Photo by Rebecca Slater '10, by Rebecca Studios
For 32 years, the St. Kate鈥檚 Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) program has taught students how to succeed in leadership roles within a variety of organizations. Designed as an alternative to MBA degrees that emphasize corporate leadership, the MAOL program casts a wider net.
From healthcare to IT, the program offers specialized tracks for students to tailor their education to their desired career goals. With the launch of the new nonprofit and public leadership track, the MAOL degree now offers seven distinct concentrations.
The nonprofit and public leadership concentration is designed to teach students the ins and outs of nonprofit, community and government leadership. The curriculum still overlaps with core MAOL concepts in areas like management, finance and social responsibility, but the new track also emphasizes courses like public forum leadership and international trade.
It should come as no surprise that part of the driving force behind the new concentration were the students themselves. St. Kate鈥檚 commitment to social justice resonates strongly with students, many of whom openly voiced their opinions about creating a MAOL concentration that would align with the University鈥檚 mission of service and leadership. Now that the new track has officially begun enrolling students this fall, program leaders expect to see some students shift their emphasis.
As Associate Professor Amy Ihlan pointed out, 鈥淢any of our students were naturally ending up in the nonprofit and government sectors; it made sense to create a specific concentration for those types of careers. The Twin Cities has a strong and vibrant nonprofit community, so having talent that is equipped with a higher degree level is becoming increasingly desirable at the top tiers of nonprofit and government organizations.鈥