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Master of Science in Leadership

Embark on a journey toward greater impact as you acquire the skills for strategic, ethical, and visionary leadership.

School of Education | On-Campus

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What You'll Learn

Drake University’s Master of Science (MS) in Leadership program unlocks your potential, empowering you to shape organizations through compassion, integrity, and a deep sense of purpose. The program guides students to cultivate emotional intelligence and resilience, equipping them to lead with presence and authenticity in complex environments.

You’ll merge theoretical knowledge with practical application, learning how to foster inspiration, collaboration, and innovation at supervisory and executive levels.

The program emphasizes self-awareness as a means of identifying your core values and commitments. You’ll also explore key leadership theories and practices to analyze them within the dynamics of organizational values and team cohesion.

In the process, you’ll understand how to persuasively communicate, negotiate, resolve conflicts, make data-based decisions, and spark organizational change. Your preparation ends in a hands-on capstone project, in which you’ll drive change through community engagement.

About the Master’s in Leadership Program

  • Keep working while you grow your skills. Designed to fit your schedule, fall and spring classes are held on three non-consecutive weekends, while summer classes are online.
  • Students benefit from a supportive cohort model and close mentorship from faculty who guide their leadership development every step of the way.
  • Build lasting connections with peers through the cohort-based structure.
  • Applying is easy. No application fee. No standardized tests.
  • Systematically build leadership competencies as you progress through a carefully sequenced curriculum that examines leadership across different organizational levels and contexts.
  • Dive into complex on-the-ground challenges in Des Moines with your capstone project, which encourages you to create sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact.
  • MSL graduates often move into mid- and senior-level leadership positions within three years of completing the program.

Program Facts

  • Fall/spring classes on campus; summer classes online
  • Flexible program for working adults
  • Complete in 2 years
  • Includes leadership experience in urban revitalization
Admission Requirements

Program Options

Leadership moves you forward. No matter your role or career stage, leadership matters. That’s why Drake offers multiple pathways to grow your skills and expand your impact.

MS in Leadership

Build a toolset of leadership skills and concepts for guiding organizational change. In 10 courses over two years, you’ll study topics like self-awareness, communication, conflict resolution, cultural competence, strategic planning, innovation, and change management.

3+2 Program

Strengthen your résumé and accelerate your path forward. In the 3+2 program, you’ll begin taking courses for the master’s degree as a senior and finish through part-time studies the following year, earning two degrees in just five years.

Pharm.D./MS in Leadership

Join clinical expertise with advanced leadership training to pursue roles in healthcare, the pharmaceutical industry, education, business, or policy. Pharm.D. students add just eight graduate courses to complete the dual degree.

Meet the Faculty

Get more than theory. Our faculty bring a blend of academic rigor and decades of hands-on leadership in business, education, and healthcare, ensuring you learn from professionals who have led organizations through real challenges.

Molly Shepard, Ph.D.

Molly Shepard, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Practice, Leadership, Human Resources, & Organizational Behavior

Claire Muselman, Ed.D.

Claire Muselman, Ed.D.

Co-Director, Master of Science in Leadership Development; Assistant Professor of Practice, Leadership, Human Resources, & Organizational Behavior

Stephanie Oppel, Ph.D.

Stephanie Oppel, Ph.D.

Adjunct Instructor, Leadership

All Faculty Members

Outside the Classroom

Extend your leadership knowledge and practice your skills in real-world contexts as you partner with the surrounding community to fuel mutual growth.

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Zimpleman Partnerships

Tap into the expertise and connections of the Zimpleman College of Business. A close partnership facilitates joint courses and projects that augment your leadership skills with business acumen.

Business Clinic Projects

Engage in real-world projects through the Business Clinic. You’ll solve leadership and management challenges for local companies and non-profits, gaining practical experience that mirrors workplace complexities.

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Collaborate With Drake Athletics

Get involved in Drake Athletics’ robust leadership training program for student-athletes. You’ll translate theories and applications to a competitive sports environment as you provide training and support.

Grant winners working with Wesley Life

Community Engagement

Lead for the greater good. At Drake, you’ll leverage extensive connections with local organizations as you train to catalyze positive change in business, social, and community contexts.

Leadership Lab

Practice your skills and develop your judgment through realistic leadership scenarios in a controlled environment, where you’ll use the latest simulation technologies to enhance your learning and build confidence.

A cohort of capstone students smiling in a group after presenting

Capstone Project With the 6th Avenue Corridor

Make a difference during your studies. In your capstone project, you’ll partner with local organizations that are revitalizing Des Moines’ 6th Avenue Corridor to foster your understanding of the socioeconomic impacts of strategic leadership.

Experiential Learning

Careers & Skills

Graduate ready to excel in a variety of leadership roles across every sector, moving up to positions where you can direct teams, steer projects, influence organizational strategy, and promote positive change.

Graduates leave with advanced skills in influence, cultural competence, and resilience—qualities essential for leading diverse teams in today’s evolving workplace.

Many graduates find employment with top corporations, non-profits, and governmental agencies. Some also pursue further education, enrolling in advanced degree programs to enhance their expertise and career prospects. Students can take advantage of advancement opportunities or seek new career roles offering expanded responsibilities, use of their leadership skills, and entrepreneurial spirit.

Job Titles

  • Change management consultant
  • Director of operations
  • Organizational development consultant
  • Project manager
  • Team development manager

Skills

  • Cultural competence
  • Data-driven decision making
  • Effective communication
  • Ethical decision making
  • Influence
  • Leading organizational change
  • Resilience
  • Strategic vision
  • Team building
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Student Testimonials

Emmeline Paintsil’s career trajectory, from practitioner to statewide leader who guides how all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians manage patient care, illustrates the impactful influence of Drake’s MS in Leadership. Paintsil entered the profession after earning a PharmD from Drake in 2018, beginning as a Pharmacy Practice Residency for Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before becoming a Clinical Pharmacist for Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Paintsil completed the MS in Leadership in 2020, ultimately igniting the next stage of her career. Since 2021, she has served as the Director of Professional Affairs for the Iowa Pharmacy Association, a role where she oversees advisory and policy committees and coordinates with the Department of Public Health, Board of Pharmacy, and area professionals to improve patient outcomes on a broad scale.

“My absolute favorite part about this program was my relationships and connections with the other students. This program is special in that you get a wide variety of backgrounds and industry representation, and we would have a classroom filled with individuals from healthcare, from the business world, from government [and] education … a lovely blend of different backgrounds, and everyone had something different and special to add.”
Jennifer Soma, MSL’11
Human Resources and Operations, Donor Recovery Services

Related Program

Develop and focus your leadership abilities through an exploration of specific contexts and applications.

Management and Organizational Leadership, BSBA

In Drake University’s Management and Organizational Leadership (MOL) major, you’ll acquire the skills to attract talent, inspire others to meet and exceed business goals, and lead within a global context.

Take the Next Step

It’s time to expand your reach. Unlock your potential for enhanced leadership effectiveness and novel career opportunities.

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