ADVANTAGE Master of Arts in Leadership at Woodbury University

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1 ADVANTAGE Master of Arts in Leadership at Woodbury University

2 A NEW VANTAGE POINT FOR LEADERS Power, conflict, change, group culture how you handle each of these topics in an organizational context distinguishes you as a leader. Do you merely react to these forces, or do you step in and harness them for the betterment of your organization? With a Master of Arts in Leadership from Woodbury University, you ll learn to: Use power to effect positive change in your organization and the community it serves. Turn conflict and differences of opinion among members of your team into opportunities for mutual enrichment and increased creativity. Guide your organization through change that results in innovation and new levels of productivity. Cultivate teams that value diversity and celebrate the talents of each individual. We invite you to explore a unique leadership program that draws on the perspectives of many fields to create an educational experience that benefits your work even while you re still in school. Its highly pragmatic approach is complemented by a philosophical framework marked by innovative thinking and socially conscious decision making. The result is an advanced education in leadership that makes a real difference in how you approach your work. Become a leader whose success comes from your ability to see opportunity in everything the kind of leader the world needs to solve the most complex problems facing us today. LEADERSHIP 360 The Master of Arts in Leadership program is a hallmark offering of the College of Transdisciplinary Studies at Woodbury University. As a part of this next-generation approach to learning an approach that breaks the boundaries of discrete disciplines to solve problems in innovative ways you will learn to think about the way you lead your organization from a truly 360 degree perspective. Your fellow students in the leadership program will come from diverse businesses and organizations further enriching your learning and exposing you to different ways people solve problems. A PROGRAM TO FIT YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE Twenty-month intensive program Enter in the Fall, Spring, or Summer semesters Attend class one evening each week Woodbury University s MA in Leadership program is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)

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4 VANTAGE POINT 1: Think beyond traditional boundaries Leadership is a topic that transcends the boundaries of specific fields and disciplines. And yet, as a leader (or an aspiring one), you attend conferences and participate in professional networks that are embedded within your field. You might attend a conference on technology in secondary education or marketing for health-related non-profit organizations. Woodbury University s Master of Arts in Leadership program presents an opportunity for professional development that exposes you to myriad other fields while strengthening your ability to lead within your own. Why is this so important? As you interact with professors with transdisciplinarity

5 leadership experience in fields as diverse as education, law, and it in a different way. You will learn to see the connections between Woodbury University s Master of Arts in non-profit management, you your team s problematic dynamics Leadership program will glean wisdom from the ways and technological limitations, or the attracts diverse students they handle organizational issues in links between fundraising shortfalls with varying educational their fields. And as you participate and brand diffusion. backgrounds and in group discussions and projects with your peers who work in government, technology, and health care, you ll gain new ideas for how to approach challenges within your own sector. But thinking outside traditional boundaries to solve organizational problems is about more than cross-pollination with your professors and fellow leadership students. Holistic thinking is infused into the courses you will take. You ll learn to take a problem and look at every angle it presents until you see Learning to connect the dots and think critically about problems from every angle will empower you to lead your organization with confidence, ensuring its future success. Learn to break the boundaries of traditional thinking and uncover new solutions in Woodbury s leadership program. professional experiences. The cohort format provided an excellent platform to share these individual experiences, which added tremendous value to the formal classroom learning the program offered. Michelle Foster, MAL graduate and President of the Simi Valley Hospital Foundation TRANSDISCIPLINARITY 360 Apply holistic thinking Learning to push beyond the boundaries of the problems and limitations you face each day takes discipline and practice. Consider these ways you can learn to see organizational problems in a holistic way: 1. Identify your problem. Do you see it as a technology problem, a marketing problem, a human resource problem, or something else? 2. Now take your problem outside of the box you put it in. Can you look at it from a different perspective? Perhaps what you thought was a technology problem is actually a content marketing problem, a budget issue, or a combination of both. Find new ways to connect the dots and see a picture you previously couldn t. 3. Talk to peers from other fields. How do they commonly address the type of problem you are facing? Could an approach from a different sector bring positive change and innovation to your own?

