NEWS FROM STUDENT AFFAIRS

New Minor in Leadership Studies
The College of Education, in collaboration with the Adele H. Stamp Student Union Center for Campus Life, announces the arrival of Maryland’s newest minor, The Minor in Leadership Studies! The minor offers all students an opportunity to delve into leadership as a field of study by educating undergraduate students for and about leadership in a complex world. The goal of the minor is to prepare students for formal and informal leadership roles in campus, local, national and global contexts.

Faculty and students in the minor are dedicated to advancing the field of leadership studies by building upon and critically evaluating existing theoretical, research-based and practical knowledge. Students in the minor are exposed to diverse theories and perspectives on leadership and are encouraged to apply analytical skills to develop their own working philosophy of leadership that will serve them in organizational and career contexts.

The minor is open to students from any school or college on campus. Applying students need to have successfully completed EDCP 217 (Introduction to Student Leadership) and at least 30 credit hours prior to application to the program, be in good academic standing and been admitted into the minor prior to the completion of the final nine credits of minor coursework and no later than one full academic year before the expected date of graduation. Applications are accepted twice a year—on March 1 and October 1.

Core classes in the minor include EDCP 217, EDCP 315, Student Leadership in Groups and Organizations, and EDCP 417, Advanced Leadership Seminar. Students may also take courses designed around leadership and identity, such as Black Leadership, Asian American Leadership, Jewish Leadership, LGBT Leadership, American Indian Leadership, Women and Leadership and Leadership and Race and Ethnicity. Students will round out their minor with a selection of electives available from schools and colleges across the university.

The minor recognizes that civic engagement and multicultural competence are necessary requirements for leadership in an increasingly complex world, so we ask our students to challenge, question and learn from other students’ differing viewpoints to develop the skills and knowledge to be leaders in their communities on campus and after graduation.

More information about the minor, including course requirements and eligibility, is available at www.education.umd.edu/EDCP/leadership/ or from Elizabeth Niehaus, graduate coordinator, Minor in Leadership Studies, at 301.314.7169 or eniehaus@umd.edu.