LEADERSHIP MBA &
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE
Our mission is to bring the real world to business education and leadership development.
We can help you to achieve your professional goals and maximize your leadership impact.
You don't have to wait until you've completed your program, or even your first course, to experience an impact. Our courses are designed and taught by our Business Leader Faculty® -- successful leaders who incorporate their real-world experience to enable you to take what you learn in class and apply it the next day.
Our live video conferencing format provides you the flexibility to join class from anywhere while still benefiting from our interactive classroom environment.
Graduate Program Overviews
Leadership MBA
Our program is focused on providing working professionals with the business skills and acumen required of today's leaders - taught by today's leaders - so you can navigate your career with the confidence and competence you need to succeed.
PROGRAM CURRICULUM
(Click here to download MBA core and elective course details)
• Core Courses (12 including Capstone)
Core courses consist of table stakes business leadership competencies designed to address today's essential leadership opportunities and challenges. Our Graduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership consists of three of these courses.
• Elective Courses (4 courses)
Lake Forest provides you the opportunity to customize your degree by choosing four electives. Our academic team will work with you to build a schedule tailored to your interests.
• Capstone Course
During the Capstone course, all of your coursework is tied together to build a comprehensive personal leadership brand and portfolio of work.
Graduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership
Overview
Our Graduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership consists of three 8-week courses. This program provides a firm foundation from which you can guide your team and company in the contemporary business ecosystem. Dive deep into your own leadership style using the Hogan Leadership Assessment to identify strengths and weaknesses, and then take a fresh look at business strategy and learn how to navigate complex, shifting landscapes. As a certificate student, you will be commingled with degree seeking students and all three certificate courses (Effective Leadership, Strategic Thinking and Leading Organizational Change) may be applied to our MBA Program.
Certificate Courses
• Effective Leadership
This course is the starting block to developing your unique skills as an effective leader. You will discover LFGSM’s five Leadership Attributes and what it means to create a followership. As you engage in this personal journey, you will create your leadership philosophy, grow in your self-awareness of how you relate to others, and identify opportunities to develop as a leader worth following. With a Personal Leadership Plan to guide your development and growth, you will be on your way to becoming a strong leader who excels at rallying, connecting, and supporting others to uphold the organization’s vision and achieve results.
• Strategic Thinking
Learn to apply strategic concepts to the fundamental functions and processes necessary to lead a business in a dynamic, highly competitive environment while demonstrating your ability to convert initial analysis into logical, persuasive recommendations. Challenge yourself to improve your ability to resolve complex business issues, identify underlying problems, be open to new ideas that lead to innovative but feasible alternatives, and take actions that will meet the needs of your organization’s stakeholders.
• Leading Organizational Change
Learn how to lead organizational change and effectively execute change strategies in dynamic environments. You will be introduced to the frameworks and competencies required to identify change opportunities and determine the problem that needs to be solved. Prepare yourself to lead small, medium or large-scale change initiatives with or without formal authority. You will also have an opportunity to create a comprehensive change management action plan and establish timelines for executing change initiatives.
Program Structure & Student Network
Program Structure
To make sure you get the most practical, impactful business education experience, our live courses are discussion-based and enable you to learn and network with fellow working professionals. Courses are held one weeknight per week, via live videoconferencing. This structure allows you to interact and learn directly from your peers and our Business Leader Faculty in real-time, while maintaining the flexibility to join class from wherever is most convenient for you.
Student Network
Our student body is a network of career-oriented professionals with years of experience in real-world businesses. Students that thrive at LFGSM are determined, focused and driven professionals looking to grow into or branch out into the world of business strategy within their existing organizations or career paths.
Bringing smart, strong, and ambitious leaders together in a classroom adds even more value and insight within each course and group of classmates. In addition to the support of their classmates, our students receive one-on-one support, career planning concierge services, subject matter tutoring, access to mentors within our network, and multiple resources that are a phone call away. We are steadfastly committed to making each student's MBA experience successful, inspiring, and impactful.
Academic Calendar
Academic Calendar
For optimal flexibility, LFGSM offers six terms per year. Each term lasts eight weeks, and courses meet once weekly during the evening hours.
To learn more about our upcoming course schedule or to inquire about how your own schedule might look within this structure, please schedule a quick 15-Minute Chat or use the Information Request Form below to email us your question.
UPCOMING TERM DATES
Winter 1 | October 21, 2024 - December 14, 2024
Winter 2 | January 6, 2025 - March 1, 2025