Overview
The Leadership Studies Program provides a strong foundation of coursework and experiences for undergraduate students who seek to study, understand and apply the principles of leadership in their current activities and, eventually, in their careers. This interdisciplinary program, designed for students in all majors, consists of a 21-credit-hour leadership studies certificate, a 15-credit leadership studies minor, and a suite of leadership studies courses. Students earning either the certificate or minor in leadership studies will develop the knowledge and skills to effect positive change as they enter the public, nonprofit or private sectors. The certificate and minor are awarded by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and noted on the student's transcript. To learn more about the program, visit our website: https://leadership.las.iastate.edu/.
Objectives
- Develop students’ leadership capacity—which encompasses individual-level capabilities of self-awareness, integrity and commitment; group-level capabilities of collaboration, shared purpose and handling controversy with civility; and community-level capabilities of citizenship and civic responsibility.
- Provide opportunities for students to study leadership by learning effective communication practices, organizational theories, ethical principles, an appreciation of diversity, intrapersonal development and the value of community service.
- Cultivate students’ understanding of social empowerment and social justice to create positive and sustainable change.
- Challenge students to critically examine leadership at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, team, organizational and societal levels.
- Bring students into contact with community leaders and faculty members from diverse academic departments, backgrounds and leadership experiences.
- Prepare students to undertake leadership roles in their careers and in service to their community through coursework and co-curricular engagement.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the certificate or minor in leadership studies, students will be able to:
- Recognize leadership as a set of skills, knowledge and attitudes that can be learned.
- Understand traditional and emergent leadership theories and apply them in practice.
- Comprehend key concepts of communication theories, organizational theories, contemporary diversity issues and ethical principles.
- Practice and evaluate their own capacity to lead effectively within teams, organizations and diverse communities.
- Develop and implement plans for continually improving their leadership capacity.
- Demonstrate proficiencies in written and oral communication.
Leadership Studies Minor
The minor in leadership studies requires the completion of 15 credit hours through three 3-credit-hour required courses in leadership and organizational theory, and an additional 6 credit hours earned from approved leadership electives.
At least 9 credits must be taken in courses numbered at the 3000-level or above. At least 9 credits used for the minor cannot be used to meet any other department, college or university requirement for the baccalaureate degree except to satisfy the total credit requirement for graduation and to meet credit requirements in courses numbered 3000 or above. Courses for the minor cannot be taken on a pass/not-pass basis. A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 is required in courses taken for the minor.
Core Courses: 9 required credits
| LDST 3010 | Leadership Theory and Practice | 3 |
| LDST 3220 | Leadership in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| MGMT 3720 | Ethical and Responsible Management | 3 |
| or MGMT 4220 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | |
Leadership Electives: Choose 6 credits from the following:
| AESHM 2110 | Leadership Experiences and Development (LEAD) | 3 |
| AESHM 4210 | Developing Global Leadership: Maximizing Human Potential | 3 |
| AGEDS 3150 | Personal, Professional, and Entrepreneurial Leadership in Agriculture | 3 |
| COMST 2180 | Conflict Management | 3 |
| COMST 3130 | Leadership Communication Theories | 3 |
| ENGR 1500 | Foundations of Leadership Development and Learning | 1 |
| ENGR 2500 | Leadership in Engineering Teams | 1 |
| ENGR 3500 | Dean's Leadership Seminar | 1 |
| LDST 1220 | Leading with Purpose | 1 |
| LDST 2700 | Campus Leadership Development | 3 |
| LDST 2910A | Leading Change: General | 4 |
| LDST 2910B | Leading Change: U.S. Diversity | 4 |
| LDST 2910C | Leading Change: International Perspectives | 4 |
| LDST 2930 | Special Projects | 3 |
| LDST/WGS 3330 | Women, Gender, and Leadership | 3 |
| LDST 3700 | Special Topics | 1-3 |
| LDST 4220 | Leadership Capstone Seminar: Theory to Practice | 3 |
| ME 4120 | Ethical Responsibilities of a Practicing Engineer | 3 |
| MGMT 3720 | Ethical and Responsible Management | 3 |
| MGMT 4220 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| MGMT 4720 | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Organizations | 3 |
| PHIL 2350 | Ethical Issues in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| SPCM 3120 | Business and Professional Speaking | 3 |
Leadership Studies Certificate
The certificate in leadership studies requires the completion of 21 credit hours including the 9-credit leadership studies core. An additional 12 credit hours are earned from approved electives including 3 hours in communication, 6 hours in leadership, and 3 hours of a capstone experience through a course, internship or study abroad. The capstone course should focus on the scholarship of leadership in the student's field of study, whereas an internship or a study abroad should provide a leadership-in-practice experience.
