Master of Science (M.S.) in Values-Driven Leadership
College: Daniel L. Goodwin College of Business
Department: Business
Student Type: Graduate Semester
Degree: Master of Science (M.S.)
Campus: Lisle Campus
Mission Statement
The Master of Science in Values-Driven Leadership program graduates exceptional values-driven leaders with the personal, interpersonal and strategic organizational competencies needed to make a transformative impact on business and society.
Program Learning Outcomes
The Master of Science in Values-Driven Leadership program has five key learning outcomes. Graduates will be able to:
- Understand, apply and evaluate the theory and practice of values-driven leadership at the individual, team, and strategic levels.
- Create and implement customized personal coaching plans for themselves and others to improve individual, team and organizational performance.
- Develop and lead effective organizational change initiatives that apply the principles of values-driven leadership, nurture innovation and improve organizational performance.
- Demonstrate mastery-level competence in values-driven leadership by analyzing strategic leadership problems and opportunities, and designing and implementing comprehensive solutions that benefit both business and society.
- Advance career objectives by developing new professional networks and assembling a portfolio of knowledge, skills, competencies and experiences that demonstrate proficiency in values-driven leadership and are attractive to current and potential employers.
What Makes the Program Unique?
The Master of Science in Values-Driven Leadership program is benchmarked against the best leadership development programs in the world and incorporates many of their most powerful features. First, it expertly blends theory and practice. It will help you develop as a values-driven leader with the capacity to lead with excellence at the individual, team, organizational and societal levels. Second, its format is tailored to meet the needs of busy leaders like you. It is a cohort-based, fully interactive online program that provides networking opportunities to integrate and deepen the learning experience. Third, the program is accelerated. It is designed to be completed in 18 months. Fourth, you will create a personalized leadership development plan based upon industry-leading assessments and will receive individualized coaching throughout the program to help you implement the plan and pursue your career objectives. Fifth, based on your interests and goals, you will design and conduct action–learning projects to address problems and opportunities in your organization under the guidance of an instructor. These projects will deliver immediate value to you and to your organization. Sixth, a values-driven approach to business runs throughout the program and equips you to have a transformative impact on business and society.
This program can also be customized for companies into an executive education format, on campus, blended, or online.
Admission Requirements
- Application for graduate admission
- $40 non-refundable application fee
- Official transcripts from all universities/colleges attended. Official electronic transcripts can be emailed to e-transcripts@ben.edu
- Two letters of reference from individuals familiar with the applicant’s professional or academic work, excluding family or personal friends
- A one-to two-page essay addressing educational and career goals
- Students must have at least three years of management experience, and/or be identified as a high-potential leader
- Current résumé listing chronological work history
- Personal interview may be required prior to an admission decision
- Students who have completed any foreign postsecondary education (college, university, etc.) are required to submit an official credit evaluation. Students may submit a detailed evaluation from Educational Perspectives at edperspectives.org/benedictine, World Education Services (wes.org), or a course-by-course evaluation from Education Credential Evaluators (ECE) at ece.org. Official reports must be mailed directly to Benedictine from Educational Perspectives or ECE or submitted electronically directly to Benedictine from Educational Perspectives or ECE. Please contact the Enrollment Center for more information.
- For international students, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)/International English Language Testing System (IELTS) of 550 (paper-based) or 79 (Internet-based) and 6.0 IELTS.
Requirements
Program candidates should be proven and emerging leaders from the business, public, or non-profit sectors, with 3+ years management experience.
The Master of Science in Values-Driven Leadership Curriculum
The curriculum consists of 10, three semester credit hour courses, totaling 30 semester credit hours. Students must maintain a 3.000 or better grade point average to graduate. Any course where students earn a grade below “C” must be repeated. Because the program is designed to be completed in 18 months or less, a new course starts every eight weeks.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MSVDL 5505 | Leadership Foundations | 3 |
| MSVDL 5510 | Leadership Effectiveness | 3 |
| MSVDL 5515 | Leadership Impact | 3 |
| MSVDL 5525 | Leading & Developing Others | 3 |
| MSVDL 5530 | Leading High-Performance Teams | 3 |
| MSVDL 5535 | Leading Positive Change | 3 |
| MSVDL 5545 | Leading Financial Performance | 3 |
| MSVDL 5550 | Leading Organizational Effectiveness | 3 |
| MSVDL 5555 | Strategic Leadership | 3 |
| MSVDL 5560 | Leadership Practicum | 3 |
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Transfer Credit and Course Waivers
All courses in the Master of Science in Values-Driven Leadership program are unique core courses, and we do not accept transfer credit or course waivers.
