Take Your Leadership and Organization to the Next Level.

The Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership (MASL) is an online degree program serving leaders who have a bachelor's degree and desire to pursue further specialized education and develop additional skills in leadership and ministry. It is no secret: our world is experiencing rapid change and becoming increasingly more complex and demanding, which is why continued professional development is crucial for today’s leaders. No matter the setting – whether church or business, human services or global outreach – those who lead must excel in their ability to think and act strategically. The MASL is designed to provide an integrated experience that blends leadership, management, and organizational theories with practical theology. Click or tap here to view the program fact sheet.
Though cohorts are composed of students not only from across the U.S., but also from other nations, cohort members are able to maintain vital peer relationships, beginning with the first residency and continuing through the two-year program. The weekly discussion boards facilitate ongoing collaboration and mutual support, and create opportunities for substantial interaction between instructors and students.
Students go through the program as part of a cohort of 12 to 20 people. The cohort moves as a group from class to class through the sequential, 36-unit curriculum. Students begin the program with a one-week on-campus residency, followed by four weeks of online work. They then transition to a series of five eight-week-long online courses that are scheduled one at a time, back to back. The program’s second year follows the same structure, with one week of residency, four weeks of online work to complete the residency coursework, and five more eight week-long classes. Cohorts begin in January and July. The academic schedule allows for several weeks’ break at Christmas/New Year’s and during late June/early July. Click or tap here to learn more about the program courses.
"Every class in the MASL program applied to my current context. Teaching in higher education, mentoring future leaders, and having an impact globally are all part of my future and the MASL has set me up well to continue my education later and meet these goals."
"The MASL is not pigeon-holed into one area of academics. It's not just business, it's not just ministry, it's not just theology, but it spans all of those things. You're able to bring strategic leadership into every area of your life."
Ed Carlisle, Vice President, R & W Engineering, Inc. says, “The MASL [program] has caused me to evaluate my work and mission…[it] allowed me to realize that working as an engineer and business owner is a Christian calling to ministry. This expanded my view of what a pastor truly is and how the business leader in secular for-profit business is a pastor to a congregation made up of many people who would never think of visiting a church on Sunday morning. This means I must take this responsibility seriously and find ways to share Christ with those who don’t know him and provide guidance to those that do. I now confidently approach my business as my calling and mission. Christian service is not relegated to or limited to work I do in, for, or around the church building.”
Mike Dobes, MASL 2014 says, "Since finishing the MASL, I have noticed a change in how I view office politics, organizational structure, and even the leading of working teams within the ministry. My boss has commented on the change and sees a difference in my confidence and strategic planning. I would tell a prospect to go for it! The MASL will introduce you to lifelong friends, it will challenge you as never before, but mostly it will reveal more of God’s plans for your life and will provide tools of strategic thinking, higher-level writing and a new way to see the world around you that will shape your capacity and ability to lead.”