduate business degree. This advanced degree program is designed to equip emerging and established leaders to provide ethical fortitude, inspiring vision, strategic agility, business acumen, service and servant-oriented leadership, as well as teh capacity to build effective teams, organizations, and communities. It is a cutting edge and challenging program where developing managers and leaders can engage the faculty, staff, and students from a diverse cross-section of industries and organizational segments that include entrepreneurial start-ups, fortune 500 companies, not-for-profit, government, church, parachurch ministries, military, and other vital organizations…emerging only eighteen months later as scholar practitioners who are equipped with the new knowledge and skills necessary to create significant value for themselves and their organizations. The Masters in Strategic Leadership program is designed to build the confidence and competitive advantage of the leaders it produces. This graduate experience culminates in a shark-tank like experience where the graduate scholars present a comprehensive strategic solution to a very real problem that they have identified in a client organization that they have been building familiarity with over the course of the program.
This program is built upon proven adult learning techniques, offering a high quality, cohort-based, time-shortened approach to education at the graduate level. Curriculum includes a solid mix of leadership, management, and professional education, with an emphasis on the application of theory to the contempoary work environment in ways that advance best practices. Brick-and-mortar classes are scheduled one morning or night on a weekly basis with a period of just eighteen months to completion. An online derivative of the program exists that is largely asynchronous (with a few synchronous moments that include an initial residency/orientation that helps set students up for success with online learning). This program is offered on our main campus, at our Henrietta campus, and online, with groups starting throughout the year. Admission to this program is open to both experienced professionals and a select but limited number of early-career professionals who are interested in sharpening their leadership skills.
Admission Criteria:
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
- At least two years of practical, verified work experience in a business or management capacity in a for-profit, nonprofit, or entrepreneurial capacity
- GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.00 scale (depending on depth of professional experience)
- Application essay (500 words or less). Instructions and submission available through the online application.
Transfer Credits:
Because of the integrated design and cohort-learning structure of the graduate programs in teh School of Business, it is critical that all students complete the required sequence of courses together. In some cases, advanced standing will be awarded for a course that would be considered transferrable, but it does not replace the course within the graduate program. Students approved for advanced standing will be required to complete the designated course but will not be charged the associated tuition costs.
Students requesting an evaluation for the Advanced Standing Scholarship based on previous graduate coursework must submit course descriptions and/or syllabi for the relevant courses for review by the Program Director. The following guidelines apply:
- Only courses with an earned grade of B or better from an accredited institution may be considered.
- Courses will only be considered if the Program Director determines there is sufficient coverage of relevant material and concepts.
- A maximum of three courses can apply toward advanced standing for a graduate business program.
SPECIFICS OF THE STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP, M.S. DEGREE
Minimum Total Hours: 41
Minimum Requirements: Cumulative GPA of 3.0 with no grade less than C.
Credits in the Program:
- BUS 500MS (3) Organizational Leadership
- BUS 540MS (3) Leadership Ethics
- BUS 590MS (3) Buisness Research Methods
- BUS 504MS (0) Integrative Strategic Audit (workshop)
- BUS 575MS (3) Strategic Leadership
- BUS 525MS (3) Economics of Organizational Architecture and Strategy
- BUS 536MS (4) People Development Strategies that Build Competitive Advantage
- BUS 505MS (0) Advanced Excel Workshop
- BUS 580MS (4) Accounting for Strategic Decision Making
- BUS 550MS (3) Strategic Marketing
- BUS 515MS (4) Financial Management
- BUS 530MS (3) Problem Solving and Project Team Leadership
- BUS 510MS (3) Organizational Diagnosis and Change Management
- BUS 560MS (5) Strategic Management
For further information about this program, please contact Master of Science in Strategic Leadership Enrollment Coordinator at 585.594.6024 or GradBusiness@roberts.edu.