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 300-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 300 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
| LD ST 301 | Leadership Theories | 3 |
| LD ST 322 | Leadership in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| MGMT 372 | Responsible Management and Leadership in Business | 3 |
| or MGMT 422 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | |
Leadership Electives: Choose 6 credits from the following
| AESHM 211 | Leadership Experiences and Development (LEAD) | 3 |
| AESHM 421 | Developing Global Leadership: Maximizing Human Potential | 3 |
| AGEDS 315 | Personal, Professional, and Entrepreneurial Leadership in Agriculture | 3 |
| COMST 218 | Conflict Management | 3 |
| COMST 313 | Leadership Communication Theories | 3 |
| ENGR 150 | Foundations of Leadership Development and Learning | 1 |
| ENGR 250 | Leadership in Engineering Teams | 1 |
| ENGR 350 | Dean's Leadership Seminar | 1 |
| LD ST 122 | Leading with Purpose | 1 |
| LD ST 270 | Campus Leadership Development | 3 |
| LD ST 291 | Leading Change | 4 |
| LD ST 291A | Leading Change: General | 4 |
| LD ST 291B | Leading Change: U.S. Diversity | 4 |
| LD ST 291C | Leading Change: International Perspectives | 4 |
| LD ST 293 | Special Projects | 3 |
| LD ST/WGS 333 | Gender and Leadership | 3 |
| LD ST 370 | Special Topics | 1-3 |
| LD ST 422 | Leadership Capstone Seminar: Theory to Practice | 3 |
| LD ST 488 | Research on Gender and Leadership | 3 |
| M E 412 | Ethical Responsibilities of a Practicing Engineer | 3 |
| MGMT 372 | Responsible Management and Leadership in Business | 3 |
| MGMT 422 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| MGMT 472 | Management of Diversity | 3 |
| PHIL 235 | Ethical Issues in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| SP CM 312 | 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 300-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
| LD ST 301 | Leadership Theories | 3 |
| LD ST 322 | Leadership in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| MGMT 372 | Responsible Management and Leadership in Business | 3 |
| or MGMT 422 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | |
Communication Electives: Choose 3 credits from the following
| COMST 214 | Professional Communication | 3 |
| COMST 310 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| COMST 314 | Organizational Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 302 | Business Communication | 3 |
| SP CM 212 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| SP CM 312 | Business and Professional Speaking | 3 |
| SP CM/WGS 323 | Gender and Communication | 3 |
| SP CM 497 | Capstone Seminar | 3 |
Leadership Electives: Choose 6 credits from the following
| AESHM 211 | Leadership Experiences and Development (LEAD) | 3 |
| AESHM 222 | Creativity on Demand | 3 |
| AESHM 287 | Principles of Management in Human Sciences | 3 |
| AESHM 421 | Developing Global Leadership: Maximizing Human Potential | 3 |
| AESHM 474 | Entrepreneurship in Human Sciences | 3 |
| AGEDS 315 | Personal, Professional, and Entrepreneurial Leadership in Agriculture | 3 |
| C E 306 | Project Management for Civil Engineers | 3 |
| COMST 218 | Conflict Management | 3 |
| COMST 313 | Leadership Communication Theories | 3 |
| COMST 317 | Small Group Communication | 3 |
| C R P 429 | Planning in Developing Countries | 3 |
| C R P 432 | Community Planning Studio | 4-6 |
| C R P 435 | Planning in Small Towns | 3 |
| C R P 492 | Planning Law, Administration and Implementation | 3 |
| CON E 380 | Engineering Law | 3 |
| ENGR 150 | Foundations of Leadership Development and Learning | 1 |
| ENGR 250 | Leadership in Engineering Teams | 1 |
| ENGR 350 | Dean's Leadership Seminar | 1 |
| HD FS 395 | Children, Families, and Public Policy | 3 |
| LAS 151 | Dean’s Leadership Seminar I | 1 |
| LD ST 122 | Leading with Purpose | 1 |
| LD ST 270 | Campus Leadership Development | 3 |
| LD ST 290 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
| LD ST 291 | Leading Change | 4 |
| LD ST 291A | Leading Change: General | 4 |
| LD ST 291B | Leading Change: U.S. Diversity | 4 |
| LD ST 291C | Leading Change: International Perspectives | 4 |
| LD ST 293 | Special Projects | 1-3 |
| LD ST/WGS 333 | Gender and Leadership | 3 |
| LD ST 370 | Special Topics | 1-3 |
| LD ST 422 | Leadership Capstone Seminar: Theory to Practice | 3 |
| LD ST/WGS 488 | Research on Gender and Leadership | 3 |
| LD ST 490 | Independent Study | 1-3 |
| M E 412 | Ethical Responsibilities of a Practicing Engineer | 3 |
| MGMT 372 | Responsible Management and Leadership in Business | 3 |
| MGMT 422 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| MGMT 472 | Management of Diversity | 3 |
| N S 412 | Leadership and Ethics | 3 |
| PHIL 235 | Ethical Issues in a Diverse Society | 3 |
| POL S 310 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| POL S 271 | Public Organizations and Leadership | 3 |
| POL S/WGS 385 | Women in Politics | 3 |
| POL S 475 | Management in the Public Sector | 3 |
| POL S 487 | Electronic Democracy | 3 |
| SOC 310 | Community | 3 |
| SOC/POL S 334 | Politics and Society | 3 |
| SP CM 110 | Listening | 3 |
| SP CM 416 | History of American Public Address | 3 |
| SP CM/POL S 417 | Campaign Rhetoric | 3 |
| U ST 315 | Cyclone Aide Leaders Seminar | 2 |
| WGS 301 | International Perspectives on Women and Gender | 3 |
| WGS 435 | Gender, Globalization and Development | 3 |
Capstone Courses: Choose 3 credits of the following
| LD ST 422 | Leadership Capstone Seminar: Theory to Practice | 3 |
| LD ST 490 | 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 404 or AESHM 421 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. | ||