UD Launches New Master of Leadership Program
Braniff Graduate School Unites Liberal Arts, Business Education for Aspiring Leaders
Date Published: Jan. 26, 2017
With education’s ever-increasing focus on science and technology, organizations, schools
and businesses are beginning to experience a “soft-skills” deficit at a time when
interpersonal communication, creative problem-solving and adaptability have never
been more important. That’s why the University of Dallas has announced it will offer
a new Master of Leadership degree through its Braniff Graduate School of Liberal Arts in collaboration with
the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business. The program, which launches August
2017, will help executives, teachers and aspiring leaders gain both the soft and the
strategic skills needed to guide with integrity and innovate with vision.
“Although data analytics has its place, leaders succeed because of their human understanding,
their integrity, insight and ability to inspire,” said Associate Professor of English
Brett Bourbon, who serves as the program’s director. “The Master of Leadership foregrounds
the human dimension of leadership, giving leaders and future leaders the strategic
understanding to integrate business skills with a deep comprehension of the human
person.”
A unique combination of liberal arts and business education, the 30-credit-hour Master
of Leadership will consist of courses like “Storytelling as a Mode of Thinking,” “The
Craft of Leadership” and “Managing Complex Organizations” and is designed for professionals
who work in organizations ranging from private industry to public enterprise, start-ups,
schools and nonprofits.
“The Master of Leadership program combines the best aspects of UD — its dedication
to both the liberal arts tradition and real-world business education,” said Joshua
Parens, dean of the Braniff Graduate School. “Liberal arts enthusiasts will learn
how to apply their broad education in innovative ways, while business professionals
will gain insight through studying the great leaders who shaped our nation’s history.”
Students will learn from professors, executives and consultants who will combine case
study-analysis, organizational studies, behavioral science and the liberal arts in
the classroom for a distinctive and powerful graduate leadership education. The program
can be completed through a combination of online and on-campus courses. For more information,
visit udallas.edu/leadership.
