Student-Centered
Learners have a strong ability to apply theory and research to a specific area of interest. We do not prescribe an interest or topic; we work with students to shape and examine their particular interests as they relate to leadership in their professional lives.
Inquiry-Driven
Learners are expected to approach their studies using a learning model that emphasizes question-asking, problem-finding and data gathering, leading to synthesis rather than knowledge-receiving and the mere accumulation of facts.
Problem-Oriented
The topic learners bring into the program (or develop as part of their studies) is usually grounded in the lived experiences of real people in a real place. And that experience can be framed as a topic or problem to be explored in these programs. We do not ask the learner to apply theory to cases alone, but to the lived experience as well. Faculty will develop a habit of mind appropriate to graduate study. All students are expected to apply the principles of engaged scholarship in all their work. Course syllabi will detail these expectations as they apply to each course, but broadly we expect:
- Critical thinking, reflective practice
- Research-based understanding
- Theoretical conceptualization
- Experientially-informed application of learning incorporating a sense of caring for others