The Leadership Studies curriculum at Tufts consists of many courses drawn from across the range of departments and disciplines at Tufts that either directly or indirectly address issues of leadership.  The Director and the faculty committee overseeing the program are charged with maintaining an appropriate selection of courses in Tier 1 and 2 (including evaluating student petitions).

Students pursuing the Minor in Leadership Studies take a total of six courses at 5.5 credits. Two of these must be Tier 1 core courses and two must be drawn from the list of Tier 2 courses. The fifth course may be selected from Tier 1 or Tier 2. The director of the Minor in Leadership Studies advises on course selection to fit each student’s interests and to establish the basis for the Tier 3 capstone senior project. No more than two of the Tier 1 and Tier 2 courses may be taken in a single department. All courses must be taken for a letter grade. As a capstone, students must complete a Tier 3 senior project. Here, students put theory into practice, and take a seminar course in which they reflect on their experience in the context of their leadership courses.

Tier 1 Courses
The courses in Tier 1 develop the intellectual underpinnings of Minor in Leadership Studies.  These courses introduce the basic principles of leadership and introduce theories of leadership that have been developed in a number of different disciplines.

EC 74 Entreperneurship

EC 192 Economics of Leadership and Policymaking
ENG 95 Team Leadership in Science and Technology or
CEE 84 Issues in Professional Engineering Practice
PHIL 24 Introduction to Ethics
PS 192 Theory and Practice of Leadership in Politics, Government, and Society
PSY 196A The Psychology of Leadership
SOC 114 Social Organization of Leadership

Tier 2 Courses

Courses in Tier 2 allow students to round out their study of leadership.  These courses widen the disciplinary foundations of the study of leadership.

AMER 12 Race in America
AMER 140 Innovative Non-profits
ANTH 145 Power, Politics, and Protest
BIO97 Seminar in Contemporary Biosocial Problems in America
CEE 84 Issues in Professional Engineering Practice (if not taken in Tier 1)
CD 158 Psychological Study of Creativity
CLS 65 Journey of the Hero
CLS 140 Classical Epic
DR10 Acting I: Introduction to Acting
DR 27  Public Speaking
EC74 Entrepreneurship
EC 175 Economics of Management and Strategy
ES 52 Engineering Management
Gordon Institute EM 107 Entrepreneurial Leadership
ME 54 Management of Technology and Innovation
PHIL 121 Ethical Theory
PHIL 191 Ethics, Law and Society
PS 101 The Presidency and the Executive Branch
PS 145 Seminar: The Political Thought of Machiavelli PS119-01 Campaign for the Presidency
PS 135 Comparative Revolutions
PS 160 Force, Strategy and Arms Control
PS 188-02 Neo-Cons and American Foreign Policy
PS 115 Public Opinion and Survey Research
PSY 17 Industrial and Organizational Psychology
PSY 134 Interpersonal Conflict and Negotiation

REL 53 Introduction to Religions of China
SOC 111 Social Change and Community Organizing
SOC 184Nonprofits, States, and Markets(UEP 273)
UEP 230 Negotiation, Mediation & Conflict Resolution
UEP 276 Leadership and Organizational Development

Tier 3

To complete the minor, students must engage in a practical leadership capstone experience.  Students must apply to the director of the program with a prospectus describing the goals, challenges, and objectives of their leadership experience.  Students participating in programs such as the Institute for Global Leadership, University Scholars Program, Reserve Officers Training Corps, and Entrepreneurial Leadership Program may apply to have that experience count as the capstone, but other leadership experiences may constitute the basis of their application as well.  As an alternative, and with permission of the director of the program, students can complete Tier 3 by undertaking a senior thesis on leadership.   Structured reflection is a key element of the capstone experience.  Students will be required to meet with other students pursuing the capstone in a half-credit pass-fail seminar.  For the seminar, they will write a paper linking their experience to the theories and issues covered in their coursework.

Research Resources
Students thinking about conducting a research project, such as a senior thesis, should be aware of the numerous support programs and publication opportunities on Tufts campus. For details about this program visit the Academic Resource Center website.