Management

EDUCATING STUDENTS FOR LEADERSHIP IN ORGANIZATIONS OF THE 21ST CENTURY

The Management major is designed to educate women and men for positions of professional leadership in private, public, and not-for-profit organizations. The program focuses on learning how to create a vision for work based on a value-driven culture where every individual is empowered to influence others.  Students learn not only the essential skills to manage effectively and efficiently, but also develop a sense of responsibility to provide ethical and creative leadership in any organization, whatever its size or purpose.

THE CURRICULUM

The Management program at Lesley prepares women and men to meet the challenges of a dynamic and multicultural workplace. Emphasis in the program is on leadership in organizations, communities, and the global marketplace. Courses demonstrate the multi-dimensional impact of social, economic, and political change in organizations. Through interactive assignments and field experiences students learn how managers adapt to these changes to achieve organizational goals. A central focus on collaboration teaches students to work together building and demonstrating confidence in their individual and collective abilities while acquiring a wide range of organizational skills.

The Management program is committed to the development of competencies in the areas of communication, innovative problem-solving, and technology. Our curriculum integrates the liberal arts with the field of Management to enhance students’ conceptual skills and ability to connect various disciplines to sound, transformative practice. Using these competencies students learn to recognize, diagnose, and solve problems critical to organizational performance as well as seek out opportunities for new ventures and shifts in strategy.  Students learn how technology is used by organizations to create competitive advantage as well as how social and psychological factors influence professional development and organizational success. The flexibility of program design allows students to pursue more in-depth study in areas of special interest.

Requirements for the Management Major

THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The Management program emphasizes the value of experience as an integral part of learning and utilizes field experiences and internships to link theory and practice.  First year students are introduced to a variety of organizations in the Boston-Cambridge area through tours of facilities and presentations by organizational leaders. Junior and Senior year Management majors spend over 360 hours in the field where students undertake a variety of projects and activities as part of the day to day operations of participating organizations. Students work under the supervision of experienced professionals in private, public, and not-for-profit organizations approved by the program coordinator and overseen by the internship faculty advisor.  A critical component of the internship experience is participating in a weekly seminar where students discuss and reflect on their experiences to gain a broader view of the workplace, contemporary issues and organizational trends as well as to assess their own developing abilities and career interests.

Management Specializations

In the Management major, specializations allow students the opportunity to focus their program of study more deeply in particular organizational areas. Management majors wishing to opt for such in-depth study may choose from the areas of Human Resource Management, Marketing, Not-for-Profit Management or develop an individually designed specialization focused on a particular area of interest.  All specializations require internships in the field or setting specific to the specialization.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

In this specialization, students focus on the management of human resources in organizations. Included in their study is the theory and strategy of organizational design and diagnosis necessary to achieve high levels of productivity and to manage change; recruitment, training, and evaluation of employees in an increasingly diverse workforce; and policies related to hiring, compensation, and benefits. Students learn about federal laws that govern relationships between employees and organizations and, through experiential exercises, gain an understanding of the fundamentals of negotiation in the workplace. Students specializing in Human Resource Management complete their senior capstone internship in a human resource setting.

MARKETING

The Marketing specialization is open to Management majors interested in understanding the processes that impact competitive advantage, buyer behavior, and the creation of new markets in the global economy. Students learn about marketing strategies as vehicles for communication between organizations, markets, and consumers; the role of technology in shaping consumer perceptions about products and services; and the value of research in identifying consumer segments, marketing new products, and increasing market share. Through a choice of courses that build on the management core, students learn to view themselves and others from cultural and sub-cultural perspectives, as participants in a global economy who influence the techniques used by organizations to effectively compete. Students who specialize in Marketing will complete their senior capstone internship in a marketing environment.

NOT-FOR-PROFIT MANAGEMENT

The Not-for-Profit Management specialization recognizes that management is a core competency among managers and administrators in the operations of organizations across all economic sectors. This specialization focuses on managing not-for-profit organizations and is open to majors and minors in management, the human service professions, education and daycare leadership, and the arts. The 12-credit specialization is comprised of four 3-credit courses, including a capstone internship and seminar. Cross-programmatic themes are found in all courses including managing a diverse organization, organizational and professional ethics, and data analysis for effective decision making. Online capabilities, the use of appropriate technology applications, and web-based research opportunities are integrated into the learning environment. Students in this specialization complete the capstone internship in an organization in the not-for-profit sector that represents their particular area of interest.

INDIVIDUALLY DESIGNED SPECIALIZATION

The individually designed specialization (12 credits) for students majoring in management allows students to focus in a particular area of management based on their professional interests.  Some examples include financial management, international management, retail management, marketing communications and sports management.  Each specialization includes an introductory course to the area of the specialization, a capstone course that is connected to the major, the senior internship seminar and the integration of liberal arts courses to support depth of study.  The program for this specialization will be designed in consultation with a faculty advisor.