Hone Your Skills as a Creative, Innovative Leader with a Master’s in Leadership

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Experience a leadership degree like no other. Today’s leaders need to be agile and innovative, ready to adapt to changes within teams, in the workplace, and in culture. With Azusa Pacific’s Master of Arts in Leadership program, you will move beyond theory and dive into a human-centered approach to solving the complex challenges leaders face.

This interdisciplinary degree equips leaders with skills and tools that can be applied across a variety of vocations and fields. With a focus on character, creativity, curiosity, and innovation grounded in a framework of Christian values, you will explore what being a leader means to you, and how you can hone your skills to help others thrive. Throughout the program, you will:

  1. Discover various dimensions of leadership character as it pertains to the individual, team, and enterprise.
  2. Design strategic leadership initiatives through curiosity, inquiry, and experimentation.
  3. Develop relevant skills and tools needed to lead a changing leadership landscape with creativity and agility.
  4. Deliver innovative solutions to complex leadership and organizational challenges.

Innovative, Hands-On Learning

Using a Design Thinking model, the MA in Leadership faculty worked with employers and leaders to discover what today’s leaders need to succeed and respond to challenges facing teams and organizations in the 21st century. As a result, the program’s curriculum centers on application, collaboration, and experiential learning opportunities such as Design Thinking and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®. You’ll be able to immediately apply coursework within any organization you desire to influence.

Fast Company Recognizes APU Faculty
Five APU faculty members within the Department of Leadership and Organizational Psychology received an honorable mention in Fast Company’s 2019 World Changing Ideas Awards for their innovative approach in using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® to help students learn to build organizational systems.

Designed for Working Professionals

  • Full- and part-time program options; you can complete the program in as little as 10 months
  • Evening classes, including some online options
  • Focus on personal leadership transformation in addition to developing skills to lead in an organization
  • Immediately apply learning to the workplace with projects designed to integrate with real-life experiences

Related Program

APU also offers an MS in Organizational Psychology for individuals looking to support organizations working through complex challenges. Compare these two programs.

School of Business and Management Accreditation

Azusa Pacific University receives accreditation from the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). In addition, the School of Business and Management receives accreditation from the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), and is a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Outcomes Assessment Results

Read IACBE’s Outcomes Assessment Results (PDF) to learn how we’re doing.

University Reputation

U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2023 edition named Azusa Pacific to its list of top national universities and several other significant lists, including First-Year Experiences and Top Performers on Social Mobility. The Princeton Review designated APU as 1 of 126 institutions in the “Best Western Colleges” section of its 2023 Best Colleges guide. APU’s School of Nursing was named a top nursing school in California for 2023 by College Factual and Niche. APU was included as a top-100 degree producer by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education and is a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Azusa Pacific is also a Military Friendly School and Yellow Ribbon University, serving more than 500 military-connected students and families, and is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as an R2 Doctoral Research University.

Note: This information is current for the 2022-23 academic year; however, all stated academic information is subject to change. Please refer to the current Academic Catalog for more information.