MPS in Organizational Leadership
Offered Virtually and On Campus
The Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Organizational Leadership is a 30 credit-hour degree which provides students with an innovative curriculum focusing on the study of leadership in the context of modern organizations. The MPS in Organizational Leadership is intended to provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective in a variety of settings. First, you will develop a deep understanding of how organizations function and the role leaders at all levels must play to improve the performance of organizations. Second, you will become proficient in indispensable skills of interpersonal relations, problem solving, collaboration and team building, motivation, and communication, which are all necessary to be successful in today’s society. Third, you will gain critical research and analytic skill essential for diagnosing organizational issues and develop important practical skills essential for initiating and leading change in your organization, profession and beyond. As a graduate of the MPS in Organizational Leadership, you will find yourself well prepared for the challenges of the future.
Graduates of this program will be both valuable and marketable in a wide array of occupational fields. By enhancing your leadership, communication, analytic and problem solving skills, this program will assist you in pursuing professional and personal goals. Application of this degree program is varied and limitless, opening career opportunities and mobility within organizations. MPS in Organizational Leadership students will find themselves well prepared to be productive members of the 21st century workforce.
Curriculum Outline
Core Curriculum (9 Credit Hours)
The core curriculum of the MPS degree program consists of three courses which integrate the important themes of leadership theory, knowledge and data analysis. According to Peter Drucker, we are living in an age of social transformation where our “economic order is based on knowledge, not labor or raw material or capital, as the key resource.” With this in mind, the MPS in Organizational Leadership degree is designed to incorporate exploration and understanding in ways which various “knowledges” are generated, applied, and managed in our information-based world. These courses are all built around the popular theme of “ways of knowing” and how the ways of knowing informs our understanding of leadership.
Organizational Leadership Concentration (12 Credit Hours)
The Organizational Leadership concentration area will challenge students to develop advanced knowledge of the discipline of organizational leadership and demonstrate superior communication and collaboration skills. Additionally, students will design and execute cutting edge research inquiries to provide organizational decision-makers with critical information necessary for enhancing individual, team and organizational effectiveness.
Electives (6 Credit Hours)
Each student, in consultation with their major advisor, will tailor 6 credit hours of electives to meet his or her own specific needs, interests, and career goals. Our students are typically working adults with backgrounds in diverse settings. As a result, they often enter the program with a desire to complement their specific job-related functional skills demanded by today’s competitive labor market. Below is a list of numerous, pre-approved courses that can be included in a student’s program of study. Students must consult with advisors for approval of courses not presently in this list.
Select two of the following:
- LDRS 600Seminar in Organizational Leadership (3 Credit Hours)
- LDRS 640 Principles of Civic Leadership (3 Credit Hours)
- LDRS 650 Principles of Organizational Leadership (3 Credit Hours)
- LDRS 670 Leadership and Personal Development (3 Credit Hours)
- LDRS 818 Ethical Leadership (3 Credit Hours)
- LDRS 870 Readings in Organizational Leadership (3 Credit Hours)
- IDS 805 Global Challenges: 21st Century Promises and Perils (3 Credit Hours)
- MGT 611 Human Resource Management (3 Credit Hours)
- MGT 614 Training and Development (3 Credit Hours)
- COMM 606 Conflict Management through Communication (3 Credit Hours)
- COMM 611 Organizational Culture and Climate (3 Credit Hours)
- COMM 613 Recruiting and Interviewing Techniques (3 Credit Hours)
- COMM 614 Organizational Coaching and Mentoring Communication (3 Credit Hours)
- SOC 665 Social Entrepreneurship (3 Credit Hours)
- SOC 670 Grant Proposal Development (3 Credit Hours)
- SOC 679 Community Theory and Development (3 Credit Hours)
- PSY 845 Experimental Methods (3 Credit Hours)
- PSY 846 Program Evaluation (3 Credit Hours)
- GSCI 625 Advanced Geographic Information Systems (3 Credit Hours)
Culminating Experience (3 Credit Hours)
All students will complete a 3 credit-hour, culminating experience project. Students can select between two primary options (research project or internship) which will be decided by the student in consultation with the advisor.
Admission Requirements
Individuals seeking admission to the MPS in Organizational Leadership must have an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0. Prospective students must also submit all relevant application material to the Graduate School. Students seeking admission to begin the graduate program for the fall semester must have completed admission packet on file at the Graduate School by March 1; students seeking admission to begin the graduate program for the spring semester must have a completed application on file at the Graduate School by October 1.
Graduate Faculty
Dr. Brent Goertzen, Professor of Leadership Studies
Graduate Program Coordinator
785-628-4303
bgoertze@fhsu.edu
Dr. Jeni McRay, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies
785-628-4303
jlmcray@fhsu.edu
Dr. Justin Greenleaf, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies
785-628-4303
jgreenleaf@fhsu.edu
Dr. Jill Arensdorf, Associate Professor of Leadership Studies
785-628-4303
jrarensdorf@fhsu.edu
Dr. Christie Brungardt, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies
785-628-4303
cjbrunga@fhsu.edu
Dr. Curt Brungardt, Omer G. Voss Distinguished Professor of Leadership Studies
Executive Director of CCL
785-628-5592
cbrungar@fhsu.edu
Dr. Brett Whitaker, Assistant Professor of Leadership Studies
785-628-4303
blwhitaker@fhsu.edu
Contact Fort Hays State University’s Graduate School for an application packet or further details at: (785) 628-4236 or write Fort Hays State University Graduate School, 600 Park Street, Hays, KS 67601 or online at http://www.fhsu.edu/gradschl/
Learn more about the MPS in Organizational Leadership Curriculum.