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Expanding the limits of human interaction for the greater good

Leadership is something that everyone talks about. Employers want to hire leaders. The ambitious want to be leaders. First-time employees want to learn from leaders. But what does leadership truly mean? One who has compassion? Business acumen? Wisdom? Vision? Are you a Nicki Minaj or LeBron James? A Jane Goodall or Steve Jobs?

Susquehanna University takes an interdisciplinary approach that allows you to learn and examine the qualities of leadership and gain the skill you will need to position yourself for future professional and academic opportunities. At its very core, leadership focuses on effective communication, self-awareness and a clear understanding of your or your organization’s goals. You will take classes in philosophy, psychology, management and more to help you learn how to thrive in a collaborative team environment.

You will learn about different leadership styles and how to cultivate your own particular style that you will finesse as you journey along your career path. Your professors will help guide you as you are required to serve in at least one campus leadership position during your four years at Susquehanna, such as participating with the Student Government Association, working as a resident assistant, a captain or co-captain of a sports team or an ROTC candidate. Regardless of what you choose, this experience that will challenge and provide you with lessons to last a lifetime.

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Majors & Minors

2: years to complete minor’s requirements

95%: of students study abroad

Women’s Leadership Symposium

Susquehanna University hosts an annual Women’s Leadership Symposium where nominated female students have a hands-on opportunity to build practical experiences from women business leaders who are Susquehanna graduates.

Alumnae share their experiences as corporate professionals, conduct tours and answer students’ questions. With up-close and personal access to business leaders, plus personalized feedback and advice, students enjoy invaluable networking experiences.

The 2025 symposium will head to New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, March 19–20, 2025. Activities include a keynote address, networking sessions, visits to local employers and cultural experiences followed by an alumnae networking reception.

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Potential Careers

Military leader
Athletics director
Upper management executive
Politician
Nonprofit director

Recent Employers

S. Army
Baltimore Ravens
Apple
S. Senate
WNYC FM

Studying for a Degree in Leadership

Explore the courses you’ll take on your journey to earning a degree in leadership at Susquehanna.

When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.

The leadership minor is designed to focus attention in a concentrated way on a key goal of a Susquehanna education: preparing students for a lifetime of leadership in a diverse and changing world. The minor allows students to explore the challenges faced by leaders, both today and in the future.

While pursuing the minor, students will examine the qualities needed to serve as ethically trustworthy and competent leaders in a wide variety of venues, such as business, government, community, and the non-profit sector. To complete the minor students are required to serve in at least one leadership position on campus (e.g. as a resident assistant, a member of the Student Government Association, president of a club, officer of a sorority/fraternity, captain of a sports team, participant in ROTC, etc.).

Minor in Leadership

Students minoring in leadership complete 20 semester hours with grades of C- or higher, including LSHP-502 Leadership Seminar and at least one course from each of the areas listed below. Minors are also encouraged to complete a Leadership practicum with a grade of S as part of their 20 hours. While LSHP-502 is required for the minor, the other LSHP courses (100, 200, 500) can be used to count toward any of the three areas.

Double-counting restriction for interdisciplinary minors

Only 4 semester hours of this minor may be double-counted toward the student’s major.

4 Ethics

CHEM-303 Scientific Ethics, Blunders, and Fraud

COMM-201 Ethics and Leadership

PHIL-122 Resolving Moral Conflicts

PHIL-125 Justice

PHIL-150 Race, Class and Ethics

PHIL-255 Plato’s Republic/HBO’s The Wire

RELI-104 Ethics in Biblical Stories

RELI-107 Faiths and Values

RELI-315 Being Awesome at Life

RELI-318 Confucian Ethics

4 Personal Interactions and Group Dynamics

ANTH-162 Intro to Anthropology

ANTH-152 Public Culture

COMM-191 Interpersonal Communication

COMM-192 Public Speaking

COMM-194 Intercultural Communication

COMM-391 Team Communications

ENGL-385 Making Democracy Work

MGMT-468 Women in Organizations

PSYC-101 Principles of Psychology

PSYC-230 Social Psychology

PSYC-245 Personality

PSYC-350 Psychology, Culture, and Ethnicity

RELI-316 Doaism, Zen and Authenticity

SOCI-101 Principles of Sociology

SOCI-102 Social Problems

WGST-100 Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies

4 Issues in Leadership

EENV-242 Climate and Global Change

ENST-301 Current Topics in Environmental Studies

ECON-315 Managerial Economics

ENGL-299 Professional and Civic Writing: Practice and Theory

INFS-174 Data Collection and Modeling

INFS-233 Data-Driven Decision Making

MGMT-240 Principles of Management

MGMT-290 Non-Profit Management

MGMT-360 Management and Organizational Behavior

MUSC-369 Beginning Conducting

MUSC-371 Instrumental Conducting

MUSC-372 Choral Conducting

MUSC-275 Intro to Arts Leadership

POLI-131 International Relations

POLI-212 Introduction to Public Policy

POLI-310 Public Opinion and Political Psychology

POLI-316 The American Presidency

POLI-321 European Union

PPOL-351 Public Administration

ROTC-102 Introduction to Leadership

ROTC-401 Leadership Challenges and Goal Setting

THEA-340 Stage Management and Theatre Operations

THEA-451 Directing

SU Service Leaders (SUSL) Seminar: Identity and Community in Service and Leadership. Open to students accepted into the SUSL program, this course prepares students for their role as service leaders in the community and on-campus. It focuses on developing awareness of, taking action on, and learning accountability to make a connection between critical reflection about students’ own identities and the ways they interact with the community. Acceptance into the SUSL program required. Prerequisite: Instructor permission. 2 SH.

LSHP-200 SUConnects Mentor Training Seminar. Open to students accepted into the SUConnects Mentor program, this course prepares students to for their role as mentors for first-year students. Students will explore issues facing students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. They will focus on recognizing, exploring, and strengthening their leadership skills. Prerequisite: Acceptance into the SUConnects Mentor program and/or consent of instructor. 2 SH.

Open to students who are currently in a leadership position, the practicum includes both formal professional training and written reflection. May be repeated for up to four credit hours total in conjunction with different leadership roles. Requires approval of the Leadership Minor Director. S/U grade. Credits may apply to any of the four leadership minor areas. Prerequisite: Completion of 12 SH at Susquehanna University. 1-2 SH.

The leadership seminar is the culminating course in the leadership minor. Students will explore the challenges faced by leaders both today and in the future. They will examine the qualities needed to serve as ethically trustworthy and competent leaders in a wide variety of venues, such as business, government, community, non-profit sector, and so on. Students will also have the opportunity to reflect on their own experiences of leadership during their tenure at SU. Prerequisites: Completion of at least 12 semester hours for the leadership minor. 2 SH.