M.A. in Transformative Leadership and Spirituality

The Program at a Glance

The first program of its kind in Canada, the MA in Transformative Leadership and Spirituality offers a progressive, multidisciplinary approach to help you build your capacity as a leader for positive change.

In this Master’s program, you will engage with the latest research on the intellectual, spiritual, personal and professional dimensions of leadership. Combining a focus on self-reflection and critical thought, you will develop your leadership capacity to mobilize resources to address contemporary systemic challenges and to enact holistic, inclusive and meaningful change.

You will work with a mentor to enhance your skills in transformative principles applicable to your professional and personal contexts. The sequence of courses is designed to enable you to successfully navigate the dynamic interplay between your inner life and the social world around you and to engage your intellect, imagination, emotions and values for sustainable change. Your work culminates in a Major Research Paper which allows you to integrate and articulate what you’ve learned on a topic related to transformative leadership and spirituality.

Who Should Apply?

This program is designed for established and emerging leaders of all professional backgrounds who want to discover and develop their capacity for leadership and to bring positive change.

Practicums

The program’s three practicums provide you with the opportunity to develop your transformative leadership capabilities for personal, interpersonal and social change in either a local organization or in your own work environment.

In the context of the practicums, you will also be accompanied by an on-site mentor to support your learning and development. Methods and skills for reflective practice and systems thinking will be used to refine your leadership practice with the purpose of personal and social transformation.

Career Opportunities

Whether you’re considering a career change or are seeking to advance in your current role, this program will help you develop effective leadership skills that can be applied in all sectors, including:

Business
Civil service
Community Leadership
Education
Health care
Not-for-profit

Admission Details

Registration: Full-time and part-time
Program length: Full-time over 2 or 3 years; part-time over 4 years.
Program delivery: This program is offered in hybrid mode, using a combination of synchronous and asynchronous online classes.
Language: This program is currently only offered in English.

Scholarship Opportunities

Students enrolled in this program may be eligible for a number of scholarships. For more information, please click here.

This degree is jointly offered with the University of Ottawa.

For information regarding academic regulations, please click here.

To be considered for admission, applicants must:

Hold an honours bachelor degree (4 years) in Humanities or Social Sciences (minimum admission average of 70% or B), with a minimum of two years of experience in a work environment as a professional or volunteer; or hold an honours bachelor degree (4 years) in another discipline (minimum admission average of 70% or B), with a minimum of five years of experience in a work environment as a professional or volunteer;
Have attained 6 units in a curriculum that includes reflection on the spiritual dimensions of human experience grounded in either the Humanities, Spirituality or Religious Studies. Prior learning assessment (professional experience, self-teaching, non-credit courses, workplace training, volunteer work, etc.) may be considered;
Provide two confidential letters of reference: one professional (providing evidence of personal and professional maturity) and one academic (providing evidence of ability to succeed in a graduate program of study);
Provide a CV and a Statement of Purpose;
Pass an interview with the program coordinators to verify the candidate’s objectives and abilities for the program.

Compulsory Courses (21 units)

HUM5101 Leadership Theory, Practices and Approaches (3u)
HUM5102 Research Methods for Transformative Leadership (3u)
HUM5121 Transformative Leadership and Spirituality (3u)
HUM5122 Transformative Leadership and Group Facilitation (3u)
HUM5123 Transformative Leadership and Learning Communities (3u)
IPA5321 Transformative Leadership and Psychology (3u)
IPA5322 Worldview, Religion and Culture (3u)

Practicums (9 units)

HUM5301 Practicing Leadership and Professional Ethics: Practicum I (3u)
HUM5302 Practicing Leadership: Practicum II (3u)
HUM5303 Practicing Leadership: Practicum III (3u)

Research (3 units)

HUM5999 Research Seminar (3u)

Optional Courses (6 units)

6 units from:
HUM5103 Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (3u)
HUM5104 Indigenous Spiritualties and Transformative Leadership (3u)
HUM5113 Transformative Leadership, Spirituality and Ecology (3u)
HUM5114 Women’s Spiritualties and Transformative Leadership (3u)

Under exceptional circumstances, students may select an optional course from another graduate program with permission of both the Master of Arts in Transformative Leadership and Spirituality program director and the director of the other program.

HUM 5101 - Leadership and Theories of Change (3u)

Critical analysis of contemporary leadership challenges (shared vision, teamwork, conflicts, etc.) and examination of the role played by leadership in various theories of social change. Exploration of effective leadership practices for achieving social justice in diverse social and organizational contexts.

