The UNH online Master of Science in Leadership degree is built for current or emerging leaders in any field. Learn to lead teams, cultivate a strategic vision, and communicate effectively to maximize your organization’s potential.
Credit Hours: 30 | Program Length: Finish in 18 months or sooner | Tuition Cost
What is the Master of Science in Leadership?
The Master of Science in Leadership (MSLD) is designed to meet the needs of professionals in every industry who want to enhance their leadership skills in the 21st century.
Why study Leadership at UNH College of Professional Studies?
This leadership program was created for current or emerging leaders in any field. Learn many leadership skills, such as leading teams, cultivating a strategic vision, and communicating effectively. Available fully online, this ten-course program was designed for working professionals. It allows students to apply what they learn in a workplace setting, integrating their studies with their professional goals. This degree would help in almost any industry/field including Non-Profit worker, First responders, Military, Management, Human Resources, Child care, State employees, University/College Employees, and Sales.
Potential Career Areas
- Consultant
- Education and Training
- Education Administration
- Federal employment
- Public Service Management
- Health Care Management
- Manufacturing Management
- Military
- Nonprofit Leadership
- State government
Online Graduate Leadership Program
Available fully online with select blended course options, this ten-course program is built for working professionals and offers you the opportunity to apply what you learn in a workplace setting, integrating your studies with your professional goals.
Course Highlights
- Cultivating Your Leadership Capabilities
- Ethical Decision-Making
- Evidence-Based Decision-Making
- Emergence of a Strategic Leader
- Foundations of Organizational Communication
- Leading Teams
- Change Management and Communication
- Leadership Integrative Capstone
- Grant Writing
- Volunteer Leadership
- Leading and Governing Nonprofit Organizations
- Conflict Management and Negotiation
- Building Diverse and Inclusive Organizations
- Organizational Behavior
- Introduction to Project Management
- Project Chartering and Planning
- Fundraising and Resource Development
Opportunities to Advance
The UNH College of Professional Studies offers a seamless transition from undergraduate to graduate study. Designed for the working adult, UNH CPS offers graduate certificates and master’s degrees delivered online by scholars-practitioner faculty. Receive a supportive, world-class education that fits your lifestyle, goals, and budget.
Why UNH CPS?
Our 30-credit master’s degree offers courses in diverse areas of leadership topics and strategy. In your courses, you’ll learn from well-respected faculty with rich leadership experience.
- Regionally accredited by the New England Commission on Higher Education, Inc. (NECHE)
- Available fully online with select blended or hybrid courses
- Affordable tuition
- Career counseling is available to all students and alumni. We also extend this service to those considering their college options
- Faculty who are subject matter experts and share their real-world expertise, to help you apply what you learn to your personal goals and career
- Bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA average in the last 60 credit hours, or Graduate Degree completed from a regionally accredited college or university with a 3.0 GPA minimum overall.
- Official transcripts for all previous college work
- Transcripts from other countries will need to be translated and evaluated prior to full acceptance
- 500-1000 word statement which includes professional goals and aspirations, motivation for applying for the degree, and relevant formal or informal experiences. The statement is evaluated on applicant’s writing and its content alignment with the program’s purpose and outcomes
- (2) professional or academic references
Contact information for your references is submitted via the admission application. This will generate an email inviting your references to complete a short questionnaire to assess your candidacy. A formal letter of recommendation is not required; however, your references are welcome to upload one within the questionnaire. - Current resume
Earn a 12-credit graduate certificate in Nonprofit Leadership as you progress through your master’s degree program. Ask your advisor for details.
The accelerated program option is for undergraduate students currently enrolled in an eligible program who want to streamline their educational path to achieving a graduate degree. This option allows students to complete their bachelor’s and graduate degrees in a fast-tracked five-year timeline.
Qualifications:
- Current UNH undergraduate student enrolled in one of the following programs:
- GPA of 3.2 or higher.
- Apply and be accepted into the M.S. Leadership program.
- Completed 90 undergraduate credits (to begin taking courses for dual credit). Most students apply in their junior year; once admitted to the program, students can begin taking select courses for dual credit, provided they’ve completed 90 undergraduate credits.
Contact Your Advisor to Learn More
If you want to enroll in an accelerated graduate program, contact your advisor for more information and full eligibility requirements.