MSVDL 5114 Organization Consultation. This course is an overview of organizational consultation tools and methods. Emphasizes assessment, diagnosis, style, techniques, strategies, approaches, knowledge base and power. Credit will not be given for both MSVDL 5560 and MNGT 8114. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE
MSVDL 5138 Leading Organization Change and Design. This course provides an understanding of organization design that is foundational knowledge for scholar-practitioners in the organization sciences as it is the fundamental infrastructure and context within which people and organizations function. This course provides a platform to discuss not only design, but also diagnosis and change, such as types of change, strategies for change and how to manage change. Credit will not be given for both MSVDL 5535 and MNGT 7138. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE
MSVDL 5505 Leadership Foundations. (Formerly 505) This course serves as the foundation for developing the practice of leadership. Students will learn and apply major theories and practical models of leadership to real-world situations. Emphasis is placed on how theory can be used to improve practice. Students will explore their personal leadership style using assessment instruments and reflective exercises. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer Terms)
MSVDL 5510 Leadership Effectiveness. (Formerly 510) This course explores social, moral, and ethical concepts related to business leadership effectiveness. Students relate these concepts to their own purpose, values, and commitments as leaders, their approach to leading and enriching the lives of others, and the role they play in shaping the vision, mission, priorities, and strategies of their organizations. 3 quarter credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer Terms)
MSVDL 5515 Leadership Impact. (Formerly 515) This course focuses on students’ current and near-future leadership contributions from a career perspective. It will provide ample reflection time for the students to think about and articulate what leadership means to them in the context of serving others and will provide a model, framework and action plan for identifying the compelling impact that they wish to make in the five roles of values-driven leaders to leave a positive legacy. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer Terms)
MSVDL 5525 Leading & Developing Others. (Formerly 525) In this course, students learn how to interact with colleagues to ensure improved performance throughout the lifecycle of employment. Students will sharpen their skills in building rapport, trust, and respect; listening and understanding; and managing crucial conversations. This course is designed to help students: 1) enhance their coaching and mentoring skills; 2) identify strategies that develop the skills of their direct reports; 3) improve their ability to successfully engage in critical coaching conversations. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer Terms)
MSVDL 5530 Leading High-Performance Teams. (Formerly 530) In this course, students learn about the characteristics, structures, culture, and dynamics of high-performing teams, and are introduced to series of team assessment tools. Students use these tools to assess a team within their organization and make appropriate recommendations for improvement. Students will also learn the essentials of meeting management and use how to use meetings effectively. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer Terms)
MSVDL 5532 Foundations of Organization Development and Leadership. This course focuses on the role and potential contribution of the fields and practice of organization development (OD) and leadership. It will cover the major streams of thought foundational to current theory, research, and practice in both fields. It is also designed to explore and understand the history and the development of the fields of OD and leadership. This course assists in providing a frame of reference for understanding past, present and future issues in OD and leadership. Credit will not be given for both MSVDL 5505 and MNGT 7132. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Annually)
MSVDL 5535 Leading Positive Change. (Formerly 535) This course examines the paradigms, concepts, and practices that support successful change and innovation. Students will learn practical steps for leading change and addressing innovation challenges facing their organizations, and the develop the skills to necessary infuse a culture of innovation within their organizations to drive sustainable growth. This highly experiential course also focuses on the concepts, principles, and practice of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), a positive approach to organizational change. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer Terms)
MSVDL 5540 Leading in the Global Environment. This course explores the application of economic, legal, and political theory to the task of leadership in today’s global context. Included are discussions of historical and current economic and political trends and their relationship to corporate sustainability, corporate strategy, and leadership decision-making. Specific emphasis is placed on the future of global business, approaches to successful economic development of organizations, risk assessment and management, issues relating to governmental regulations, and leading in diverse cross-cultural settings. Case studies of successful and unsuccessful global leadership are analyzed. Credit will not be given for both MSVDL 5545 and MNGT 8840. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE
MSVDL 5545 Leading Financial Performance. (Formerly 545) Making sound financial assessments and the process of decision making are fundamental to all management processes. This course takes students through a financial decision-making process with values at its core. Students will assess their own decision-making skills, and learn how to use creative processes to identify decision problems, create alternatives, and articulate objectives. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer Terms)
MSVDL 5550 Leading Organizational Effectiveness. (Formerly 550) Organizational Effectiveness (OE) is the study of how the behavior of individuals and groups impact the organization in positive ways. It focuses on better understanding human behavior and organizational culture in order to improve productivity and quality. This course offers insights into rapid change, globalization, and diversity while providing guidance for managers in creating an ethically healthy work climate. Students will learn both theory and the practical application of OE in organizations to help better explain, predict, and influence behavior. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer Terms)