6 VANTAGE POINT 2: Reframe your picture of success Become an effective leader by cultivating positive change in your organization and community.

7 Power might be a dirty word to some, but to us, it has the potential to drive positive change and societal transformation. And as a leader, you are obliged to use power to influence important decisions and set the direction for your organization. The key is to use your power well. Woodbury s Master of Arts in Leadership program addresses the issue of power head-on, giving you the right combination of knowledge, skills, and wisdom to help you use your influence for the common good. You will start with personal renewal by learning to see yourself and your behavior within an organization more clearly. This self-understanding will help you build empathy toward both your colleagues and the individuals you serve. In courses addressing topics such as organizational psychology, group dynamics, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence, you will develop a framework of knowledge that equips you to promote positive change in your organization. Over time, this knowledge will translate into high-level interpersonal communication skills that can turn conflict among members of your team into dynamic tensions that produce innovation. The result? You ll become the kind of leader who sees success as more than just the bottom line as more than just technological improvements, increased marketing ROI, or budget surpluses. Your vision of success will keep thriving individuals and communities at the forefront at all times. As leaders, it is important to understand ourselves before we lead others. The program s small team setting allowed us to develop efficient communication skills, critically examine a variety of challenges, and further understand our role within our respective organizations. Yasmin Beers, MAL graduate and Assistant City Manager, Glendale civic engagement CIVIC ENGAGEMENT 360 Practice your ability to empathize with others Your ability to consistently think and behave ethically will set you apart as a leader in your organization. And just like design thinking and transdisciplinarity, civic engagement takes plenty of practice to execute in skillful and effective ways. Here are a few ways you will learn to be a force for good in Woodbury s leadership program: 1. Learn the requirements and principles for ethical behavior and decision making in an organizational context. 2. Study how human beings work and interact at both the personal and organizational level. 3. Develop proven communication skills that empower you to address and resolve conflict among individuals and groups. 4. Learn intercultural competency, so that you are able to understand and value not only your own cultural background, but also the backgrounds of others.

8 VANTAGE POINT 3: Discover new ways to solve old problems No one knows resource limitations like you do. Fluctuating budgets, problems retaining talented staff, disconnected and overly complicated technology systems chances are you ve faced one or more of these issues at your business or organization. How can you lead your organization to not only survive but thrive when faced with these kinds of challenges? This is where a Woodbury education will make a difference, empowering you to forge new paths and cultivate resilient teams. Our leadership courses are designed to help you learn to do much with little. To take disconnected things, underutilized resources, and unlikely scenarios to a place of previously unheard-of success. A Woodbury leadership education is about thinking through problems in a way that sees limitations as opportunities for creativity and unimagined growth. We call this approach design thinking, and by the time you complete your Master of Arts in Leadership, you will naturally see organizational problems from this perspective. Intensive group discussions with your peers will give you countless opportunities to practice talking through real-world organizational problems from a design thinking perspective. When you go to work the next day, you ll be able to apply this approach with increasing measures of success. Course projects are practical and focused on helping you work through real challenges at your business or organization. Experienced leadership professors will help you apply creativity within the limitations of these projects. Learn to see limitations as opportunities for creativity and unimagined growth by applying design thinking at Woodbury University.

