Leadership Minor

The Minor in Leadership provides a formalized pathway for students to study and develop  competencies for leadership in their professional and public lives.

We believe leadership  education is a critical component of an undergraduate education, whatever major they choose  to pursue. Designed to make explicit the often implicit teaching and learning of leadership, this  25-credit interdisciplinary minor offers a framework that combines explicit leadership teaching,  practice and reflection. This minor will support students’ unique leadership development paths  through a combination of required and self-determined courses that leverage course offerings  throughout the university community. 

The creation of the Minor in Leadership was motivated by the following needs:  

• In today’s increasingly complex and interconnected global society, higher education  institutions are called upon to cultivate students’ leadership capacity to respond to the  social, political, scientific and moral dilemmas and opportunities of our time. An  interdisciplinary leadership minor provides a mechanism for making more explicit and  activating the University of Washington’s vision to “educate a diverse student body to  become responsible global citizens and future leaders.” The interdisciplinary aspect of  this minor acknowledges the importance of cross-disciplinary learning for effective  leadership in addressing today’s complex societal and global challenges. 
• Research demonstrates that the study and practice of leadership can be developed,  which affords higher education institutions both the opportunity and responsibility to  invest in student leadership education.  While many  leadership education opportunities currently exist for students in and outside the  classroom, a formalized and structured approach to study and practice leadership more effectively accelerates students’ leadership learning and development. In addition,  a critical but often overlooked aspect needed to accelerate one’s leadership  development is intentional reflection. This leadership minor places an emphasis on  students’ reflective practice to support them in making meaning and connections in their  undergraduate education.  
• An interdisciplinary leadership minor also meets the increased employer demand for leadership skills. According to the National Association of Colleges and  Employers, the top five skills sought by prospective employers are: leadership,  teamwork, communication and problem solving skills (NACE, 2016). To meet the needs  of today’s employers, higher education institutions must be able to graduate students  who have content and technical competence and proficiency in core leadership skills.  

Learn more

Email leadminor@uw.edu