Leadership Development

Improving your leadership skills is pivotal to your professional success. The W. P. Carey Full-time MBA is committed to helping you cultivate all the traits of an effective leader through self-assessment, coursework, teamwork, an internship, mentorship opportunities, volunteer opportunities, and the Thought Leadership Speaker Series.

This leadership series begins before you walk through our doors, with a self-assessment that precedes your first class on campus, and leadership team building follows at orientation. Throughout the two-year Full-time MBA program, your growth as a leader will be examined closely as you explore team leadership, organizational behavior, ethics, leadership skills, strategies, and more.

Individual Development Plan

In your first trimester, you will write an Individual Development Plan, a plan designed to help you develop your qualities as a leader. You will be encouraged to work on the plan goals throughout your first year and the summer internship. As you move through the program, you will have opportunities to reflect on your progress through assessments and reflection papers. For example, at the conclusion of your summer internship, you will have the opportunity to write a paper analyzing your development as a leader over the summer, using feedback supplied by your employer. The development plan is crucial to the principles examined in the second year of classes, as well as the final assessment at the end of your MBA program.

Beyond the Classroom

Our program offers rich opportunities to develop your skills as a leader beyond the classroom. Students practice their leadership skills during their summer internship, work on applied projects with partner firms, can apply for a professional business mentor, get involved in our Masters Consulting Group, and take leadership roles in our rich ecosystem of clubs and organizations (like the National Association of Women MBAs or Net Impact – a club devoted to encouraging sustainable business practices). Emphasis is also placed on the not-for-profit sector through our Volunteer Council, which brings together all current MBA students, alumni, faculty and staff members. This year-long endeavor has regularly worked with Ronald McDonald House Charities and Junior Achievement, among others.

As graduation nears, the W. P. Carey MBA Program recognizes stellar student leaders by selecting a student in each MBA program – Full-Time, Evening, Online, and Executive -- to receive an Outstanding Student Leadership Award.