9 DESIGN THINKING 360 A peek at what you ll learn Consider the work your business or organization does to meet the unique needs of a community or consumer group. Where are there gaps in what you provide and what your target audience needs? 1. Start with the need. 2. Think about what your organization currently does to meet these needs. What s working? What limitations create gaps in your organization s service? 3. Now wipe the slate clean. Think through new ways to meet your clientele s needs. Be creative in the way you think about your organization s limitations. Consider that your answers may lie within the confines of these limitations your solution may have been there all along. 4. Test your new ideas over and over until you re sure your solution has a reasonable chance of working. Woodbury University s Master of Arts in Leadership program has been the catalyst in my life to assist me in transitioning from a stringent and rigid military mindset to a more flexible, civilianized mentality, which is essential for developing good working relationships with others. Darnell Forde, MAL student and retired Navy Chief Petty Officer design thinking

10 VANTAGE POINT 4: Create opportunities with innovation Whether you work for an organization that provides a service to the public or a business that promotes products, you have a mission and ensuing goals. You exist to accomplish something with a net result. And as a leader within your organization, you must steward its unique mission in a way that increases its reputation in the community and drives audience engagement. Consider a Master of Leadership program that exists to help you turn your organization s mission into tangible results. Woodbury s leadership program equips you to promote innovation both internally and in the community you serve. Your ability to be an agent of change within your organization grows as you develop your capacity for creative, holistic, and ethical thinking. Once these ways of viewing your organization begin to take root, you are ready to pursue positive change. Dive into leadership practices that promote this kind of change in a seminal course on innovation. In this course, you will learn how to develop and maintain a culture where positive change is pursued by each member of the organization. You will examine different models of innovation and learn how to manage processes that lead to new ways of doing things, even among individuals who are naturally resistant to change. For example course on quantitative methods of analysis will equip you to measure the impact your changes are making and allow you to make adjustments as needed. Learn to turn vision into action as you work decisively to promote your organization s growth.

11 As a newly retired military veteran re-entering the civilian world, it was important to me to find a master s program that fit with my action plan for success in areas of advocacy as well as political and legal arenas as a scholar and a professional. The leadership skills taught in this program are unparalleled because they come from the real world, and can be easily applied to all professional leadership roles. Angela Sanna, 15, U.S. veteran ENTREPRENEURSHIP 360 Building the confidence to lead positive change Innovation in organizational contexts results from decisive actions taken by leaders to promote change. Learning to take decisive action means increasing confidence in your leadership abilities. Here are just a few ways you will build confidence in Woodbury s Master of Leadership program: This highly pragmatic program is built on real leadership scenarios that help you imagine solutions to your organization s problems. Group discussions include role-playing scenarios that allow you to practice new communication techniques and play out decisions and their logical consequences. You will receive mentoring from professors who are highly skilled agents of change within their individual sectors. entrepreneurship

12 A LEADERSHIP PROGRAM THAT WORKS FOR YOU Woodbury s Master of Arts in Leadership program is designed to fit into your busy professional life and enhance your leadership skills while you study. Its modular design takes you through a series of courses held just one evening each week for five semesters. HOW IT WORKS Enter the program at the beginning of the Fall (August), Spring (January), or Summer (May) semester. Take one course at a time in a preset sequence. Meet one evening per week for 7 weeks to complete each course. Complete the program in 20 months (5 semesters). COURSES WITH IMMEDIATE TAKEAWAYS Courses are offered in an intensive cohort format that makes the most of your time. The cohort model is a unique format in which students begin, complete classes, and graduate together, forming a structure of teamwork and support. Each session includes fast-paced discussions that will hone your leadership skills in tangible ways. The learning environment in Woodbury s Master of Leadership program is highly interactive and seeks to mirror the professional working environment through practical discussions, group projects, and presentations. Small classes provide the ideal space in which to test out your ideas and sharpen your communication skills. Peers and professors from diverse fields will add insights to deepen your understanding of your own organization.