At least 9 credits must be taken in courses numbered at the 3000-level or above. At least 9 credits used for the certificate cannot be used to meet any other department, college or university requirement for the baccalaureate degree except to satisfy the total credit requirement for graduation and to meet credit requirements in courses numbered 300 or above. Courses for the certificate cannot be taken on a pass/not-pass basis. A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 is required in courses taken for the certificate.
Core Courses:
9 credits of required core courses
| LDST 3010 | Leadership Theory and Practice | 3 |
| LDST 3220 | Leadership in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| MGMT 3720 | Ethical and Responsible Management | 3 |
| or MGMT 4220 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | |
Communication Electives:
Choose 3 credits from the following:
| COMST 2140 | Professional Communication | 3 |
| COMST 3100 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| COMST 3140 | Organizational Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 3020 | Business Communication | 3 |
| SPCM 2120 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| SPCM 3120 | Business and Professional Speaking | 3 |
| SPCM/WGS 3230 | Gender and Communication | 3 |
Leadership Electives:
Choose 6 credits from the following:
| AESHM 2110 | Leadership Experiences and Development (LEAD) | 3 |
| AESHM 2220 | Creativity on Demand | 3 |
| AESHM 2870 | Principles of Management in Human Sciences | 3 |
| AESHM 4210 | Developing Global Leadership: Maximizing Human Potential | 3 |
| AESHM 4740 | Entrepreneurship in Human Sciences | 3 |
| AGEDS 3150 | Personal, Professional, and Entrepreneurial Leadership in Agriculture | 3 |
| CE 3060 | Project Management for Civil Engineers | 3 |
| COMST 2180 | Conflict Management | 3 |
| COMST 3130 | Leadership Communication Theories | 3 |
| COMST 3170 | Small Group Communication | 3 |
| CRP 4290 | Planning in Developing Countries | 3 |
| CRP 4320 | Community Planning Studio | 4-6 |
| CRP 4350 | Planning in Small Towns | 3 |
| CRP 4920 | Planning Law, Administration and Implementation | 3 |
| CONE 3800 | Engineering Law | 3 |
| ENGR 1500 | Foundations of Leadership Development and Learning | 1 |
| ENGR 2500 | Leadership in Engineering Teams | 1 |
| ENGR 3500 | Dean's Leadership Seminar | 1 |
| HDFS 3950 | Children, Families, and Public Policy | 3 |
| LAS 1510 | Dean's Leadership Seminar I | 1 |
| LDST 1220 | Leading with Purpose | 1 |
| LDST 2700 | Campus Leadership Development | 3 |
| LDST 2900 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
| LDST 2910A | Leading Change: General | 4 |
| LDST 2910B | Leading Change: U.S. Diversity | 4 |
| LDST 2910C | Leading Change: International Perspectives | 4 |
| LDST 2930 | Special Projects | 1-3 |
| LDST/WGS 3330 | Women, Gender, and Leadership | 3 |
| LDST 3700 | Special Topics | 1-3 |
| LDST 4220 | Leadership Capstone Seminar: Theory to Practice | 3 |
| LDST 4900 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
| ME 4120 | Ethical Responsibilities of a Practicing Engineer | 3 |
| MGMT 3720 | Ethical and Responsible Management | 3 |
| MGMT 4220 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| MGMT 4720 | Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Organizations | 3 |
| NS 4120 | Leadership and Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 2350 | Ethical Issues in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| POLS 3100 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| POLS 2710 | Public Organizations and Leadership | 3 |
| POLS/WGS 3850 | Women in Politics | 3 |
| POLS 4750 | Management in the Public Sector | 3 |
| POLS 4870 | Electronic Democracy | 3 |
| SOC 3100 | Community | 3 |
| SOC/POLS 3340 | Politics and Society | 3 |
| SPCM 1100 | Listening | 3 |
| SPCM/POLS 4170 | Campaign Rhetoric | 3 |
| UST 3150 | Cyclone Aide Leaders Seminar | 2 |
| WGS 3010 | International Perspectives on Women and Gender | 3 |
| WGS 4350 | Gender, Globalization and Development | 3 |
Capstone Courses:
Choose 3 credits of the following:
| LDST 4220 | Leadership Capstone Seminar: Theory to Practice | 3 |
| LDST 4900 | Independent Study (Must include a leadership focus and be pre-approved by the leadership studies faculty.) | 1-3 |
| Study abroad: Must include a leadership focus and be pre-approved by the leadership studies faculty. | ||
| Other capstones may be approved with leadership studies faculty permission if they include a significant leadership component (e.g., COMST 4040 or AESHM 4210 with a leadership-based project). Students wishing to take a capstone course not listed here must receive approval prior to registering for the course and must demonstrate in writing how the course includes a significant leadership component. | ||