HUM 5102 - Research Methods in Leadership, Ecology and Equity (3u)

Exploration of research methods in the fields of leadership, ecology and equity. Critical assessment of the frameworks and orientations of methods and their practical applications. Providing students with the tools to develop a thesis project.

HUM 5103 - Nonviolence, Peace and Ecological Movements (3u)

Study of the interrelationship between nonviolence, peace and ecology in various contexts (e.g., creative, grassroots, social, political). Focus on the challenges that conflict, violence and peace pose for ethical action in the world. Explores current issues related to nonviolence, peace and ecological movements in dialogue with social justice frameworks.

HUM 5104 - Indigenous Spiritualities, Decolonization and Leadership (3u)

Study of Indigenous knowledge about spirituality and inclusive and interconnected leadership practices. Exploration of Indigenous ways of knowing, including intellectual and spiritual traditions and relationships to the living world. Implications for decolonizing settler societies.

HUM 5113 - Transformative Leadership, Spirituality and Ecology

Reflecting on deep connections between ecological crises and lack of awareness of the sacred nature of creation, who we are as human beings and our relationships with the natural world. Implications for transformative leadership and ecological crisis.

HUM 5114 - Leadership, Gender and Feminisms (3u)

Study of the role of gender and its intersection with other identities in leadership. Critical and reflexive engagement with power structures through global feminist theories. Creative and democratizing approaches to transform collective beliefs, practices and policies.

HUM 5121 - Transformative Leadership and Spiritualities (3u)

Study of approaches and methods of spirituality as a fundamental experience of lived faith and meaning-making. Exploring spirituality as an important source of activism and social justice. Learning to lead from an articulated understanding of spirituality consistent with the student’s personal values and meaning of their work.

HUM 5122 - Collaborative Leadership and Group Dynamics (3u)

Theoretical perspectives of group dynamics related to the practice of collaborative leadership and the development of skills for group facilitation and team leadership (including interpersonal communication and conflict resolution). Various methods, learning styles, growth processes and approaches explored for a variety of contexts.

HUM 5123 - Integral Ecology (3u)

Study of integral ecology: ecological literacy; interconnected facets of economics, poverty creation, structural injustices and ecological degradation; links between cultural and biological diversity.

HUM 5124 - Equity, Justice and Ecological Issues (3u)

Understanding social justice. Study of the specific links between social and ecological problems with insights from ecojustice, climate justice, environmental racism, ecofeminism and The Earth Charter (2000).

HUM 5125 - Worldviews and Ecology (3u)

Exploration of historical, ecological, cultural and religious worldviews and their implications for the development of leadership and communities. Analysis of social contexts, cultural perspectives, social change in contemporary global settings with reference to social justice frameworks and socio-historical structures.

HUM 5301 - Integration Project (3u)

Individualized learning activity fostering the integrate of theory and practice: research project, research-creation project, internship with report, workplace mentoring with report, etc. Evaluation of course content integration.

Graded S/NS.

Prerequisites: HUM5101, HUM5121, HUM5123 and HUM5124

HUM 5302 - Practicing Leadership: Practicum II

Building on the work of Practicum I, practice of leadership in a local organization with regular input from an onsite mentor. Methods and skills of reflective practice are strengthened for observing and analysing assumptions and issues in student’s practice. Graded S/NS.

Prerequisite: HUM 5301 Practicing Leadership and Professional Ethics: Practicum I.

HUM 5303 - Practicing Leadership: Practicum III

Building on previous learning in collaboration with the onsite mentor and practicum professor, students identify specific learning goals emerging from Practicing Leadership I and develop and evaluate action plans to enhance their leadership abilities. Leadership skills that serve transformative processes are emphasized. Graded S/NS.

Prerequisites: HUM 5301 Practicing Leadership and Professional Ethics: Practicum I.

HUM 5999 - Séminaire de recherche / Research Seminar

Un mémoire de recherche où les étudiants démontrent leur capacité à critiquer et à intégrer les connaissances et les compétences qu’ils ont acquises dans une pratique réfléchie et responsable du leadership transformatif. / A graduate level research paper where students demonstrate their ability to critique and integrate the knowledge and skills they have acquired into a reflective and responsible practice of transformative leadership.

Préalables : HUM5702, HUM5703, HUM5502 / Prerequisites: HUM5302, HUM5303, HUM5102.

Office of the Associate Vice-Rector, Strategic Enrolment Management
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Saint Paul University
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CANADA

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Telephone: 613-236-1393
Fax: 613-782-3014
admission@ustpaul.ca

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