Converse with mountains and text overlay with academic year and Graduate Catalog

Master of Arts in Community and Organizational Leadership (MACOL) Program Requirements



Download PDF

Faculty

  • Peggy Cain, Program Director

Master of Arts in Community and Organizational Leadership Courses

Admission to the Master of Arts in Community and organizational Leadership Program

This program prepares graduates for leadership positions in a variety of community organizations and settings. It prepares them to develop deeper relationships with community members, organize grassroots efforts and dialogue, lead and manage non-profit organizations, business human resources programs, social service and community outreach programs, advocate in public policy arenas, and communicate with and teach relevant audiences. Students will be prepared to work in settings such as: non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, community organizing and outreach, government public affairs departments, social service agencies, business and nonprofit human resources, public education outreach, environmental organizations, public health, economic development, corporate foundations, philanthropy, arts organizations, religious communities, ethnic affairs programs, elected offices, and community planning. Students also have the option of selecting a specialized track within the program: Organizational Leadership with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Emphasis, which prepares graduates for organizational leadership positions including human resources, the Trauma and Restorative Justice Emphasis, which prepares graduates to understand impacts of trauma and integrate trauma-informed and restorative practices, or the highly-customizable Comprehensive Track.

Philosophy Statement

Democracy is strongest when informed citizens participate actively in decision-making in their communities. This program aims to strengthen and improve the work of many types of community groups and organizations working to help people meet their basic needs, inform citizens on issues, and involve people in decision-making through advocacy efforts and community organizing. The program structure models the collaborative philosophy that undergirds the program. The program is cross-disciplinary, incorporating faculty from various disciplinary backgrounds. The program also integrates the expertise of members of the community through an advisory board, class placements with community organizations, guest speakers, and team teaching with local experts. Classes in the program build on the life and work experience that students bring to the program. Classes are highly experiential and active. Class assignments are often competency-based, incorporating real-life tasks similar to those students encounter in their jobs and community settings. Some class projects will serve specific community organizations. The Capstone Project will integrate students’ learning from the entire program and provide an opportunity to design an in-depth project tailored to the students’ interests and professional goals that serves the needs of a particular organization or group in the community. Graduates of the program will be equipped with specific skills and knowledge to serve the community today, as well as the ability to learn, reflect, and adapt to the rapidly-changing contexts in which they will be working. The program content is organized within the following program standards:

Leadership: Students will demonstrate skills in leading formal organizations (non-profit, government, philanthropy) and informal community efforts.

Management: Students will demonstrate skills in managing formal organizations (non-profit, government, philanthropy) and informal community efforts.

Community Development, Organizing and Advocacy: Students will demonstrate skills in conducting research in communities, and use those skills to effectively and creatively facilitate participatory decision-making, community organizing, and advocacy in public policy arenas.

Communication: Students will communicate ideas to audiences in oral, visual, and written forms to establish knowledge, to increase understanding, or to advocate for a particular position.

Critical Thinking: Students will comprehensively explore issues, ideas, artifacts, events, and other positions, before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion.

Collaboration: Students will demonstrate self-awareness, understanding of effective group dynamics, and project management skills.

Creativity: Students will combine or synthesize new ideas, practices, or expertise in original ways that are characterized by innovation, divergent thinking, and risk taking.

Program Description

Program content is organized into core classes, elective classes, and a capstone project or internship. The core has three parts: community organizing and advocacy, leadership and management, and communications. Students may complete the 21-hour core and receive a Certificate in Community Leadership. For those wishing to pursue the Master of Arts, elective options enable students to specialize in one of three areas, choose a mixture of courses, or to pursue Organizational Leadership with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Emphasis, Trauma and Restorative Justice Emphasis, or Comprehensive Track. The capstone experience integrates knowledge and skills students have learned throughout the program and enables students to apply that knowledge and skill in an individualized way to serve a community organization.

Program Requirements

Students must complete the 21-hour core to receive the Certificate in Community Leadership. A minimum of 35 credit hours is required for graduation with the Master of Arts degree. A maximum of nine credit hours of graduate-level transcripted credit may be accepted from another accredited college or university. The accepted coursework must fall within the guidelines of Westminster’s graduate programs. Courses completed at other graduate institutions must carry a grade of B or better to be eligible for transfer credit.

Although a minimum of 35 credit hours is required, students may desire, or need to complete, additional hours to enhance their graduate degree. Planning this graduate degree program is the responsibility of students in collaboration with their advisors.

Retention in the Program

School of Education courses may only be repeated once. The student must:

  • Design and file an acceptable program plan with the Program Director.
  • Maintain a grade point average of 3.0. Courses in which a grade of C- or lower is awarded do not count toward graduation requirements. A grade of C- or lower in two courses will result in dismissal from the program. School of Education courses may only be repeated once; a grade of C- or lower on the retake will result in dismissal from the program. All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
  • Complete the program within six years, or begin to lose credit for courses older than six years.