MSVDL 5555 Strategic Leadership. (Formerly 555) In this course, students will engage macro-system perspectives in applying strategy and stewardship as vision is introduced into the reality of complex organizational and community systems. Organizations across a range of fields are becoming increasingly more diverse and international and leaders need to be able to strategically address this complex work environment both domestically and globally. Students will gain a deeper understanding of social relationships of interdependence and accountability, as well as skills to integrate diverse ideas and perspectives from a variety of sources. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer Terms)
MSVDL 5560 Leadership Practicum. (Formerly 560) This final course provides students with an opportunity to synthesize what they have learned about values-driven leadership during their graduate degree program and to demonstrate mastery of primary leadership competencies, concepts, principles and practices. Students will complete an in-depth project to demonstrate their competence in identification, analysis and solution of leadership problems in organizations and society today utilizing their own unique leadership-point-of-view as their guide. Students will also develop a Legacy Tree – based on the VDL Leader Competency Model – that will capture the essence of their life purpose. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, and Summer Terms)
MSVDL 5570 Moral & Ethical Foundations of Leadership and Change. This course explores social, moral, and ethical philosophy as it relates to leadership and change in the corporate arena. Specific attention is paid to comparing and contrasting theories on the purpose of business, human nature and relationships, ethical decision making, and the meaning of sustainability and relational accountability on an organizational, societal, and global level. Students relate these theoretical perspectives to their own purpose, values, and commitments as leaders, their approach to leading and enriching the lives of others, and the role they play in shaping the vision, mission, priorities, and strategies of their organizations. Credit will not be given for both MSVDL 5510 and MNGT 7770. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Annually)
MSVDL 5740 Leading Teams and Group Processes. Although most of us have been on various kinds of teams throughout our lives, we seldom take time to systematically observe and analyze how teams function and consider how they could be shaped and structured to function better. Yet observation and analysis are the first steps in understanding teams, shaping their dynamics, and ultimately improving their performance. In this course, students have the opportunity to analyze their own team processes and explore the dynamics of leading diverse, high-performing teams, while learning from and applying the best of the team process and development literature. Credit will not be given for both MSVDL 5530 and MNGT 7740. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE
MSVDL 5780 Organizational Theory and Behavior. (Formerly DVDL 7780) This course focuses on identifying theory and research that frames the current study of organizations from the macro and micro perspectives. The first weekend examines competing schools of organizational theory that facilitate our attempts to understand organizations and key issues/topics. The second weekend focuses on micro issues of organizational behavior, including topics such as human needs and motivation, emotions, conflict, work stress, trust, and cross-cultural issues; as well as more recent positive deviance topics that capitalize on human strengths and capacities (peak performance; thriving and human flourishing; resilience; positive identity, meaning, emotions, and relationships; creativity; compassion). Credit will not be given for both MSVDL 5550 and MNGT 7780. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE
MSVDL 5810 Leadership & Corporate Social Responsibility. (Formerly DVDL 8810) This course provides an overview of the origins, evolution, and leading thinking around the theory and practice of socially responsible business and social entrepreneurship. Students explore current trends, leading literature, theory, and case studies while participating in experiential exercises and interactive projects in order to gain practical insights into how society’s increasing expectations are driving innovation and impacting the firm’s social license to operate. The goal of this course is for students to better understand how business relates to society and the ways in which corporate social responsibility can be integrated into all facets of organizational life to drive the creation of shared value. Credit will not be given for both MSVDL 5515 and MNGT 8810. 1-3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE (Typically Offered: Annually)
MSVDL 5830 Leading Self and Developing Others. This course provides an in-depth exploration of the theory and practice of leadership development. It focuses on three primary areas: (1) human development theory, particularly from the perspective of the new and emerging field of positive psychology and strength based leadership, (2) leadership capacity building, and (3) the dynamics of executive coaching. Students put theory into practice via application projects both in class and in their organizations and strengthen their capacity to build cultures of inclusive leadership. Credit will not be given for both MSVDL 5525 and MNGT 8830. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE
MSVDL 5850 Strategic Leadership. (Formerly DVDL 8850) This course focuses on the role of senior leadership in developing and executing corporate strategy. It examines historical and contemporary approaches and the underlying theories that support them. It addresses governance, market, organizational, and process issues that affect successful strategy formation and implementation. Particular emphasis is placed on the unique challenges and opportunities of developing corporate strategy for sustainable value creation. Credit will not be given for both MSVDL 5555 and MNGT 8850. 3 semester credit hour/s.
Campus: LISLE