Leadership Studies Major
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Major Overview
The Leadership Studies major is multidisciplinary and includes courses in psychology, communication, education, business, public administration, philosophy, political science, journalism and media studies, and cultural diversity.
The major is a response to what employers are looking for in college graduates and includes a career development focus offering practical skill-building in several key areas:
- project management
- coaching for improved performance and inclusion
- delivering positive and developmental feedback
- navigating difficult conversations
- creating inclusive environments
- developing high-performance teams
- delegation
- empowering others
- data collection and analysis
Students engage in experiential leadership development opportunities on campus and in the San Diego community in preparation for their post-SDSU career or graduate studies.
Possible Occupations
Because of the interdisciplinary nature of this degree, the Leadership Studies major is excellent preparation for graduate study in:
- law
- educational leadership
- management or organizational leadership
- student affairs
- organizational development
- organizational psychology
Graduates may pursue positions in occupations such as:
- non-profit management
- employee relations
- sales
- project management
- learning and development
- government
- community engagement
- human resources
- institutional/organizational assessment
- education
The program is also excellent preparation for students pursuing military careers, either as commissioned or non-commissioned officers.
Preparation for the Major
Understanding, applying and critiquing leadership theories, examining personal strengths, values, goals, and philosophy of leadership.
Training in fundamental processes of oral expression; method of obtaining and organizing material; outlining; principles of attention and delivery; practice in construction and delivery of various forms of speeches.
Facts, principles, and concepts which are basic to understanding human behavior.
Psychological development of normal individual from conception through childhood, adolescence, and maturity. Emphasis on interdependence of various periods of the individual’s life. Not open to students with credit in CFD 270.
Practice in extemporaneous speaking on subjects of current interest, both national and local, with stress on organization and delivery.
Theory and practice of interpersonal communication. Role of communication in developing, initiating, maintaining, and transitioning through everyday social relationships. Challenges of managing interpersonal communication; contexts, and verbal and nonverbal messages.
Upper-division Major Coursework
Communication principles in professional contexts including interviewing and technical and nontechnical oral presentations. Skill in meeting management.
Human behavior at individual, interpersonal, and group levels including effect of organization structure on behavior. Emphasis on managerial roles, historical evolution of management, ethics, and behavior in multicultural contexts.
Leadership, communicating vision, initiating changes and innovation, and developing leadership competencies through self-assessment.
Current theory and research in leadership and communication. Understanding yourself, role of leadership, and selection of appropriate communication strategies for leadership.
Leadership in an online community environment. Developing effective strategies to cultivate and moderate communities of practice using digital technologies and social media platforms. Principles of social media engagement and effectiveness as applied to online communities. Writing and creating content to encourage participation and interaction.
Ethical issues of contemporary life. Individualism vs. collectivism; democracy vs. dictatorship; ethical problems arising in law, medicine, business, government and interpersonal relationships.
Development of traditional values concerning the natural environment. Reasons for altering values in light of modern changes in relationship of human beings to the environment. Application of ethical principles to actions affecting the environment.
Major historical and contemporary theories and thinkers that have defined and continue to define discipline of Africana studies. Comparative analyses of diverse voices and perspectives.
Key events, strategies, and theoretical debates that emerged from struggle for black equality during modern civil rights movement in the United States from 1945 to present.
History of Chicanas in the United States from 1848 to present, focusing on impact of Mexican American War, important female historical figures, and issues related to race, class, religion, and sexuality.
Impact of interpersonal, social, and cultural variables on understandings of self, relationships, and the world. Social construction of multiple identities. Meaning and salience of fluid identity development.
Major African-centered theories that guide evidence-based practices in mental health and how historical events and systems of structural inequalities impact global contemporary social movements.
Interdisciplinary field of lesbian and gay studies with attention to social and political institutions and development of personal identity. Topics include discrimination, internalized homophobia, political activism, and diversity within lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
Interdisciplinary field of lesbian and gay studies with attention to history and artistic expression. Topics include varying attitudes toward homosexuality in history, as well as literary, artistic, theatrical, and musical contributions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
Major problems and findings concerning group behavior and group membership, the socialization of the individual, and processes of social interaction.
Classic and contemporary theories and research on prejudice and stereotyping to include origin and forms of phenomena, consequences, and approaches aimed at reducing them.
Explores the range of the disability experience; examines society’s attitudes toward individuals and the interrelationship between societal institutions and the perception of people with disabilities. Contemporary issues with particular emphasis on disability culture, ableism, and inclusion.
