Undergraduate Leadership Minor

The minor in Leadership Studies is an inter-disciplinary program designed to prepare students for leadership in their chosen vocations.

Students will gain theoretical and practical knowledge of the field. The minor is offered through the Department of Educational Leadership in the School of Education.

Coursework in the minor in Leadership Studies encourages students to think critically and apply analytical skills to develop their own understanding of leadership that will lead to a life of service in their chosen field.

Adding the Leadership Minor:

To add the Minor in Leadership Studies, see your academic advisor or contact Dr. Ted Cockle.

What will students gain through the Leadership Minor?

Learn to apply a variety of leadership theories to actual leadership practice and experience.
Examine intrapersonal leadership abilities and capacity for growth.
Create interpersonal relationships across diverse circumstances and settings.
Consider how faith influences vocational decisions and application of leadership theories.
Evaluate the systematic structures that support or impede social justice in societies.

Requirements for the Leadership Minor:

18 Credit Hours:
Students need 18 credit hours to fulfill the minor requirements for Leadership Studies (LDS). At least nine hours must be 3000- or 4000-level courses. The following three courses are required. Then students choose other courses from a broad range of classes in various schools and departments.

Core LDS Courses:

LDS 1301: Introduction to Leadership
This interdisciplinary course engages students in a critical conversation about leadership and challenges students to reflect on their understanding of leadership through the study of multiple theoretical frameworks. Students will develop their own philosophy of leadership.

LDS 2301: Leadership and Vocation
This course explores personal strengths, values and aspirations for influencing the world through a unique vocation or calling. Who are you called to be? And what does that have to do with leadership?

LDS 4398: Advanced Leadership Capstone
This course is an opportunity to meld theory with practice. You will continue the study of vocational calling and its connections to leadership through multiple lenses: faith, service, justice, relationships, and work. Each student completes a capstone project or writes a major research paper.

"I had such an incredible experience and great teachers through the leadership minor. It offers so much flexibility, and I loved the service element. Leadership is about what I can do to best serve others. How can I make a difference? It’s not about title or position. Often God takes the least of these and makes them extraordinary. I saw that in the service we did for Leadership for Social Change, which was one of my favorite classes."

—Taliyah Clark, Leadership Minor