Master of Science in Leadership

This fully online, applied degree provides flexibility without sacrificing personal attention or academic rigor. Students are known, supported, and guided through a leadership journey grounded in intentional learning and continuous development.

The MS in Leadership at Mayville State prepares reflective, adaptive leaders capable of guiding individuals and organizations through technological, economic, and social change. Effective leadership today requires analytical competence paired with human-centered skills, and this program is designed to develop both.

Coursework integrates leadership theory, organizational research, ethical decision-making, and change management with structured self-assessment and applied practice. Students examine their assumptions, values, and decision-making patterns while applying evidence-based frameworks to challenges in their workplaces, organizations, or communities.

Through an academically rigorous and personally meaningful experience, students build the human power skills needed to lead teams, communicate effectively, and navigate change in environments shaped by emerging technologies. Graduates complete the program with a clear leadership philosophy, a practical framework for guiding teams through uncertainty, and applied experience leading initiatives that produce measurable impact.

Program Learning Objectives

• Personal Leadership Development: Students will reflect on and enhance their leadership strengths, creating a personalized development plan for long-term professional growth.
• Change Management: Students will create and implement strategies for managing organizational change, addressing resistance, and ensuring sustainable transformation.
• Effective Communication: Students will develop advanced communication skills, enabling them to articulate vision, influence diverse stakeholders, and foster collaboration in professional settings particularly in technology heavy environments, enhancing engagement and effective interaction.
• Human-Centric Leadership: Students will apply leadership approaches that prioritize human relationships, leveraging soft skills to inspire and motivate teams in organizations to foster collaboration, enhance team performance, and drive positive organizational change.

Fast Track (4+1) Option for Undergraduate Business Students
Motivated undergraduate business students at Mayville State may accelerate their pathway to the MS in Leadership through the Fast Track 4+1 option. Program approved students may take up to 15 graduate credits during their junior and senior year, applying them toward both the bachelor’s degree and the MS in Leadership. With careful planning, students may complete both degrees in approximately five years, reducing time to completion and overall cost while beginning graduate-level leadership development early in their academic careers.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will reflect on and enhance their own leadership strengths, creating a personalized leadership development plan to achieve long-term professional growth.
2. Students will create and implement strategies for managing organizational change, addressing resistance, and ensuring sustainable transformation.
3. Students will develop advanced communication skills, enabling them to articulate vision, influence diverse stakeholders, and foster collaboration in professional settings particularly in technology heavy environments, enhancing engagement and effective interaction.
4. Students will apply leadership approaches that prioritize human relationships, leveraging soft skills to inspire and motivate teams in organizations to foster collaboration, enhance team performance and drive positive organizational change.