Full Course Description List:

MLDR Courses

5 credits

Being an effective leader is essential in business and demands that an individual has a strong set of competencies including the ability to understand one's self, motivate others, understand organizational culture, and manage ambiguity. In this course, students begin their personal and professional transformation by closely examining their current strengths and weaknesses, values, decision-making processes, and approaches to dealing with difficult problems. Students also explore leadership in turbulent times by examining how effective leaders think as well as how various management styles impact situations and relationships within an organization.

5 credits

Contemporary business environments are increasingly competitive, global, fast paced, and knowledge intensive. In these environments, effective use of human capital is vital to an enterprise's success and survival. In this course, students will explore practical issues related to developing individuals and managing collaboration and will examine the skills and strategies necessary to address them effectively. Students will examine ethical and legal implications of managing a diverse workforce including issues that arise from cross-cultural differences and virtual work settings. The importance of communication as a tool to manage internal and external relationships is emphasized as it relates to the effectiveness of managing people to achieve organizational goals.

Prerequisites

• MLDR 6000

5 credits

Being an effective authentic and trustworthy leader requires considerable self-awareness based on commitment to candid self-reflection and the wisdom to recognize how they can best serve others through creating shared vision for a better future. In this course, students examine their values, experiences, skills, capabilities, preferences, and knowledge in context of their leadership aspirations. Students will examine factors that affect their ability to influence and inspire others and create plans to strengthen these leadership skills. Students will learn strategies to navigate in turbulent, changing environments that often pose difficult choices and discover how leaders rise to meet challenges and opportunities.

Prerequisites

• MLDR 6000 (may be taken concurrently)

5 credits

Organizational leaders act as partners in shaping, and are shaped by, the organizational cultures they seek to influence. Students in this course learn to recognize the elements that make up an organization's culture as well as ways to harness these for positive change and organizational success. They explore perspectives on how to make conceptual sense of the cultural landscape of organizations and examine the implications for leading and building effective communities at various levels of application. Students assess and discuss a variety of topics, such as tools of self-development, the reciprocal nature of leadership, and cultural components.  

Prerequisites

• MLDR 6000

5 credits

Effective communication is frequently cited as one of the most important factors in managerial and organizational success—as well as one of the areas of greatest dissatisfaction. In this course, students take a close look at the components of effective communication and hone strategies for communication success. They explore how self-perception and perception of others affect communication and will develop skills for communicating more effectively with diverse audiences. Topics include the communication process, interpersonal communication, self-awareness in communication, communication channels and mediums, and communicating across and beyond the organization.

Prerequisites

• MLDR 6000

5 credits

Today's business environment is constantly evolving to accommodate changes in economy, leadership, new regulations, and internal reduction and growth. Organizations require leaders who know how to work through barriers to effect positive and efficient organizational change. Students in this course learn about situations that constitute and require such change. They engage in a variety of assignments through which they explore effective strategies for initiating change and anchoring change into corporate culture to achieve organizational goals as well as for managing unplanned or unwelcome change. Students explore a variety of approaches and methods to transition individuals and organizations within evolving environments. They distinguish between reactive responses and proactive responses to change and examine the implications of culture, inertia, and uncertainty. Additionally, students explore the importance of understanding motivation and effective communication in mitigating negative reactions to change and facilitating the change process itself.

Prerequisites

• MLDR 6000

5 credits

Managers and leaders must be skilled in conflict management including the capability to mediate or resolve conflict at the interpersonal through organizational levels. Students in this course explore the challenges of managing people in times of perceived conflict and dispute, and they work toward developing skills to identify different types of conflict situations.  Students will gain the knowledge of methods and tools to prevent, manage, and break inherent conflict. Students also consider the implications of emotion and the multifaceted array of conflict-management styles—factors for which professionals must account. They engage in hands-on, practical exercises in general contingency thinking and action approaches and communication styles designed to help them resolve conflicts and move toward win-win outcomes.

Prerequisites

• MLDR 6000

5 credits

Mentoring requires an understanding and integration of many theories, including leadership, interaction, and communication, that support the development of effective leaders. Students in this course understand and apply skills of effective mentoring, such as active listening, learning, empowering, and enabling change. Students engage in practical exercises, such as using feedback to create interactive dialogue and asking questions to acquire a deeper understanding of mentoring and coaching processes. In consideration of modern and virtual environments, students explore the challenges of mentoring or coaching individuals in a virtual or team setting.

Prerequisites

• MLDR 6000

5 credits

Leaders face all sorts of complex issues and opportunities to effect positive change that require well-thought-through solutions. To be effective, leaders must be able to analyze facts, assumptions, and theories and prioritize potential solutions. Students in this course apply their leadership skills and knowledge and build upon those to critically analyze a challenging leadership situation and create a vision for bringing about a better condition. Students integrate themes from the program as well as their own authentic leadership preferences and experiences to develop a leadership case study that will enable them to showcase their ability to put their transformational leadership capabilities into action.

Prerequisites

• All core courses in the program (MLDR 6125 may be taken concurrently)