Master of Science in Leadership

Program Director: Stacie L. L. Morgan

Program Vision and Mission

The Norwich University Master of Science in Leadership (MSL) program is offered to provide relevant educational experience to graduates who positively impact their organizations and communities as leaders or future leaders. Our vision is to develop graduates capable of addressing organizations’ toughest leadership challenges with character, integrity, and distinction.

It is the mission of the Master of Science in Leadership program to deliver a graduate educational experience to adults around the world that teaches them how to leverage human capacity to achieve strategic results. We do this through a blend of academic excellence and rigorous application in our students’ practical worlds using the engaged interaction of our online classroom and faculty.

MSL Program Strategy and the Role of Student Engagement

The Master of Science in Leadership has a strong application/demonstration component that allows students to not only learn about leadership, but to also synthesize course content and demonstrate understanding through both academic assignments and professional practice.

The marketplace and global economy require understanding of strategy and strategic communication for the contemporary leader. Contemporary leaders also must understand how to lead change within their organizations or support change efforts made by others—often in an environment that is continually transitioning. Realities of the global economy have created what is now commonly called the “knowledge-based economy” and the Master of Science in Leadership is structured to provide students with tools, understanding and vision to address the leadership challenges of our time.

The Leadership Development Portfolio (LDP) is a required element of the program and a vehicle by which students assimilate course objectives into their professional role within their organization. The LDP is comprised of student work that demonstrates leadership development consistent with a plan of academic study and professional objectives. Students use the LDP to relate academic content to their professional lives and role within their organization so that they may “live what they learn.”

The core curriculum is designed to integrate major leadership issues relevant to individuals who work in organizations at either a direct leadership level, those positioned to directly lead in the future, or those individuals who aspire to lead. Current demographic trends have seen growth among younger executives and added responsibilities for those who may lack experience leading others. Contemporary workforce dynamics illustrate different values than prior generations and the need for new leaders to study topics such as emotional intelligence, knowledge management and leadership theory.

The MSL program will rely upon the quality of our engagement in our student’s practical lives to differentiate our offerings and strive toward our vision—translating theory into our students’ real-world practices every day, online, and on the fly.

Curriculum Map

1	Students are required to attend a one-week, on campus Residency Conference the June following or concurrent with their final course.

Curriculum Requirements

The Master of Science in Leadership program is made up of six, eleven-week seminars of six credits each for a total of 36 credit hours. The seminars must be taken in the order presented and are strategically sequenced to build context and the Leadership Development Portfolio as students move through the program. Students may select the general leadership degree or one of the concentrations.

Required Courses

OL 510	Leadership Fundamentals	6
OL 520	Emotional Intelligence	6
OL 530	Leading Change in Organizations	6
Culminating Academic Requirement
OL 595	Residency	0
Total Credits		18

Concentrations 

Students must select and complete one of the following concentrations.

Hospitality Leadership and Management Systems Concentration (18 credits)

The Hospitality Leadership and Management Systems concentration focuses on two areas of study. These two seminars explore innovative leadership strategies and management systems utilized globally within the hospitality industry. Studies in these two seminars provide a graduate MSL student with a solid foundation of hospitality leadership principles and management systems with a focus on organizational sustainability and growth.   In effect, they address three important business questions related to hospitality leadership and management:

1. What contemporary leadership strategies have been successfully applied within the hospitality industry?
2. How have management systems been successfully implemented to leverage capacity within the hospitality industry?
3. What types of assessment instruments have been successfully used to measure and improve organizational performance?

Hospitality Leadership and Management Systems Courses
OL 541	Hospitality Leadership Strategies	6
OL 551	Hospitality Management Systems: Leveraging Capacity in Service Organizations	6
OL 561	Capstone Studies	6
Total Credits		18

Human Resources Leadership Concentration (18 credits)

The Human Resources Leadership concentration focuses on two key areas of study:

1. Human Resource Leadership
2. Leveraging Human Capacity for Strategic Results

These two seminars will explore key Human Resources Leadership concepts and best practice development related to strategic and operational planning, process management, maximized use of supportive technology and human capital resources.  

• This Human Resources Leadership concentration has been developed in response to and anticipation of the needs in the marketplace. The MSL program has demonstrated its effectiveness and proven its value through its ongoing success as a viable academic program. The Human Resources Leadership concentration helps meet a global need to broaden the scope of skills needed to better address the strategic and operational management of human capital in an increasingly complex world.  If people are an organization’s greatest asset, than so too is complimentary recognition that a higher level of education and expertise is needed to maximize the utilization of this asset.    
• The MSL degree from Norwich University gives students a solid foundation in Leadership through the completion of coursework and the IRP. The Human Resources Leadership concentration is a natural and more focused extension of that offering that prepares graduates to be a strong strategic business partner.

