Program Overview

Who is this program for?

Everyone! This on-campus and Ecampus minor is intended for students of all different areas of academics, backgrounds, experiences, and walks of life. This minor is for those who want to develop their leadership, enhance professional competencies, and foster the skills necessary to meet the local, national, and international needs of our society. The Leadership minor is centered on leadership theory (education), trait/skill development (training), and application (development). It is designed to allow students to apply the coursework in a relevant and relational manner.

Student Coursework

Specifically, the coursework focuses on major theories of leadership including contingency, path-goal, leader-member exchange theories as well as transformational, authentic, team, and servant leadership. Within each theory and type of leadership, students will be challenged to consider leadership ethics, leadership culture, gender in leadership, and integration of leadership into personal, civic, and social change. In addition, the elective courses allow students to pursue the development of trait and skill competencies necessary for employment in their chosen field. Students will then have the opportunity to directly apply their learning through a leadership internship, service learning project, or research opportunity. This minor helps students enact postive changes in themselves, their teams, and society.

A mix of course work and experiential learning totaling 28 credits compose the Leadership minor. The bulk of the courses are designed to allow you to incorporate your interests and passions — whether it's landing your dream job, starting a business, volunteering in your community, or enhancing your current position, the minor allows these invaluable experiences to appear on your college transcripts in a manner that is verifiable and easily understood by employers.


 

To meet the Minor requirements, leadership courses must be selected from the following three areas:

Leadership Theory (8 credits).

These academic courses are designed to help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and others through the study of ethics, cultural and social norms, and mechanisms for change at the personal and societal levels. With a focus on critical thinking, collaboration, and leadership theory, these courses culminate with a Capstone Seminar that requires you to synthesize leadership philosophy with the hands-on experience you will gain as you complete your work in the areas of Trait and Skill Development and Applied Leadership. 

Trait and Skill Development (10 credits).

Courses that qualify for Trait and Skill Development help you strengthen your abilities of self-reflection and assessment within a structured academic environment. By focusing on diverse topics that can range from group dynamics to backcountry leadership, the courses within this area help you develop competency in multiple fields, while continuing to build your leadership abilities in varied environments. Designed to be flexible, the Trait and Skill Development area encourages you to seek out new perspectives from a wide variety of course subject areas.

Applied Leadership Development (10 credits).

There are three different course options within this area: Leadership Internships, Service Learning, and Undergraduate Research Experience. All three provide the opportunity to continue the development of your leadership education through practical, hands-on experiences in your areas of interest. This is a considerable portion of the minor and will need to be planned into your academic schedule in advance before applying for the experience.  For more information on how to begin to apply for your experience, go to our Applied Leadership Development page!

 

Want More Information?

  • For course requirements and a list of classes that may be applied to the Leadership Minor, click here.
  • Log into your MyOregonState account and click 'MyDegrees', then 'submit MyDegrees'. You can run the 'what if' analysis feature in MyDegrees to see how the Leadership Minor coursework will fit into your current program. Select leadership in the minor dropdown menu and click the 'process whatif' button.
  • Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page or contact our advisors at Leadership Minor Email.