The Master of Science in Management and Leadership (MSML) degree provides a graduate academic learning experience designed to develop managerial and leadership skills within a values-centered framework. The degree program provides an opportunity for functional and technical specialists to acquire knowledge and develop competencies to allow for successful transition to effective front-line supervisors, functional managers, and team leaders in 21st century organizations. In addition to understanding and applying contemporary management and leadership theories, students also will create a personal development plan, receive individual leadership coaching, complete a service-leadership project in the community, and undertake an applied consulting project in a client organization.
Four learning objectives are central to the MSML curriculum:
- Increase self-awareness and personal understanding.
- Develop strong working knowledge of managerial and leadership capabilities in a values-centered framework.
- Develop competency in managing people and teams within public and private organizations.
- Increase multicultural competencies.
This 36-unit program, which may be completed in as few as four trimesters, utilizes a leadership and systems theory orientation to the expansion of management and leadership capacities. Concepts from organization theory and the behavioral sciences-such as enhanced self-awareness, group dynamics, organization and work design, and culture-provide the foundation for the development of advanced knowledge and skills, including improved managerial and leadership influence and impact and multicultural competency. Emphasis is placed on the application of these concepts to current issues facing organizational managers, such as increasing influence, alignment, conflict management, systems thinking, team, productivity improvement, and overall organizational performance. The first session is a weekend integrative workshop that creates a collaborative learning environment among the students as they complete strategic learning contracts and form anchor groups. Students will have an opportunity to review their learning contracts with a staff or faculty member in the second trimester of the program. The short integrative workshops in the third and fourth trimesters focus on team and organization systems. Systems learning is used to revisit the learning plans and implement an Education-to-Community Service Project (E2C) which forms the basis of an E2C Capstone Project.
Courses are offered through evening, weekend, integrative workshops, and short residential modes that provide a highly interactive learning environment. This four-trimester program is designed to be completed in 16 months. The integrative workshop courses are completed in the anchor groups, and students will have the flexibility to vary the pace of the program, even though a cohort format is encouraged. Courses are offered at the West Los Angeles and Irvine graduate campuses.
Course work can be applied to waive 9 units from the Fully Employed MBA core courses and 12 units from the elective requirements for the Leadership and Managing Organizational Change concentration.
Admission Requirements for the Master of Science in Management and Leadership (MSML)
The MSML application process is intended to ensure a good fit between the program’s objectives and the applicant’s experience, qualifications, and potential. Each applicant is assessed in a holistic way; no single criterion controls the admission decision.
To be considered eligible for admission to the MSML program, an applicant must have an undergraduate degree with an acceptable grade point average from a regionally accredited four-year college or university or a foreign institution. International academic institutions must be accredited by the ministry of education or like accrediting bodies from their respective countries.
- A completed online Application for Admission with a specified essay and a $75 payment for the nonrefundable application fee must be submitted electronically to the Graziadio School Admission Office.
- You must provide an official transcript with your posted baccalaureate degree. All transcripts reflecting in-progress and/or completed coursework toward your undergraduate degree(s) must be submitted to the Graziadio School Admission Office. The official transcript(s) must be issued by the school Registrar(s) and provided in a sealed envelope prior to your enrollment. If you have not completed your baccalaureate degree at the time of application, submit a current transcript.
- A minimum of five years of organization experience is recommended.
- A personal interview is required. The interview will be conducted by an MSML program representative. The Admissions Committee may require a second interview to be conducted by an MSML faculty member.
- An essay written in the presence of a Graziadio School staff or faculty member is required for our international applicants.
- The Graziadio School reserves the right to require an applicant to attain an acceptable score on either the Miller Analogies Test (MAT), the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
- Applicants who are not United States citizens or permanent residents or applicants who completed coursework outside of the United States must also meet the appropriate requirements for the Admission of International Students listed in the Admission Information section of the catalog.
Notification of Admission
The Admission Office will inform the applicant of the status of the application, but it is the applicant’s responsibility to be certain that all necessary documents are on file by published deadlines for admission.
While acceptance to the program may allow a student to enroll for 45 days as an unclassified student, admission to Pepperdine University will not be considered final until the application file is complete. Students will not be allowed to continue beyond the first term until all official documents have been received. Credits earned while on Unclassified Status do not assure a student of admission. Admission will be confirmed by a letter from the associate dean.
Leave of Absence
A leave of absence may be granted during a student’s course of study. A letter or an e-mail from the student’s Pepperdine e-mail account must be submitted to the Program Office indicating the reason for the leave and the projected time of return. Students may be granted a leave of absence for up to three consecutive trimesters. If a student requires a leave of absence longer than three consecutive trimesters, the student must petition the Program Committee. For information regarding the submission of this petition, contact an academic advisor.
Standards and Measurements of Achievement for MSML Students
Satisfactory completion of 36 units of course work is necessary for graduation. While it is expected that course work will be completed by the fourth trimester, students may take a more flexible schedule. Degree work in the MSML program must be completed within three calendar years from the date on which the student begins work at Pepperdine University. In rare cases, the associate dean may grant a limited extension of time to complete the degree.
Upon completion of the first session, a student’s progress and potential in the MSML program are reviewed. The program director, upon recommendation of the Program Committee, may counsel a student to withdraw from the program based on the committee’s assessment that the student’s performance, conduct, and/or potential do not align with the program’s objectives.
Students’ academic records are reviewed at the end of each trimester. If a student’s grade point average falls below 3.0, the student is placed on academic probation. Because students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 to graduate with an MSML degree, attention to the grade point average is of concern throughout the student’s enrollment. A student is subject to academic dismissal for any of the following deficiencies:
- Failure to earn at least a 3.0 grade point average in the first trimester of enrollment.
- Failure to achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0.
- Earning a grade of “B-” or lower during a trimester in which a student is on probation.
- Earning a grade lower than “D” in any course.
- Earning a grade lower than “B-” in more than two courses.
Pathways to MSML
Students who have completed the Bachelor of Science in Management program and who meet the eligibility criteria outlined below may waive up to 9 units of MSML coursework and complete the MSML program with as few as 27 units. To be considered eligible, students must submit an application for the Pathways to MSML and have completed the BSM Program with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.4.
Students who earned a grade of “B” or higher in the equivalent BSM course would be able to waive up to 9 units of MSML coursework as follows:
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