Shenandoah University

What you'll study

The curriculum comprises core courses, concentration/restricted electives, residencies and a practice-focused dissertation.

• Core courses (five courses, 4 credits each; each 8-week unit = 50 hours of learning: 50% Zoom, 40% distance learning, 10% self-directed): LST 835 Foundations of Study in Organizational Leadership: Applications and Research; LST 845 Organizational Change and Transformation Analysis and Leadership; RST 830 Understanding Quantitative and Qualitative Research; RST 840 Applying Quantitative & Qualitative Research Methods in Understanding the Field; LST 855 Synthesis and Integration of Content.
• Concentrations / restricted electives (18 credits total; students from regionally accredited universities may waive 9 credits): selectable 3-credit courses include MKT 511 Marketing Management and Strategy; MGT 513 Organizational Structure & Behavior; FIN 517 Financial Management; ECN 521 Topics in Global Economy; MGT 535 HR, Law and Social Responsibility. After allowable waivers, students complete 9 credits from this list.
• Residency: in-person seminars, lecture series and industry presentations. Students choose residency classes to fit interests and logistics; sample topics include enterprise competitive advantage, organisational change and development, human capital management, applied business ethics for leaders, branding strategy, merger and acquisition, innovation management, and impact of AI on productivity.
• Dissertation phase: begins with LST 890 Capstone Research Proposal (3 credits) and concludes with LST 899 Capstone Research (15 credits). Each student is paired with a faculty mentor midway through the programme and a committee of at least three faculty oversees proposal approval, oral defenses and final acceptance. The dissertation requires a comprehensive literature review, a conceptual or applied model, rigorous qualitative or quantitative data collection and analysis, and demonstrable practical impact aligned with the student’s professional context.

Entry requirements

Applicants must hold a master’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited institution and demonstrate professional leadership experience.

Career prospects

Graduates are prepared to lead complex change initiatives, take senior executive or founder roles that require strategic leadership across markets, or translate leadership practice into organisationally impactful scholarship and consultancy. The programme’s applied dissertation aims to deliver solutions with measurable business impact relevant to the student’s industry.

Scholarships & funding angle

The source material does not list specific scholarships. Prospective applicants should investigate university-wide funding, employer sponsorship for executive programmes, or external professional scholarships and discuss funding options with Shenandoah University admissions or the School of Business.