The seminars in this concentration give students specialized coursework that will allow them to excel in their chosen careers. Human Resources, as a function, has become much more than the basic people components of hiring, managing and paying them on a local level. The importance of human resources leadership continues to expand, and is frequently considered the foundation for success in every organization that engages people.  

Human Resources Leadership Courses
OL 542 Human Resource Leadership		6
OL 552 Leveraging Human Capacity for Strategic Results		6
OL 561 Capstone Studies		6
Total Credits		18

Leading Change Management Consulting Concentration (18 credits)

The Leading Change Management Consulting concentration focuses on three key areas of study:

• Consulting Models
• The Role of the Consultant
• Implementing Change Initiatives

These two seminars will explore consulting models, how to be a change management consultant and how to implement a change initiative.   Studies in these two seminars will provide a MSL student with a solid foundation for being an external or internal consultant.  The seminars will address three important questions for prospective students and employers:

1. “What models and methodologies have proven successful?”
2. “What are the tips, tools and techniques for being a successful consultant?”
3. “What are the keys to implementing a change initiative?”

Leading Change Management Consulting Courses
OL 544 Change Management Consulting		6
OL 554 Implementing Organizational Change		6
OL 561 Capstone Studies		6
Total Credits		18

Public Sector/Government/Military Leadership Concentration (18 credits)

The Public Sector/Government/Military Leadership concentration focuses on two key areas of study. These two seminars explore key best practices for public sector/government/military leadership, including the challenges of providing direction to a wide scope of departments and agencies necessary to serve the needs of communities.  The seminars also study how to create and maintain intergovernmental relationships, form partnerships with elected officials, staff, and private sector business. Studies in these two seminars provide a graduate MSL student with a skill set that includes interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary competence, and effective cross-discipline leadership skills.

Public Sector/Government/Military Leadership Courses
OL 543	Theories and Innovative Practices of Public Sector/Government/Military Leadership	6
OL 553	Influence in the Public Sector/Government/Military: Collaborating Across Organizational Lines	6
OL 561	Capstone Studies	6
Total Credits		18

Organizational Leadership Concentration (18 credits)

The Organizational Leadership concentration requires that students embark on an independent research project, complete it in three phases, by the end of the sixth (last) course. Students are encouraged to identify a corporate partner to focus on in a case study and with whom to practice the skills gained in the organizational concentration courses. If students are unable to use their own employer, they may select another enterprise. Students will receive instructions for completing each phase of the independent research project in the first week of the three concentration courses.

Organizational Leadership Courses
OL 540	Strategic Communication and Information Leadership	6
OL 550	Strategic Organizational Behavior	6
OL 560	Strategic Organizational Leadership & Developing a Learning Organization	6
Total Credits		18

Capstone

The capstone course is a degree requirement for all students entering the program beginning in March 2015 and selecting any concentration except Organizational Leadership. All students who entered the program prior to March 2015 will be required to complete OL 560, Strategic Organizational Leadership and Developing a Learning Organization, in lieu of the capstone.  

One-Week Residency 

All degree candidates of the Master of Science in Leadership are required to attend a one-week Residency Conference on the Norwich University campus, during which they may attend professional presentations, participate in roundtable discussions with faculty, and present papers. The one-week residency is a degree requirement.

Faculty Member	Institution at which highest degree was earned
Darrell Aubrey, PhD	University of Phoenix
Brandy Blount, PhD	Walden University
Matthew Boyne, MS	Pepperdine University
James Catone, EdD	University of Massachusetts
Lowell Doringo, MS	Norwich University
Christopher Eberle, DM	University of Phoenix
William Edson, MS	Norwich University
Shalaina Harlan-Yuya, EdD	Grand Canyon University
Suzanne Hart, MS	University of Washington
Paul Katsampes, DPA	University of Colorado at Denver
Jill Long, MS	Troy State University
Tom Luckett, PhD	Walden University
Rex Marks, MS	Norwich University
Warren Martin, PhD	Northcentral University
Katherine McQuade, PhD	Capella University
Michael Miller, PhD	Argosy University
Maureen Nixon, PhD	North Carolina State University
Thomas Norbutus, PhD	Regent University
Sydney Parlour, MS	Wilfred Laurier University
Audrey Rabas, PhD	Chicago School of Professional Psychology
William Shirey, PhD	Regent University
Janice Spangenburg, PhD	Regent University
Vanita Varma, MS	Norwich University