2024-2025

Strategic Leadership 90-30, Bachelor of Science

NAU Yuma

Provost Office

The Strategic Leadership degree offers three emphasis areas for our students, each with a distinct purpose. Students in this program will learn to be better leaders and learn how to better adapt to their current or future roles in their organization. This program provides students who are new to leadership or who have been in a management position for an extended period.

Our aim is to take traditional learning off the table and give students a chance to engage in meaningful discussions, participate in applicable projects and come away with a new ideas and tools, and leverage these in the workplace.  

With NAU’s Strategic Leadership degree, you will build the necessary skills to pursue leadership roles within your organization. Unlike most traditional organizational leadership programs, our degree was designed with the end user in mind. Our program is rooted in best practices from the world’s most admired companies, with books and case studies written by the most respected leaders and mentors in business.

  • Available Emphasis Areas:
  • Industrial Leadership - Emphasis
  • Strategic Leadership Coursework
  • Transformational Leadership and Culture - Emphasis

  • To receive a bachelor's degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.

    • All of Northern Arizona University's diversity, liberal studies, junior-level writing, and capstone requirements.
    • All requirements for your specific academic plan(s).
    • At least 30 units of upper-division courses, which may include transfer work.
    • At least 30 units of coursework taken through Northern Arizona University, of which at least 18 must be upper-division courses (300-level or above). This requirement is not met by credit-by-exam, retro-credits, transfer coursework, etc.
    • A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on all work attempted at Northern Arizona University.

    The full policy can be viewed here.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Students may transfer up to 90 units of community college and/or university credit from regionally accredited institutions of higher education.

  • 30 units of major requirements.

  • Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy Liberal Studies requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements.

  • Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Minimum Units for Completion 120
Major GPA C
Highest Mathematics Required MAT 114
University Honors Program Optional
Some online/blended coursework Required
AZ Transfer Students complete AGEC-A Recommended
Progression Plan Link View Progression Plan
Emphasis, Minor, or Coursework Required

An emphasis, minor, or coursework is required for this major.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this program is not simply to develop leaders who are in touch and effective in working with people, but also to provide the tools to make them the most effective in promoting the organization’s vision and mission. This program equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to lead organizations effectively in various sectors, emphasizing strategic thinking, industrial leadership, and cultural transformation.


Strategic Leadership Emphasis

The Strategic Leadership program is designed for individuals who are focused on improving their mindset and who aim to be skilled and knowledgeable in the art and practice of setting or supporting the company vision, purpose, and strategy; establishing the culture; and organizing the assets and resources to intentionally carry out the objectives at all levels within the organization. Students graduating from this program will learn to improve the performance of an organization to help achieve its goals and strategies, both systematically and empirically.
 
This emphasis area will prepare students for jobs in fields related to supervision and management in a wide variety of applications in the public and private sectors. This can include government and non-profit organizations; small and privately owned businesses; consulting and financial firms; hospitality/service and manufacturing; and other related businesses. The goals of the SL program include creating well-minded individuals who understand how to implement effective practices of management and leadership that effectively bring about cultural change in an organization.

Industrial Leadership Emphasis

The purpose of the Industrial Leadership emphasis is to provide quality education in leadership within the industrial technology industries, general business, and liberal studies. The program emphasizes written, verbal, and virtual communication skills, creative problem-solving, teamwork, and ethical leadership. Students will study the field of supervision and foremanship in industrial workplaces in addition to leadership strategies for the fourth industrial revolution. Courses emphasize pragmatic, real-world-relevant content for the industrial workplace and utilize realistic experiential assignments and case studies. The senior capstone is a culmination of the skills gained in the coursework and applied in an industrial workplace setting as a consulting project with a local industrial employer. Upon completing the Industrial Leadership degree, students will be prepared to fill leadership roles within industrial organizations to solve problems and meet those organization’s objectives.

Transformational Leadership and Culture Emphasis

The purpose of the Transformational Leadership and Culture emphasis is self-reflection and learning to be a positive force for change in your organization. Time and time again, we are faced with the realities of leading people, and our common goal should be ensuring that everyone in the organization is nurtured for success. To do this, we need to look within ourselves and identify what might be holding us back from creating those quality relationships. We are not simply managing processes, but leading people. To promote success in our lives and our organization, we need to unleash our inner spirit and create opportunities for achievement. At the end of the day, we need to ask ourselves if we are willing to put forth the effort for purposeful leadership and the overall success of our people and the organization.

Student Learning Outcomes

Overall Outcomes

Understand the elements of effective communication, including written, verbal, and non-verbal communication, and how emotional intelligence plays a significant role in their success.
Learn the purpose of the human element, and to effectively lead and be productive in team situations, applying teamwork and leadership principles.
Demonstrate the depth and breadth of knowledge required to ethically participate in local and global societies and organizations.
 
Strategic Leadership Emphasis

Learn to apply problem-solving and decision-making techniques in workplace settings, and to effectively empower an environment of innovation and change.
Understand and be able to apply general business management and leadership fundamentals, tools, and methodologies in a managerial and/or leadership role to influence people and culture.

Industrial Leadership Emphasis

Learn to engage in and understand project management principles and apply them in industrial workplace settings.
Understand the critical elements of the fourth-industrial workplace revolution, and how to apply leadership strategies in a supervisory or foremanship role.

Transformational Leadership and Culture Emphasis

Identify how to be mindful and improve workplace culture by understanding how it impacts employee success and the dynamics of organizational flow.  
Understand the primary tenets of leadership and how they apply to the critical framework of promoting success in workplace environments and personal leadership endeavors.

Transfer Block
    • Students may transfer up to 90 units of community college and/or university credit from regionally accredited institutions of higher education.
Liberal Studies Requirement
    • Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy Liberal Studies requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements.
    • Students who have completed the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) from an Arizona public or tribal community college, the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), or California State University General Education (CSUGE) from a California public community college are considered to have satisfied NAU’s Liberal Studies Distribution Blocks and Foundation requirements as well as the US Ethnic and Global Diversity requirements.
Major Requirements

  • This major requires 30 units distributed as follows:

    • Strategic Leadership Core: 12 units
    • Emphasis or Coursework Requirement: 18 units
      • Industrial Leadership Emphasis
      • Strategic Leadership Coursework
      • Transformational Leadership and Culture Emphasis

    Take the following 30 units with a Grade of "C" or better in each course:
  • Emphasis or Coursework Requirement - Select one (18 units)
General Electives

  • Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.

    You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.

    We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.

Additional Information

  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.