hybrid

Leadership

MA in Leadership

The Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) is a fast-track degree for working professionals that develops the knowledge, skills, and self-insights to lead others with confidence and impact.

Designed for working professionals, the master’s program in leadership is designed to advance careers within a profession, rather than providing entry to a new profession. Typically, students will have 5-20 years of work experience and will be seeking additional credentials to advance into more senior leadership roles. The MA in Leadership is a professional degree that is completely focused on leadership skills rather than the broad business training found in an MBA program.

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Program Highlights
  • Enjoy a hybrid program that is primarily online, with meaningful on campus class sessions held no more often than one weekend per month.
  • Study Drucker principles integrated with positive psychology to develop both leadership skills and self-insight.
  • Address leadership at levels of self, team, organization, and society along dimensions of people, purpose, and performance.
  • Personalize your degree with elective offerings from throughout CGU.
  • Increase personal growth through leadership assessments, applied experiences, and an international trip.
  • Expand your leadership competencies with personalized, faculty-led coaching.

Program At-a-glance

  • 30 units

    required units

  • MA in Leadership

    degree awarded

  • Hybrid

    modality

  • Spring, Summer, Fall

    program start

  • 12 months* | full time*

    estimated completion time

Faculty

  • Stephen Gilliland

    Stephen Gilliland

    University Professor

    Research Interests

    Organizational Justice, Employee Attitudes and Motivation, Leadership

  • Portrait of Michelle Bligh

    Michelle Bligh

    Executive Vice President & Provost
    Professor of Organizational Behavior

    Research Interests

    Leadership, Organizational Culture, Charismatic Leadership

  • Portrait of Katharina Pick

    Katharina Pick

    Clinical Associate Professor

    Research Interests

    Organizational behavior, Teams, Organizational theory, Leadership, Corporate governance, Power and influence

  • Portrait of Bernie Jaworski

    Bernie Jaworski

    Peter F. Drucker Chair in Management and the Liberal Arts

    Research Interests

    Client Management, Leadership, Management, Marketing, Strategy

  • Maria Gloria Gonzalez

    M. Gloria González-Morales

    Associate Professor of Psychology
    Director, Center for Academic & Faculty Excellence

    Research Interests

    Work stress; work-life issues; workplace victimization and incivility; relational practices and cultures; diversity; positive organizational interventions to enhance well-being and performance.

  • Portrait of Jeremy Hunter

    Jeremy Hunter

    Associate Professor of Practice
    Founding Director, Executive Mind Leadership Institute

    Research Interests

    Mindfulness, Self-management, Executive mind

  • Portrait of Lori Anne Ferrell

    Lori Anne Ferrell

    Dean, School of Arts & Humanities
    Director, Early Modern Studies Program
    Director, Kingsley & Kate Tufts Poetry Awards

    Research Interests

    English Renaissance and Reformation Literature; Early Modern British and European History; Reformation Studies, Protestantism, the Bible and English-language Culture; the Bible in America; William Shakespeare

  • Kristine Kawamura

    Kristine Kawamura

    Clinical Professor of Management

    Research Interests

    Responsible management, Care (as a strategic resource), Values-based management systems, Leadership, Organizational strategy and culture, Cross cultural competence, Human performance and resilience

Curriculum

Core Classes total 22 units

  • Diversity and Team Leadership
  • Drucker Philosophy
  • Leadership Coaching
  • LeadershipEthics and CSR
  • Leading Change & Innovation
  • Organizational Culture and Design
  • The Practice of Leadership
  • The Practice of Self Mastery
  • Students will complete a minimum of 2 units from department-designated courses in each of the following areas of study:
  • Communication
  • Data
  • Global

Customize Your Degree with Electives
8 units of electives* can be used to contextualize your degree based on your career focus (e.g., healthcare leadership, public policy leadership) or personal interests (e.g., positive psychology). You can take electives from programs across CGU or take full advantage of the unique CGU transdisciplinary experience with classes such as:

  • Transdisciplinary tools for equity: Institutions, organizations, and systems
  • Integrating Arts and Sciences
  • Urban studies
  • Data analytical tools, technologies, and applications
  • Science of human flourishing

*Note that some electives may be offered as in-person classes only.

Application Guidelines

University Requirements
Application Fee

$80 (fee is non-refundable)

Official Transcripts

Undergraduate/graduate

Applicants must submit a sealed, official transcript from every undergraduate and graduate institution that has granted the applicant a degree. Electronic transcripts sent to admissions@cgu.edu are also accepted. For undergraduate coursework, applicants are required to submit proof of a completed bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Unofficial copies of transcripts are accepted for review purposes, but official copies will be required upon admission.

