MBA programs use the arts to foster leadership

MBA programs use the arts to foster leadership

In an effort to help current and prospective business managers develop their own style of leadership, some colleges are asking MBA candidates to channel their creative energies.

For instance, masters-level programs at both the University of Virginia and Duke University offer classes that use acting as a way to teach leadership skills, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Enrollees in a class called Leadership and Theatre: Ethics, Innovations and Creativity - which is offered at Virgina’s Darden School of Business - learn how effective leadership is necessary in both acting and company operations. At the conclusion of the course, enrollees are required to present a community performance.

At Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, acting is used more for the purposes of role playing. Degree seekers may participate in improvisational leadership workshops, develop performances that detail business issues, or partake in a scripted court hearings.

The skills that can be gained from similar programs at campus-based and online colleges could help MBA degree candidates earn more after they graduate, as PayScale.com, a research company, reports that holders of this certification have the potential to earn six-figure salaries.

By Stefanie Hughes