The online MA in Leadership is designed to prepare you to become an effective, informed, and skilled leader who can facilitate the creation and development of just and inclusive organizations. Graduates from this program go on to leadership roles across a variety of in education, nonprofit, community-based, policy, governmental, and social enterprise settings.

This fully-online program offers courses in a range of fully synchronous to partially asynchronous. Students can choose to pursue the program either full-time or part-time.

Program Outcomes

The interdisciplinary Tufts Leadership master's program prepares graduates to lead with integrity across a variety of organizational contexts. The program blends academic rigor and scholarship with applied learning, encouraging students to examine systems of power, develop a personal leadership philosophy, and apply their learning to real-world challenges.

As a student in the program, you will join a cohort from a variety of backgrounds and scholarly fields. Core coursework emphasizes leadership theory, organizational change, and equity frameworks, while custom pathways provide opportunities for specialization in applied, skills-based areas. You may choose to pursue one of several specializations or design an individualized pathway by selecting courses across multiple specializations. Graduates of the program will be prepared to lead in higher education, nonprofits, government, community-based organizations, and the private sector. You will be equipped to design and implement strategies that advance equity, strengthen organizational capacity, and respond to evolving workforce and societal needs.

Our curriculum emphasizes:

Expansive and ethical leadership
Systems thinking and organizational change
Equity-driven strategy and decision-making
Cross-sector collaboration and policy influence
Service-oriented leadership

Flexible Format and Options

This program is dynamic and flexible in order to meet the needs of our students and is available in a fully online format. Students can choose to pursue their degree full-time (minimum of 9 credits per semester) or part-time.

Students enrolled full-time can complete the program within two years if some courses are taken over the summer. Students applying for Fall entry may choose to accelerate the program by taking courses during the summer of their admission year.

Students enrolled part-time typically take two to three years to complete the program. The program's online format makes the part-time study option particularly appealing for students who are balancing their education with full-time or part-time employment.

You can tailor your studies to your interests, choosing to focus on either an individualized pathway, or select one of the following focused specializations:

Organizational Learning and Leadership
Negotiation and Communication
Sustainable & Impact Investing
Strategic Planning and Evaluation

Application Requirements

The Leadership program is committed to holistically reviewing all applications. This means that each application will undergo a balanced review across all components to assess the student's fit with the program.