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible for a master’s degree, students must satisfy the following conditions:

  • Meet all credit hour and other course requirements.
  • Maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0 or above.
  • Be enrolled at Westminster University during the semester in which they wish to graduate.
  • Maintain good academic standing.
  • Earn a grade of C or higher in all graduate courses.

Note: Only graduate-level coursework may be applied toward a degree or certificate requirements. The final responsibility for being informed about, and adhering to, graduation requirements rests with the student.

Graduate Certificate in Community & Organizational Leadership

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. Required Courses 21  
MACOL 601 Foundations of Organizational & Social Change 3  
MACOL 602 Discourse & Research Methods 3 MACOL 601
MACOL 603 Policy, Advocacy & Community Organizing 3 MACOL 602
MACOL 606 Envisioning Futures 3  
MBA 548E Budgeting & Finance for Community Organizations 2  
MBA 651E The Nonprofit Organization 2  
MBA 625C Leadership and Decision Making  2  
Take one of the following courses:
MACOL 622 Program Planning and Evaluation 3  
MACOL 654 Organizational and Leadership Communication 3  
MACOL 655 Intercultural and Global Communication 3  
MACOL 656 Integrated Marketing Communication 3  
MED 668 Instructional Design Foundations 3  
Total Hours for the Certificate in Community & Organizational Leadership 21  

Graduate Certificate in Organizational Leadership

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. Required Courses 9  
MACOL 601 Foundations of Organizational & Social Change 3  
MACOL 624 Leadership, Conflict & Change 2  
MACOL 626 HR Equity & Compliance Practices 2  
MACOL 643 High Performing Organizational Cultures 2  
Total Hours for the Certificate in Organizational Leadership 9  

Graduate Certificate in Trauma-Responsive Leadership

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. Required Courses 10  
MACOL 639 Neuroscience of Trauma 3  
MACOL 640 Trauma-Responsive Organizations 2  
MACOL 642 Foundations of Restorative Justice 3  
MACOL 624 or MACOL 643 Leadership, Conflict & Change OR
High Performing Organizational Cultures
2  
Total Hours for the Certificate in Trauma-Responsive Leadership 10  

Master of Arts in Community & Organizational Leadership

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. Required Courses 21  
MACOL 601 Foundations of Organizational & Social Change 3  
MACOL 602 Discourse & Research Methods 3 MACOL 601
MACOL 603 Policy, Advocacy & Community Organizing 3 MACOL 602
MACOL 606 Envisioning Futures 3  
MBA 548E Budgeting & Finance for Community Organizations 2  
MBA 625C Leadership and Decision Making 2  
MBA 651E The Nonprofit Organization 2  
Take one of the following courses
MACOL 622 Program Planning & Evaluation 3  
MACOL 654 Organizational & Leadership Communication 3  
MACOL 655 Intercultural and Global Communication 3  
MACOL 656 Integrated Marketing Communication 3  
MED 668 Instructional Design Foundations 3  
II. Elective Courses 8  
Students pursuing the Master of Arts may choose classes from the following:
MACOL 608 Special Topics in Community Leadership 1–3  
MACOL 610 Introduction to Development 1  
MACOL 612 Corporate/Foundations Relations 1  
MACOL 614 Working with Volunteers 1  
MACOL 616 Working with Nonprofit Boards of Directors 1  
MACOL 618 Facilitating and Negotiating 1  
MACOL 620 Advanced Community Organizing 3 MACOL 603
MACOL 622 Program Planning & Evaluation 3  
MACOL 624 Leadership, Conflict & Change 2  
MACOL 630 Community Leadership: International Contexts 2  
MACOL 636 Arts and Communities 2  
MACOL 639 Neuroscience of Trauma 3  
MACOL 640 Trauma-Responsive Organizations 2  
MACOL 642 Foundations of Restorative Justice 3  
MACOL 643 High Performing Organizational Cultures 2  
MACOL 654 Organizational and Leadership Communication 3  
MACOL 655 Intercultural and Global Communication 3  
MACOL 656 Integrated Marketing Communication 3  
MACOL 658 Managing Issues in Crisis 1  
MACOL 662 Social Media Marketing 1  
MACOL 665 Internship 1–3  
MACOL 668 Directed Study 1–3  
MACOL 670 Research Extension 1  
MED 613 Theories of Adult Learning 3  
MED 634 Teaching Adults 3  
MED 652 Globalization of Education 3  
MED 653 Indigenous Knowledges & Lifeways 3  
MED 668 Instructional Design Foundations 3  
MBA 605C Communication and Teamwork 2  
Students may choose electives from the Master of Public Health program offerings in consultation with directors of the MPH and MACOL programs.
III. Project 6  
MACOL 679 Capstone Project Development 3 MACOL 602
MACOL 680 Capstone Project 3 MACOL 679
Total Hours for the Master of Arts in Community and Organizational Leadership 35  

