The Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership with an Ethics concentration (MLE) degree teaches working professionals how to guide organizations toward purposeful and responsible decisions in a diverse, globalized world. You will be led through a unique series of online courses that integrates personal mindfulness, professional awareness, and global consciousness for skillful leadership in any organizational context.
By the end of this online M.A. in Organizational Leadership degree program, you will develop concrete skills in collaboration, conflict resolution, ethical decision-making, and inspiring diverse teams towards common goals. As a graduate of this program, you will have the knowledge and skills to lead more effectively and courageously influence your organization in making ethical decisions that have a positive impact.
Claremont Lincoln's master's degree programs all have the distinct advantage of being 100% online, providing the flexibility to determine how and when coursework is performed. CLU master's degree programs can be completed in as little as 13 months. In addition, the Admissions process has been streamlined for convenience. Neither a GRE or GMAT score is required to apply or be admitted.
The curriculum for the M.A. in Organizational Leadership with an Ethics concentration begins with a professional assessment that guides you towards self-awareness and defining your own values. You then learn how to apply those values to leadership and decision-making in the context of various ethical, economic, philosophical, cultural, religious, humanistic and contemporary world views.
Organizational Leadership courses are taken along with courses from The Claremont Core®. These courses teach the engagement skills necessary to implement the theories and ideas from the concentration courses. You'll also have the opportunity to interact with and learn from students in other programs.
Leadership in action is designed to support the exploration of leadership through self-reflection and assessment, including creating a personal mission statement and developing a leadership philosophy. Students will review a variety of leadership assessments, theories, and strategies on power dynamics, decision making, ethically addressing toxic leadership, conflict resolution, communication, and cultural awareness. Students will explore practical and experiential leadership styles and consider consequences of choices in the role of leading others. In addition, students will review and apply research strategies to develop knowledge and skills preparing for the capstone project. The course topics center around developing key leadership and action research skills to understand influencers in the social change process.
In this course, students review texts from classical and contemporary ethicists while examining multiple approaches to ethical reflection. The readings provide a framework to develop ethical reasoning skills to critically respond to thought-experiments and contemporary case-studies.
In this course, students focus on the role of ethical leadership in a diverse and interconnected world. Course materials present ethical perspectives of different cultural and national contexts while drawing on various philosophical and wisdom traditions. Additional consideration in the course addresses the role of ethics in various global contexts including: change, leadership, conflict, resources, and labor in order to develop the student's global awareness and become more effective and ethical leaders.
This course examines toxic, ineffective, and unethical forms of leadership and the ways power may be abused in organizations. Contrarily, students are also exposed to ways power can be leveraged in organizations as a resource for positive change toward more sustainable models of business and society. Students will also be introduced to leading-edge approaches to social entrepreneurship, social business, and organizing for social change in the for-profit and the not-for-profit sectors.
An overview of the financial accounting and reporting process for managers is the focus of this course. It is designed to facilitate understanding of the financial reporting process and forecasting for strategic thinking and informed decisions. Students will use various data analysis tools to make judgements about a firm's financial condition in an ever-changing business landscape. Key topics include the time value of money, cost and value, the fundamental relationship between risk and return, choosing investment projects that support firm strategy, alternative financing decisions, and sustainable business practices.
This course covers the broad range of factors that the student needs to know to design, implement, and trouble-shoot high quality programs or projects. It details the phases of program development from design to evaluation and continuous quality improvement. Students will become familiar with several project management tools including GANTT charts, flowcharts, RACIS, and others. The course also provides students with various project documentation tools, both paper-based and electronic for team monitoring and communication. Case studies will augment the student's understanding of real-world application of project management tools.
In this university-wide foundational course, learners begin their engagement with the four domains that make up the Claremont Core domains: Mindfulness, Dialogue, Collaboration, and Change. These four domains consist of transferable skills and resources that support leadership and facilitation capacities that accentuate students' professional work. Students become familiar with aspects of mindfulness and dialogue that will undergird their work. Concepts of collaboration and change leadership are also introduced, and students begin the process of locating their work in a community where positive social change can be facilitated. Finally, students also determine the scope and aim of their Capstone Projects and begin to use resources from the four Claremont Core® domains to build their research repertoire and leadership acumen.
In a world that is reimagining what is possible, Strategic Communication: Building Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will present students a historic perspective of the legacy and manifestation of structural racism, and other societal and cultural marginalization including the unintended consequences of systemic exclusion. Students will build upon the principles learned in the Claremont Core® to create environments where difficult conversations can take place with both internal and external audiences. This course will equip students to tackle challenges with diverse teams using language which acknowledges and respects difference to create equitable outcomes. In this course, students analyze self, personal strengths, and biases, and accumulate tools and communication skills in dialogue, collaboration, and bridging across divides. With these tools, students hone their abilities to build advocacy for dismantling oppressive structures and rebuilding personal, professional, and civic spaces that maximize diversity and facilitate equity and inclusion for all.
This course builds on the foundational aspects of the Claremont Core®, focusing on how students can become mindful, engaged, and inquisitive research practitioners for positive social change. Students will develop an ability to critically evaluate what research methods are best suited for certain types of research projects. This course will specifically focus on the role of research methods that can address, illuminate, or explain enduring and newly salient social problems.
