For more information, contact Continuing Education at 814-375-4715 or email [email protected].

Program Overview

Leadership effectiveness is an important factor today when organizations must simultaneously cut budgets while retaining and nurturing talent. Every organization needs skilled leaders to allocate limited resources and to create a work environment that encourages employees’ growth, involvement, commitment, and retention. All of our instructors are industry professionals that deliver expert instruction that help to create solutions that ensure relevant, continuous development that will help create future leaders. All classes are taught by practicing professionals who have prestigious certifications, subject expertise, and a wealth of real-world experience, ensuring you’ll learn important, hands-on lessons.

Program Scope and Sequence

A Penn State certificate is awarded upon completion of the four required courses. Participants not wishing to take the entire sequence are welcome to take any course that interests them pending prerequisite knowledge.

Who Should Attend

This program will be beneficial to any leader, supervisor, or manager—particularly those new to their role who are interested in achieving leadership excellence through a personal journey that explores values alignment, communication strategies, and ethical values. It will also help prepare new managers and supervisors to be more effective leaders.

Program Objectives

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to define aspects of leadership and be able to explore its relationship to not only concepts, theories, and models they have learned in class, but also to real-life scenarios in the workplace and business community. In addition, a student will be able to connect leadership development to leadership behaviors.

Course Descriptions

BUSAD 5526: Developing Personal Leadership

This course covers the characteristics and key competencies of high performing leaders, helps students assess their existing skill set compared to those of an effective leader, and offers suggestions on how to implement an individualized development plan.

BUSAD 5520: Leading Change in Organizations

Leading an organization through change is a critical competency of leadership. Topic areas include developing blueprints for organizational change, systems thinking, whole-scale change, communicating plans, and measuring performance against bottom line results.

BUSAD 5701: Decision Making

This course is designed to give a level of awareness and knowledge in the decision-making process knowing that individuals make decisions in their personal and professional lives. As one’s career grows, decision-making becomes more and more important. Many of the decisions will hold considerable risk, and also involve potential competition. The course content is constructed to give students the tools needed in order to understand how to make wise decisions, and to make them better. The goal of this course is to provide the opportunity for self-assessment that may reveal how one’s values, etc., influences their decision-making and ultimately students may be able to measurably improve their decision-making.  

BUSAD 5604: Strategic Planning

This course focuses on the planning responsibility of senior management. Students will examine how senior management can turn business visions into realities and gain competitive advantage in a crowded market. Readings are balanced with class exercises to develop practical skills. Students will work in teams to present their recommendations on appropriate case studies. 

Continuing Education Units

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are awarded based on a standard of one unit per ten (10) hours of classroom contact.

Note: The University reserves the right to cancel courses due to insufficient enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances

Cancellations and refunds

Payment is due upon registration. Students may request a registration cancellation through the start date of the course. A $25 cancellation fee will apply. No refunds will be given for withdrawal requests after the course start date. The University reserves the right to cancel course selections. If the course is cancelled, the student will be issued a full refund.