City University of Seattle has announced its new Master of Arts in Leadership program. The Master of Arts in Leadership is the result of a cross-disciplinary development process conducted by the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Management. The Master of Arts in Leadership reflects a renewed focus on the theory and practice of leadership in diverse organizations and communities.

The Master of Arts in Leadership is designed to serve students seeking to improve their interpersonal and organizational leadership skills, and apply them to real-life challenges. Students can choose to complete one or both of the core blocks as graduate certificates, or combine them with a significant application component to earn the full Master of Arts degree. As such, the program provides maximum flexibility while ensuring both broad and deep exposure to major leadership theories, concepts, and issues.

“This program is a cross-disciplinary collaboration between the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Management. It is divided into three major segments that address specific areas of leadership preparation and development,” comments Anna Cholewinska, Dean of City University's School of Arts and Sciences. “Two core blocks of fifteen credits each can be taken as individual graduate certificates or combined as the knowledge and skill base of the Master's degree.”

In the core blocks, special emphasis is placed on bringing prominent practicing leaders from diverse organizations to the classroom as “executive lecturers,” enriching the learning experience with real-life examples. “The primary aspects of this program that differentiate it from other leadership degree programs are the integrated curriculum, the modularized design (students can take one certificate, two certificates, or the whole degree), and the significant performance learning component that requires substantial immersion in real-life application of theory and concepts,” comments Dr. Marie Cini, Dean, City University of Seattle's School of Management. The Master of Arts in Leadership classes are offered through a hybrid format with classes held one weekend per month and online. The first cohort is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2007.