Master of Arts in Community & Organizational Leadership: Trauma and Restorative Justice Emphasis

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. Core Courses 26  
MACOL 601 Foundations of Organizational & Social Change 3  
MACOL 602 Critical Theory & Methods 3 MACOL 601
MACOL 603 Policy, Advocacy & Community Organizing 3 MACOL 602
MACOL 606 Envisioning Futures 3  
MACOL 639 Neuroscience of Trauma 3  
MACOL 640 Trauma-responsive Organizations 2  
MACOL 642 Foundations of Restorative Justice 3  
MBA 548E Budgeting & Finance for Community Organizations 2  
MBA 625C Leadership and Decision Making 2  
MBA 651E The Nonprofit Organization 2  
II. Elective Courses 3  
Students pursuing the Master of Arts may choose classes from the following:
MACOL 608 Special Topics in Community Leadership 1–3  
MACOL 610 Introduction to Development 1  
MACOL 612 Corporate/Foundation Relations 1  
MACOL 614 Working with Volunteers 1  
MACOL 616 Working with Nonprofit Boards of Directors 1  
MACOL 618 Facilitating and Negotiating 1  
MACOL 620 Advanced Community Organizing 3 MACOL 603
MACOL 622 Program Planning and Evaluation 3  
MACOL 624 Leadership, Conflict & Change 2  
MACOL 630 Community Leadership: International Contexts 2  
MACOL 636 Arts and Communities 2  
MACOL 643 High Performing Organizational Cultures 2  
MACOL 654 Organizational and Leadership Communication 3  
MACOL 655 Intercultural and Global Communication 3  
MACOL 656 Integrated Marketing Communication 3  
MACOL 658 Managing Issues of Crisis 1  
MACOL 662 Social Media Marketing 1  
MACOL 665 Internship 1-3  
MACOL 668 Directed Study 1-3  
MACOL 670 Research Extension 1  
MED 613 Theories of Adult Learning and Development 3  
MED 644 Arts and Movement for Trauma 2  
MED 645 Self-Care for Secondary Trauma 1  
MED 646 Writing for Trauma Healing 1  
MED 653 Indigenous Knowledges & Lifeways 3  
Students may choose electives from the Master of Public Health program offerings in consultation with the directors of the MPH and MACOL programs.
III. Project 6  
MACOL 679 Capstone Project Development 3 MACOL 602
MACOL 680 Capstone Project 3 MACOL 679
Total Hours for the Master of Arts in Community and Organizational Leadership: Trauma and Restorative Justice Emphasis 35  

Master of Arts in Community & Organizational Leadership: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Emphasis

Requirement Description Credit Hours Prerequisites
I. Core Courses 22  
MACOL 601 Foundations of Organizational & Social Change 3  
MACOL 602 Critical Theory & Methods 3 MACOL 601
MACOL 606 Envisioning Futures 3  
MACOL 624 Leadership, Conflict & Change 2  
MACOL 626 HR Equity & Compliance Practices 2  
MACOL 643 High Performing Organizational Cultures 2  
MACOL 655 Intercultural and Global Communication 3  
MBA 548E Budgeting & Finance for Community Organizations 2  
MBA 625C Leadership and Decision Making 2  
II. Elective Courses 7  
MACOL 603 Policy, Advocacy & Community Organizing 3  
MACOL 608 Special Topics in Community Leadership 1–3  
MACOL 614 Working with Volunteers 1  
MACOL 616 Working with Nonprofit Boards of Directors 1  
MACOL 618 Facilitating and Negotiating 1  
MACOL 622 Program Planning and Evaluation 3  
MACOL 630 Community Leadership: International Contexts 2  
MACOL 639 Neuroscience of Trauma 3  
MACOL 640 Trauma-Responsive Organizations 2  
MACOL 642 Foundations of Restorative Justice 3  
MACOL 654 Organizational and Leadership Communication 3  
MACOL 665 Internship 1–3  
MACOL 668 Directed Study 1–3  
MACOL 670 Research Extension 1  
MED 610 Sociocultural Contexts for Learning 3  
MED 613 Theories of Adult Learning 3  
MED 634 Teaching Adults 3  
MED 653 Indigenous Knowledges & Lifeways 3  
MBA 605C Communication and Teamwork 2  
MBA 651E The Nonprofit Organization 2  
III. Project 6  
MACOL 679 Capstone Project Development 3 MACOL 602
MACOL 680 Capstone Project 3 MACOL 679
Total Hours for the Master of Arts in Community and Organizational Leadership: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Emphasis 35