M.A. in Strategic Leadership
Messiah University’s strategic leadership program will teach you best practices for successfully leading change, developing leaders, empowering teams and aligning organizations to achieve desired results.
Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership overview
Messiah University’s Master of Arts in strategic leadership program is designed for recent graduates and professionals who are looking to make a significant impact in the organizations they serve by becoming more effective leaders.
- 30 credits
- Fully online
- No-fee tuition
- No application fee
- Eight- and six-week courses
- One-year completion
- Culminating capstone project with faculty member and organization of your choice
- Biblical integration that will equip you to serve God more effectively as a faithful professional
- Faculty who serve as mentors
- Extensive networking and career development opportunities
- Executive, director or manager leading teams and organizations
- HR executive / management
- Talent and organizational development leader
- Leadership and change management leader / consultant
Messiah University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education. It is the highest accrediting authority recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for degree-granting colleges and universities located in Pennsylvania, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and several other locations internationally.
Additionally, Messiah University’s undergraduate and graduate programs in business are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
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TheBestColleges.org recently ranked Messiah #5 in the country for top online master's in organizational leadership.
OnlineMasters.com has selected Messiah as one of the Best Master's in Organizational Leadership Programs in the nation for 2019
Top Management Degrees recently named Messiah's Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership as the #7 Best Master's in Management Program in Pennsylvania.
Intelligent.com has ranked Messiah as a 2020 Top 26 Online Master's in Organizational Leadership Degree Programs and named it Best Faith-based Institution in the category.
Programs related to Strategic Leadership
The curriculum and coursework for Messiah University’s Master of Arts in strategic leadership is designed to be instantly relevant to your area of study and career.
Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership tuition cost
No-fee tuition
With Messiah’s no-fee tuition, there are no additional university charges for labs, courses, services or technology. While some programs may involve additional expenses such as materials, travel or other external costs that vary by student, you won’t encounter unexpected fees from Messiah. This approach allows you to clearly understand and plan for the tuition portion of your graduate education.
Deferred billing
Deferred billing is available for students with employer reimbursement. For more information contact Student Financial Services at gradfinancialserv@messiah.edu.
2026-2027
20% tuition discount for ALL Business and Leadership Students enrolling 2026-27
The tuition rate with the discounts for the 2026-27 academic year is $656 per credit hour (compared to the original $820 per credit hour). This equals a total cost of $23,616 for the MBA degree; and $5,904 for graduate certificate programs.
LEARN MORE ABOUT tuition Discounts
Students are eligible to apply for federal financial aid. Tuition is subject to annual adjustment; historically, increases have averaged approximately 2-3% per year.
Next steps for admissions
Applying for admission to a graduate program at Messiah University is the first step to making your personal and professional goals a reality.
What makes our business and leadership programs unique?
Faithful perspective
At Messiah University we believe that faith transforms how we view and practice business and leadership. It inspires us to serve God through the organizations we lead, and to create mutually beneficial opportunities with our customers, employees and communities.
Educational distinction
We are a nationally ranked and recognized teaching institution. You’ll be mentored and taught by faculty that have served God faithfully in their careers, possess advanced academic credentials, and have real-world experience to help you put theory into practice and to make an immediate impact in your organization.
Practical relevance
Our degree and certificate programs leverage the latest research, best practices and proven models for business and leadership success. Our unique concentrations and course offerings give you options in emergent and prominent disciplines. You’ll immediately be able to apply what you’re learning in your own work environment as you lead faithfully.
Flexible convenience
Our business and leadership programs are completely online with six entry points in the calendar year.
Meaningful community
When you enroll at Messiah University you become part of a vibrant community of professionals from various industries, backgrounds and experiences who are seeking to be faithful and influential leaders in the marketplace. We intentionally keep our class sizes small so that you can develop meaningful relationships with your community of peers and professors. When you graduate, you become part of Messiah University’s extensive alumni network of notable professionals that are transforming their world.
FAQs
Messiah University’s Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership is designed to be completed fully online, so you can earn this master’s degree from anywhere. Whether you live in Pennsylvania (PA) or out of state, you will still learn from Messiah faculty and engage with classmates in an interactive online format.
Program features that support online flexibility include:
- 30 total credits with a structured curriculum and capstone
- Courses start every 8 weeks, so students can begin at multiple points throughout the year
Messiah’s M.A. in Strategic Leadership centers on the real-world skills leaders need to guide people, teams and organizations through change. The core curriculum includes:
- The Character of a Leader (LEAD 501) — leadership grounded in ethics, integrity and purpose
- Strategic Thinking, Planning & Organizational Change (LEAD 505) — how to analyze environments, set direction and lead change
- Organizational Communication: Theory & Practice (COMM 530) — communication systems, culture and influence in organizations
- Best Practices in Leadership (LEAD 515) — applied leadership tools, models and evidence-based practices
- Leading Leaders (LEAD 530) — coaching, mentoring and developing others into leaders
- Followership, Teamwork & Group Dynamics (LEAD 540) — team performance, collaboration and healthy organizational dynamics
- Organizational Effectiveness (LEAD 550) — aligning mission, people and processes for results
- Research Methods (LEAD 580) — interpreting and using research to solve organizational problems
- Diversity & Leadership (LEAD 560) — leading across difference, equity-minded leadership
- Leadership Capstone (LEAD 590) — a culminating project applying strategic leadership to your context
A master’s in strategic leadership and an MBA both develop leaders, but they serve different goals.
Messiah’s M.A. in Strategic Leadership is specialized. It focuses deeply on:
- leadership character and ethics
- organizational culture and communication
- leading change
- developing teams and other leaders
- effectiveness and diversity in leadership
It’s ideal for people who want to lead strongly without needing a broad business-operations degree — for example, leaders in education, nonprofits, ministry, healthcare, public service or corporate people-leadership roles.
By contrast, a typical MBA is a general management degree. Even Messiah’s MBA (including the Strategic Leadership concentration) includes heavier coverage of business fundamentals like strategy execution, marketing, analytics/data-driven decision-making and innovation/entrepreneurship in addition to leadership.
A simple way to frame it:
- M.A. Strategic Leadership = leadership depth (people, culture, change, ethics)
- MBA = business breadth + leadership (finance/marketing/strategy/analytics plus leadership)
Graduates of Messiah’s online M.A. in Strategic Leadership are prepared for roles where leading people, shaping culture and driving mission matter most. The program is designed for professionals who want to make a significant organizational impact by becoming more effective leaders.
Common career paths include:
- Manager/senior manager (operations, teams or departments)
- Organizational development or training leader
- Project or program director
- Nonprofit or ministry executive
- Healthcare or human services administrator leadership
- HR/people-operations leadership
- Change management or strategy implementation roles
Because the curriculum stresses strategic thinking, organizational change, communication and team development, this degree fits especially well for jobs requiring cross-functional leadership rather than a narrow technical specialization.
In short: this online Strategic Leadership master’s in PA supports advancement into leadership roles across business, nonprofit, education and service-driven organizations — especially for people who want to lead with ethical clarity and organizational skill.
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