Community Leadership, M.P.S.

The Community Leadership Master’s in Professional Studies includes core courses designed to help each student develop the self-understanding, academic knowledge, practical skills, and professional relationships needed to excel as a community leader. In addition to completing the core courses, students choose elective courses that deepen their expertise in a specific area.

The Graduate Program Director will work with each student to create a coherent pathway through the program. Students can choose their elective courses from UMBC graduate offerings in Sociology, Public Policy, Social Entrepreneurship, American Studies, Geography and Environmental Systems, Modern Languages Linguistics & Intercultural Communication, and Community Psychology.

Core Courses

One course in Leadership, Management & Communication; one course in Quantitative & Analytic Methods; one course in Law & Ethics; and one Capstone course:

Pathway Courses

In addition to the 18 credits of required core courses, students will take 12 credits of electives. The students will consult with the Program Director on appropriate groupings of electives or select one of the predesigned pathways below.

Urban Studies (choose any 4 courses)

In this pathway, students will learn how to understand and address the unique problems confronting cities today, as well as tools that can bring about change to improve urban life.

PUBL 644 - Urban Theory [3]
PUBL 645 - The U.S. City [3]
AMST 682: Research Seminar (Topic: Preserving Places, Making Spaces in Baltimore)
SOCY 661 - Neighborhoods and Health Inequality [3]
Additional electives as deemed appropriate by the Graduate Program Director.

Non-Profit and Public Organizations

In this pathway, students will get an understanding of the roles of nonprofit organizations in American society, their methods of operation, research methods used to evaluate nonprofit programs, and substantive areas in which many nonprofits provide services. Completion of these courses, along with the SOCY 600 course that is a core requirement, will result in an additional Certificate in the Nonprofit Sector.

PUBL 613 - Managing Public Organizations [3]
SOCY 681 - The Social and Institutional Roles of Nonprofit Organizations in American Society [3]
SOCY 685 - Structure and Function of Nonprofit Organizations [3]
Additional electives as deemed appropriate by the Graduate Program Director.

Social Entrepreneurship

In this pathway, students will learn to apply innovative entrepreneurial practices to the development of solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues.

ENTR 601 - Developing the Entrepreneurial Mindset [3]
ENTR 605 - Learning Organizations [3]
ENTR 608 - Design Thinking [3]
ENTR 610 - Intrapreneurship [3]
ENTR 611 - Project Management Approaches [3]
ENTR 612 - Creative Problem Solving and the Socialpreneur [3]
Additional electives as deemed appropriate by the Graduate Program Director.

Student Pathway

Work with the Program Director to design a pathway that speaks to your experiences, strengths and interests. Your pathway can draw on the courses above as well as other UMBC graduate courses that are designated as Community Leadership electives.