Online Leadership Courses
Curriculum Details
30 total credits required
Lindenwood’s online master’s in leadership program requires the completion of 10 online leadership courses: 8 core courses and 2 electives, for a total of 30 credit hours. Some students may require foundational academic writing coursework or proficiency.
Foundation Courses (6 hours)
This course is designed to develop graduate students’ language and writing abilities within academic and professional genres. Topics will include writing coherence, logic, and processes; audience and situation awareness; development and support of ideas; and language formality and accuracy.
This course is designed to introduce graduate business students to the conventions and expectations of academic and professional writing and to develop their abilities to follow those conventions. Particular emphasis will be given to research writing, style, and organization. Additional topics will include best practices for creating clear, concise, and effective professional writing.
Core Courses (24 hours)
This course is an overview of human resource management and will include exploration of such topics as staffing, training and development, performance management, compensation, labor relations, and employment law, with a primary focus on strategic execution, which integrates HR programs and policies within the framework of an organization’s strategic direction. Lab fee may be required.
In this course, students will study classical and modern management theories of organization; the functions of management; external and/or environmental aspects bearing on managerial responsibility; development of practical management policy as guides to managerial decision-making; and human aspects of management including motivation, workplace equity and demographic diversity. This course includes the use of case studies to apply theory through practice. Lab fee may be required.
This course is an analysis of primary factors affecting individual and group behavior in organizations and examines the structure and behavior within organizations that impact performance, morale, and profitability. Lab fee may be required.
Organization development (OD) is the process of planning and implementing interventions to create interpersonal, group, intergroup, or organization-wide change. This course presents the theoretical foundations of organization development as an applied behavioral science. Students will also be introduced to many types of interpersonal, intra-group, intergroup, and organizational interventions that are used to effect comprehensive and lasting changes. Lab fee may be required.
This course is designed to develop an understanding of the function and context of the leadership role in formal organizations through the examination of leadership research and theories of leadership effectiveness. The basis for exercising influence and the situational factors affecting leadership are examined. Emphasis will be on understanding the leadership function as well as developing thinking and action capabilities for improving individual leadership effectiveness. The culminating project will require students to document their own leadership style. Lab fee may be required.
The course focuses on the development and implementation of corporate strategies that enable an organization to create and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. Current strategic theories are integrated with strategic practice. Additionally, readings in corporate governance focus on how the corporation should be managed in the best interests of the investors and other stakeholders. Lab fee may be required.
Choose 3 hours from the following
Electives (6 hours)
This course introduces students to methods of employee training and to the role that employee training plays in organizational planning. Particular emphasis will be given to needs analysis, program design and delivery, training methods, learning theory, learning styles, and evaluation and testing. Lab fee may be required.
This course examines basic law as applied to employment issues. Topics include equal employment, affirmative action, employment-at-will, constructive and unlawful discharge, wage and hours issues, mandatory benefits, safety and workers compensation, protected classes, disability issues, workplace accommodation, labor relations, and record keeping requirements. Lab fee may be required.
This course will help students understand organizational communication theories, models, and processes. Focus will be on application of these principles in organizational communication speaking exercises; and the use of effective communication skills in management and leadership settings. Lab fee may be required.
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