Curriculum & Requirements
The Master of Science in Leadership (MSLD) is designed to meet the needs of professionals in every industry who want to enhance their leadership skills while also gaining a deeper perspective of organizational management.
Degree Requirements
Minimum Credit Requirement: 30 credits
Minimum Residency Requirement: 30 credits must be taken at UNH
Minimum GPA: 3.0
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major in Leadership 1 | ||
| LD 820 | Cultivating Your Leadership Capabilities | 3 |
| LD 821 | Ethical Decision-Making | 3 |
| COM 800 | Foundations of Organizational Communication | 3 |
| LD 823 | Emergence of a Strategic Leader | 3 |
| LD 804 | Leading Teams | 3 |
| LD 810 | Change Management and Communication | 3 |
| IDIS 805 | Evidence-Based Decision-Making | 3 |
| Elective Options | ||
| Complete six credits from the following: | 6 | |
APST 805 | Grant Writing | |
LD 806 | Fundraising and Resource Development | |
LD 825 | Volunteer Leadership | |
LD 827 | Leading and Governing Nonprofit Organizations | |
LD 831 | Conflict Management & Negotiation | |
LD 832 | Building Diverse & Multicultural Organizations | |
MGMT 805 | Organizational Behavior | |
PM 800 | Introduction to Project Management | |
PM 811 | Project Chartering and Planning | |
| Integrative Capstone: | ||
| LD 850 | Leadership Integrative Capstone | 3 |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
Graduate credit is only granted for courses completed with a grade of B- or higher.
Please review the Accelerated Masters qualifications, requirements, and academic policy.
Recommended MSLD Accelerated Option (4+1):
Undergraduate Senior year (12 credits)
Four 800-level courses:
LD 820 Cultivating Your Leadership Capabilities
LD 804 Leading Teams
LD 810 Change Management and Communication
MGMT 805 Organizational Behavior
Matriculation year term one (6 credits)
Two 800-level courses
Matriculation year term two (6 credits)
Two 800-level courses.
Matriculation year term semester (6 credits)
IDIS 805 Evidence-Based Decision-Making
LD 850 Leadership Integrative Capstone
The Leadership M.S. is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with the following undergraduate programs:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Studies: Management (B.S.) | ||
| Approved Courses | ||
| LD 820 | Cultivating Your Leadership Capabilities | 3 |
| LD 832 | Building Diverse & Multicultural Organizations | 3 |
| MGMT 805 | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Business Management: Leadership, Change, and Social Responsibility (B.S.) | ||
| Approved Courses | ||
| LD 820 | Cultivating Your Leadership Capabilities | 3 |
| LD 804 | Leading Teams | 3 |
| MGMT 805 | Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Business Management: Nonprofit Management (B.S.) | ||
| Approved Courses | ||
| LD 825 | Volunteer Leadership | 3 |
| APST 805 | Grant Writing | 3 |
| LD 806 | Fundraising and Resource Development | 3 |
| LD 827 | Leading and Governing Nonprofit Organizations | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Public Administration (B.S.) | ||
| Approved Courses | ||
| LD 820 | Cultivating Your Leadership Capabilities | 3 |
| LD 825 | Volunteer Leadership | 3 |
| APST 805 | Grant Writing | 3 |
| LD 806 | Fundraising and Resource Development | 3 |
Students will have the opportunity to:
- Assess and enrich their capacity to lead in today’s environment;
- Identify the components of leadership practice and present ways to implement them;
- Evaluate organizational relationships and their ability to contribute to organizational effectiveness;
- Assess their ethical framework in the context of an effective leadership model;
- Augment their ability to lead people and teams to excellence in projects and organizational settings;
- Develop theoretically-grounded plans to manage change and actualize vision within organizations.
Deadlines
Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:
- Fall: Term 1 - September 1; Term 2 - November 1
- Spring: Term 3 - February 1; Term 4 - April 1
- Summer: Term 5 - June 1
- Special: N/A
Application Fee: Application fee waived for CPS Online applicants.
Campus: Online
New England Regional: No
Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)
New Hampshire Residents
Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.
Transcripts
If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC.
If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.
If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:
- Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
- Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.
Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.
Letters of Recommendation: 2 Required
Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.
Resume
A current resume is required with your submitted application.
Personal Statement/Essay Questions
Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:
- Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
- Your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.
International Applicants
Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.