13 PROGRAM SEQUENCE Each course is three credits and meets for 7 weeks. There is a one-week break between the two courses in each semester. Semester 1 Organizational Leadership Critical Thinking and Emotional Intelligence Semester 2 Psychology of Organizations Ethics in Organization Semester 3 Quantitative Analysis Group Dynamics Semester 4 Conflict Resolution Strategic Communication Semester 5 Leading Innovation and Organizational Change Capstone in Leadership PROGRAM ADMISSION You are eligible for the Master of Arts in Leadership program if you have a bachelor s degree from a regionally accredited four-year institution. We accept applicants from any field of study. Your undergraduate GPA will determine what types of documents you will submit with your program application. We recommend that you apply two months prior to your program start date (August, January or May) to allow enough time for application processing. PROGRAM START DATES AND DEADLINES Fall Semester: August Deadline to apply: July 1st Spring Semester: January Deadline to apply: November 1st Summer Semester: May Deadline to apply: March 1st APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS CHECKLIST Completed Online Application Three letters of recommendation Professional Resume/Curriculum Vitae Leadership essay Interview Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of : 2-3 page Statement of Purpose Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of : GRE Score LEARN HOW TO APPLY AT apply.woodbury.edu

14 COURSE DESCRIPTIONS Organizational Leadership This course is an exploration of traditional and contemporary theories of leadership in organizations. Topics include models of leadership styles and techniques, organizational change agents, motivating personnel, decision making and problem solving, ethics, interpersonal relationships, conflict resolution, and power. Critical Thinking and Leadership Students will be able to engage in self-analysis of the knowledge, skills, and abilities of Critical Thinking (CT) and Emotional Intelligence (EI) as they buttress effective leadership. Activities include hands-on opportunities to apply CT/EI to the competencies fundamental to organizational leadership and will be utilized throughout the entire curriculum. Focus is on student s ability to articulate values, decision making, essential intellectual reasoning, and the logic of rationality as well as develop a vision of their own leadership traits and style. Psychology of Organizations This course is an application of psychological principles and theories for understanding human behavior in the workplace. Topics include models and patterns of behavior in organizations, individual and group dynamics, the culture of organizations, and decision making processes in employee selection, motivation, evaluation, and training. Ethics in Organizations This course is an exploration of the role of leaders in shaping ethical policies and practices in organizations. Topics include shaping organizational values, goals and mission, ethical decision making, obligations of personnel to the organization, and the ethical use of power and influence. Quantitative Analysis This course provides an application of research methods and statistical analysis to evaluate programs, policies, procedures, and performance in organizations. Topics include experimental and quasi-experimental research designs, concepts of internal and external validity, and statistical techniques for data collection and analysis. Group Dynamics This course is an exploration of the formation, maintenance, and dissolution of human groups. Topics include environmental influences on group behavior, formation of group identity, group cohesiveness, conformity, group roles

15 and communication patterns, development of group norms and values, group decision making, productivity, and leadership. Conflict Resolution This course analyzes sources of interpersonal conflict in organizations. Topics include models of organizational conflict, strategies for identifying and resolving conflict, theories of organizational change, implementation of change, and patterns of communication between individuals and groups in the workplace. Strategic Communication This course focuses on communication processes and strategies of effective leaders. Topics include patterns of organizational communication, biases in perception and judgments, networking, feedback, psychological processes in decision making, and formal and informal channels of information sharing. Leading Innovation and Organizational Change This course examines the creation and maintenance of a culture of organizational innovation and change as a function of effective leadership. Topics include models of organizational innovation and change, identifying the need for change, strategies for implementing and directing change, effective change agents, and resistance to change. Capstone in Leadership This course provides an opportunity to synthesize and apply coursework to personal work settings. Through the course project, students integrate topics such as contemporary issues with theories of leadership; knowledge, skills, and competencies of effective leaders; models of organizational structure and culture; and innovation and change relevant to leadership in an analysis of their work setting..

16 Woodbury University Office of Graduate Admissions 7500 N. Glenoaks Blvd. Burbank, CA (USA) P: E: W: woodbury.edu Apply Now: apply.woodbury.edu Our mission is to develop ethical leaders with the ability to think critically and act effectively. Students examine practices to guide strategic change and leadership at all levels in both the public, nonprofit and private sectors, enabling them to respond to the needs of organizations today and propel them into tomorrow.