Throughout the course students will consider the entire research design process, learning how to conceptualize, problematize, diagnose, understand, and translate findings across social, political, environmental, healthcare, and organizational contexts. By the end of this course, students will have had experience posing research questions, exploring their own research goals, understanding the primary components of the research design process, and consuming a variety of styles of inquiry and action. Students will also consider course concepts in the context of their own future projects, and begin activating the research skills they will use in Applying the Claremont Core® Capstone Course. (Prerequisite: MCC 5320: Invitation to Inquiry: Foundations of the Claremont Core®)
As the culminating course in all programs, students apply skills, knowledge, and professional application learned throughout the degree. The planning for this course begins at the start of the program, continues through the evolution of learning as students design their projects, and peaks with students being prepared to implement the project during the capstone course. The specific content in each student's degree program provides a foundation for the research and design. The Capstone Project demonstrates student mastery of program and institutional learning outcomes. Must be taken during student's final term.
In an increasingly interconnected world, leaders who want to make positive, sustainable change need to develop the critical perspectives and collaborative skills necessary to reach across traditional barriers of ideology, culture, and faith. At CLU, we put development of these capabilities at the center of our degree programs. The result is the Claremont Core®, a sequence of four innovative courses. Progress through the Core takes you through a process of self-awareness and steadily evolves towards engagement with others and society at large. Learn More.
Claremont Lincoln University is a non-profit, "online-by-design", graduate university providing socially conscious education and multiplying social impact through the work of its students in the world.
As a nonprofit university, Claremont Lincoln University is focused on the student's learning experience as well as their career success. Funds received from donations, endowments and tuition go directly to curriculum and to enriching our students' education.
Since CLU is both online and nonprofit, the university is able to serve students who are not well served by traditional institutions and universities— allowing the university to deliver the innovative education its founder and benefactor David C. Lincoln envisioned.
Claremont Lincoln University is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), 985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100, Alameda, CA 94501, (510) 748-9001.
The Commission has confirmed that Claremont Lincoln University has satisfactorily addressed the Core Commitments to Student Learning and Success; Quality and Improvement; and Institutional Integrity, Sustainability, and Accountability and is found to be in substantial compliance with the WSCUC Standards of Accreditation.
To obtain a copy of Claremont Lincoln University's WASC accreditation, please contact:
Lynn Priddy
Accreditation Liaison Officer
Student Achievement & Accreditation
Claremont Lincoln University has entered into a complaint agreement for private non-profit institutions with the California Bureau of Post-Secondary Education (BPPE).
Department of Consumer Affairs
Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education
2535 Capitol Oaks Drive, Suite 400
Sacramento, CA. 95833
Chief Complaint Unit
Phone: 916-431-6959
Email: bppe@dca.ca.gov
Fax: 916-263-1897
The M.A. in Organizational Leadership with a Concentration in Ethics aligns with the mission of Claremont Lincoln University to produce leaders capable of respecting differences and collaborating with those of different viewpoints to resolve problems:
As a graduate of the M.A. in Organizational Leadership with an Ethics concentration, you'll be equipped to enhance your leadership performance and extend your influence in your current vocational field. This degree can apply to a broad range of occupational fields, including:
A completed Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution is required to apply to Claremont Lincoln University. Neither a GRE or GMAT score is required for enrollment.
The Admissions process has been streamlined for applicants to complete the online application in 15 minutes or less. Unofficial Transcripts and a current Resume or CV are required to be uploaded with the online application. The Enrollment Committee will then review the application and determine an acceptance status within 24 business hours. A determination letter will then be sent, and in return, an acknowledgment of its receipt will be needed. The Admissions, Financial and Student Services Team will finalize any other necessary items to complete Enrollment.
Claremont Lincoln University reserves the right to request additional items as deemed necessary by the enrollment committee to determine student readiness for the graduate level workload. Claremont Lincoln University reserves the right to accept, provisionally accept, or deny students upon the evaluation of all admission documents.
Here is what some of our current and past students are saying about Claremont Lincoln University. We are committed to being a student-centered community and are proud of how we have continued to establish dialogue and long-lasting relationships with our graduates by showcasing their action-oriented and impactful work across the globe.
"In speaking to the CLU core, every student can expect an immersion in developing skills that will enhance personal leadership and self awareness. I hope that CLU meets every students' expectations with a bit of surprise and magic mixed in."
"I am a lifelong learner and am convinced that our reward is commensurate with our effort. Some students will just want to be able to place an M.A. after their name while others are seeking ways to change the world. With the mix of world class professors and an exemplary cohort, I believe students will not finish the program in the same mindset that they started. Everything fit together so perfectly and the scaffolding made the entire program manageable."
"I am most proud of heeding the prompt to "reinvent" myself during the program and to put my energy in an environment where I can make a difference."
"This master's program led me to be a servant leader and bring about positive change in society."
"Leaders have a responsibility to lift up others."
Many hard working professionals contribute to a Claremont Lincoln University education. Here are just a few of the great faculty and staff that you will meet at CLU:
Carol Madison served as Executive Director of the Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence at Indiana University for eleven years, retiring in 2016. The Center studies leadership and develops programs for leaders across all sectors. She recently moderated a panel on leadership at the International Leadership Association's annual global conference and remains active in the field of leadership development.
Anthony Mansueto is a scholar, teacher, organizer and academic leader with roots in social theory, philosophy, and theology. He has published nine books including, most recently, The Ways of Wisdom: Towards a Global Convivencia Theology (Pickwick 2016). In addition to teaching for Claremont Lincoln he currently serves as Executive Dean for Liberal Arts at El Centro College in Dallas.
Dr. McManus is the Chair of the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership Ethics concentration at Claremont Lincoln University. Dr. McManus' books include Understanding Leadership: An Arts and Humanities a Perspective (Routledge) and Ethical Leadership: A Primer (Edward Elgar). His current scholarly project is Leadership and Communication: Theory and Practice (Routledge, forthcoming). Dr. McManus holds a PhD in Communication as well as a Master of Business Administration.
Earn your master's degree online in as little as 13 months, starting at $18,150 while developing the skills, behaviors & mindset required to improve the world for the benefit of all.