Laboratory in public agencies and business settings to integrate academic work with experiences in the community.
Analysis of personnel problems. Supervision and management of public employees and public organizations in an age of change.
Social, psychological, and behavioral theories of organization; concepts of administrative leadership; organization and the individual; emphasis on governmental organizations.
Revenue generation, marketing, distribution, production, personnel, social responsibilities, and current developments in media organizations. Planning, organizing, implementing organizational plans.
Concepts, history, theory, social responsibility, ethics, and management of public relations. Public relations strategic planning process. Survey of problems and practices in corporations, government and politics, health care, education, associations, and not-for-profit organizations.
Community service and concepts associated with the servant leadership model.
Social and political responses to dominant group policies by American Indian as compared to other minority groups.
Black nationalism in the world, with emphasis on comparative analysis of writings of leading nationalist (and Pan-Africanist) thinkers and theorists.
Dimensions of Asian philosophies, past and present. Encounter between Buddhism and post-modern science, contemporary Asian philosophers (“global gurus”) and their impact on non-Asian cultures, enigmatic notion of emptiness (sunya, wu).
Chicana and Chicano communities from a comparative perspective. Systematic inquiry into methods and issues in community studies. Contemporary social, institutional, and political affairs.
Historical problems and movements in the US-Mexican border region, in particular those impacting Spanish-speaking populations on both sides of the border. Contemporary border issues from a historical perspective.
Historical problems and movements in the US-Mexican border region, in particular those impacting Spanish-speaking populations on both sides of the border. Contemporary border issues from a historical perspective.
Study of communication with emphasis on influence of cultural background, perception, social organization, language and nonverbal messages in the intercultural communication experience.
History of the presidency, individuals to hold the office, and theoretical approaches to understanding the presidency as an institution. Modern theories of presidential power.
Critical and prevailing theories of international relations; innovation, power politics, social resistance; international organizations and law; economy and the environment, global politics; contemporary and historical case studies.
Leaders as energizing forces for public administration. Analysis of leadership theories and case studies.
Social inequality as an institutional process. Patterns of unequal distribution of wealth, power, privilege and prestige, their causes, and impact this has on communities and societies.
Introduction to qualitative and quantitative methods used to investigate leadership. Strategies to become critical and well-informed consumers of published research. Concepts and applications of analytical, empirical, and qualitative research methods. Access, examine, and critique leadership research.
Conduct independent research utilizing ethnography, qualitative research methods, and personal narrative. Observing naturally occurring interactions drawn from a variety of leadership and organizational settings. Primary methods of gathering data include: participant observation, interviewing, appreciative inquiry, critical perspectives, visual strategies, fieldnotes, and other approaches.
Best practices, models, theories, tools for assessing organizational performance. Assessment as diagnostic intervention. Practical applications and frameworks for the collection, analysis, and interpretation/meaning of data to inform decision-making.
Capstone course. Synthesis and integration of learning to demonstrate self-efficacy. Apply analytical reasoning in leadership scenarios. Articulate individual leadership abilities and apply leadership principles to major field and career.
Individual study.
Communication principles in professional contexts including interviewing and technical and nontechnical oral presentations. Skill in meeting management.
Human behavior at individual, interpersonal, and group levels including effect of organization structure on behavior. Emphasis on managerial roles, historical evolution of management, ethics, and behavior in multicultural contexts.
Leadership, communicating vision, initiating changes and innovation, and developing leadership competencies through self-assessment.
Current theory and research in leadership and communication. Understanding yourself, role of leadership, and selection of appropriate communication strategies for leadership.
Leadership in an online community environment. Developing effective strategies to cultivate and moderate communities of practice using digital technologies and social media platforms. Principles of social media engagement and effectiveness as applied to online communities. Writing and creating content to encourage participation and interaction.
Ethical issues of contemporary life. Individualism vs. collectivism; democracy vs. dictatorship; ethical problems arising in law, medicine, business, government and interpersonal relationships.
Development of traditional values concerning the natural environment. Reasons for altering values in light of modern changes in relationship of human beings to the environment. Application of ethical principles to actions affecting the environment.
Major historical and contemporary theories and thinkers that have defined and continue to define discipline of Africana studies. Comparative analyses of diverse voices and perspectives.
Key events, strategies, and theoretical debates that emerged from struggle for black equality during modern civil rights movement in the United States from 1945 to present.
History of Chicanas in the United States from 1848 to present, focusing on impact of Mexican American War, important female historical figures, and issues related to race, class, religion, and sexuality.
