The Community Leadership Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) includes five core courses that 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 take four elective courses that speak to their experiences, interests, and aspirations. Students work with the Program Director to choose their Program Pathway: a coherent set of electives from the Community Leadership Skills Courses as well as UMBC graduate courses in a wide range of academic departments.
Capstone Course
The required Community Leadership courses feature an applied interdisciplinary curriculum, culminating in a capstone course that integrates the theory and practice of collaborative leadership and builds students’ relationships with effective practitioners. The capstone course builds on prior courses and experiences in the Community Leadership program to engage students in applying their academic knowledge, practical skills and professional relationships to a significant project they develop with their community partner.
Program Pathways
In the first semester of the program, students work with the Program Director to determine a Program Pathway tailored to their success with an additional 12 elective credits. Each student receives help identifying an appropriate grouping of elective courses that connect to their experiences, interests and aspirations. The most popular pathways for M.P.S. students include taking Community Leadership Skills Courses (beyond the required 3 credits), as well as courses in Social Entrepreneurship, Applied Sociology, and Public Policy. The Program Director maintains a continually updated list of graduate courses in a wide range of academic departments that are designated as Community Leadership electives and may fit into your pathway.
Note: Curriculum advertised is effective Fall 2023. Students who matriculated prior to the Fall 2023 semester will have the option of following the old curriculum or adopting the new curriculum. The decision of which curriculum to adopt will be made only after advising from the Graduate Program Director.
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What is an M.P.S. Degree?
An M.P.S. degree is a non-thesis graduate degree designed to provide you with applied and professional knowledge in your area of study. While traditional master’s programs tend to focus on theory and research, a Master of Professional Studies will equip you with specialized domain knowledge and hands-on learning opportunities that focus on developing one’s career. Our M.P.S. programs are designed with your career goals in mind!
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