Applicants currently earning a degree that will be completed prior to attending CGU are required to submit a transcript showing work in progress for evaluation purposes. Once the degree has been granted, a final official transcript documenting the degree conferred must be submitted to CGU.

International applicants are advised to review the International Transcript Guidelines for additional information on submitting international transcripts.

English Proficiency Exam

Required (international applicants only)

A valid score on one of the following examinations TOEFL, IELTS, Pearson PTE, Duolingo English Test is required of all non-native English-speaking applicants. The examination is not required for the following applicants:

  • Citizens or permanent residents of countries where English is the sole official language of instruction, e.g., Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Canada (except Quebec), England, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Scotland, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad, Tobago, Uganda, and Wales (see the CGU Bulletin for a complete list of accepted countries).
  • Applicants who hold an undergraduate or advanced degree, or will have earned such a degree prior to enrolling at CGU, from an institution in the US or in countries where English is the sole official language of instruction (see above).
  • Applicants who have successfully completed an academic English pre-master’s or intensive graduate bridge program from a nationally recognized, regionally accredited four-year college or university in the United States in the last two years, with submitted evidence of successful completion, and subject to curriculum approval.
  • CGU allows for an English proficiency waiver if the applicant has received, or will receive prior to enrollment at CGU, an undergraduate or advanced degree from an institution where English is one of the primary languages of instruction for the majority of courses in the student’s program. To receive the waiver, documentation must be provided by the applicant to show that English is the language of instruction at their university/college.

CGU’s school code for the TOEFL exam is 4053.

International applicants are encouraged to visit our International Applicants page for more information, including score requirements.

Resume

Applicants must submit an up-to-date copy of their resume.

Program Requirements
Statement of Purpose

(Essay – 500 words maximum) Why is pursuing this degree important to you? What is your immediate short-term goal following the completion of your degree? What measures would you put in place to ensure that you achieve your short-term goal?

Academic Prerequisites

You must hold a U.S. equivalent bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Work experience strongly recommended.

Letter of Recommendation

Optional

Applicants are not required to submit letters of recommendation for this program. If you do wish to provide a recommendation letter(s) to be included in your application materials, please request that your recommendation writer email their letter to the Office of Admissions at admissions@cgu.edu. Please ensure that they include your full name in their letter.

Standardized Test Scores

GRE (optional)

For applicants applying to begin in a 2024 term, standardized test scores are not required for this program. Applicants who have taken the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) General Test are invited to submit scores but are not required to do so.

Applicants who feel that their Grade Point Averages do not adequately represent their ability to succeed in a graduate program may find it helpful to submit GRE scores for consideration.

CGU’s school code:
ETS (GRE and TOEFL) 4053

Key Dates & Deadlines

CGU operates on a priority deadline cycle. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit complete applications by the priority dates in order to assure maximum consideration for both admission and fellowships.

Once the priority deadlines have passed, the University will continue to review applications for qualified candidates on a competitive, space-available basis. The final deadlines listed are the last date the University can accept an application in order to allow sufficient time to complete the admissions, financial aid, and other enrollment processes.

Spring 2025
Priority Deadline – November 1, 2024
Final Deadline (International) – November 15, 2024
Final Deadline (Domestic) – December 1, 2024
Classes begin – January 21, 2025

Summer 2025
Priority Deadline – February 1, 2025
Final Deadline (International) – March 1, 2025
Final Deadline (Domestic) – April 1, 2025
Classes begin – May 19, 2025

Fall 2025
Priority Deadline – February 1, 2025
Final Deadline (International) – July 5, 2025
Final Deadline (Domestic) – August 1, 2025
Classes begin – August 25, 2025

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Cost & Aid

Tuition and Fees

ESTIMATED TUITION (CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS, NON-RESIDENTS, INTERNATIONAL)
Program 30 units
Tuition per unit* $2,020

*Based on 2024-2025 tuition rates.

STUDENT FEES (PER SEMESTER)
$245 Student Fee
$150 Technology Fee
International Student Services Fee*: $661 fall semester, $776 spring semester
**Applies to all international students (F-1 visa only) who are registered in coursework, doctoral study, or continuous registration. The fee is assessed each fall and spring semester for annual ISO accident and sickness plans and administrative fees. Subject to change.

For estimates of room & board, books, etc., please download CGU’s Cost of Attendance 2024-2025.

Review General Costs

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*Program completion times may vary depending on course registration, units transferred, and time to complete other degree requirements.

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