Impact of interpersonal, social, and cultural variables on understandings of self, relationships, and the world. Social construction of multiple identities. Meaning and salience of fluid identity development.
Major African-centered theories that guide evidence-based practices in mental health and how historical events and systems of structural inequalities impact global contemporary social movements.
Interdisciplinary field of lesbian and gay studies with attention to social and political institutions and development of personal identity. Topics include discrimination, internalized homophobia, political activism, and diversity within lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
Interdisciplinary field of lesbian and gay studies with attention to history and artistic expression. Topics include varying attitudes toward homosexuality in history, as well as literary, artistic, theatrical, and musical contributions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
Major problems and findings concerning group behavior and group membership, the socialization of the individual, and processes of social interaction.
Classic and contemporary theories and research on prejudice and stereotyping to include origin and forms of phenomena, consequences, and approaches aimed at reducing them.
Explores the range of the disability experience; examines society’s attitudes toward individuals and the interrelationship between societal institutions and the perception of people with disabilities. Contemporary issues with particular emphasis on disability culture, ableism, and inclusion.
Laboratory in public agencies and business settings to integrate academic work with experiences in the community.
Analysis of personnel problems. Supervision and management of public employees and public organizations in an age of change.
Social, psychological, and behavioral theories of organization; concepts of administrative leadership; organization and the individual; emphasis on governmental organizations.
Revenue generation, marketing, distribution, production, personnel, social responsibilities, and current developments in media organizations. Planning, organizing, implementing organizational plans.
Concepts, history, theory, social responsibility, ethics, and management of public relations. Public relations strategic planning process. Survey of problems and practices in corporations, government and politics, health care, education, associations, and not-for-profit organizations.
Community service and concepts associated with the servant leadership model.
Social and political responses to dominant group policies by American Indian as compared to other minority groups.
Black nationalism in the world, with emphasis on comparative analysis of writings of leading nationalist (and Pan-Africanist) thinkers and theorists.
Dimensions of Asian philosophies, past and present. Encounter between Buddhism and post-modern science, contemporary Asian philosophers (“global gurus”) and their impact on non-Asian cultures, enigmatic notion of emptiness (sunya, wu).
Chicana and Chicano communities from a comparative perspective. Systematic inquiry into methods and issues in community studies. Contemporary social, institutional, and political affairs.
Historical problems and movements in the US-Mexican border region, in particular those impacting Spanish-speaking populations on both sides of the border. Contemporary border issues from a historical perspective.
An interdisciplinary analysis of the U.S.-Mexican border population. Demographic dynamics and social change in border communities. International migration and transmigration. Transborder families and transnational families. Gender, class, and racial systems in border communities.
Study of communication with emphasis on influence of cultural background, perception, social organization, language and nonverbal messages in the intercultural communication experience.
History of the presidency, individuals to hold the office, and theoretical approaches to understanding the presidency as an institution. Modern theories of presidential power.
Critical and prevailing theories of international relations; innovation, power politics, social resistance; international organizations and law; economy and the environment, global politics; contemporary and historical case studies.
Leaders as energizing forces for public administration. Analysis of leadership theories and case studies.
Social inequality as an institutional process. Patterns of unequal distribution of wealth, power, privilege and prestige, their causes, and impact this has on communities and societies.
Introduction to qualitative and quantitative methods used to investigate leadership. Strategies to become critical and well-informed consumers of published research. Concepts and applications of analytical, empirical, and qualitative research methods. Access, examine, and critique leadership research.
Conduct independent research utilizing ethnography, qualitative research methods, and personal narrative. Observing naturally occurring interactions drawn from a variety of leadership and organizational settings. Primary methods of gathering data include: participant observation, interviewing, appreciative inquiry, critical perspectives, visual strategies, fieldnotes, and other approaches.
Best practices, models, theories, tools for assessing organizational performance. Assessment as diagnostic intervention. Practical applications and frameworks for the collection, analysis, and interpretation/meaning of data to inform decision-making.
Capstone course. Synthesis and integration of learning to demonstrate self-efficacy. Apply analytical reasoning in leadership scenarios. Articulate individual leadership abilities and apply leadership principles to major field and career.
Individual study.
Recommended Auxiliary Disciplines/Minors:
It is highly recommended that students complete a series of elective courses in the same area of study (auxiliary discipline). Courses used to fulfill the Leadership Major may not be used to complete an Auxiliary Discipline.
Recommended Auxiliary Disciplines:
- Communication
- JMS
- I/O Psychology
- Counseling and Social Change
- Public Administration
- Philosophy
- Political Science
