Learn to lead with courage, consideration and care. Develop your ability to lead self, others and organizations through change.
You know meaningful solutions need a deep understanding of complex systems.
Explore specializations in Health or Executive Leadership. Study through a blend of online courses and on-campus residencies, or entirely online through this two-year program.
Improve your leadership skills, make your next career leap, or implement new approaches to create innovation and change in your workplace.
Upcoming offerings
December 09, 2024
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April 14, 2025
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June 02, 2025
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September 15, 2025
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Navigate challenges and opportunities for today and in the future
This two-year program is designed for today's leaders. Improve your leadership skills, make your next career leap, or implement new approaches to create innovation and change in your workplace.
Continue working while you study
This program offers a blended model of online courses and short on-campus residencies so you can continue working while you study.
Interested in completing your degree fully online? Explore the December intake.
Enhance your leadership abilities
Through interdisciplinary studies, you'll explore theoretical and applied approaches to leadership in personal, supervisory, team and strategic contexts in the following leadership areas:
- personal mastery
- collaborative and strategic leadership
- learning, creativity and innovation
- engaged inquiry
- systems change
- evidence-based scholarship
Program options
Choose the specialization tailored to your goals
We offer specializations in Executive Leadership and Health Leadership for those looking to tailor their degree.
- MA in Leadership for experienced or emerging leaders that come from a wide range of professional sectors.
- MA in Leadership (Executive Specialization) for mid-to senior-level organizational leaders in the private, civil or public sector. Develop your capacity to lead organizational culture, change and innovation, recognizing the importance of values and cultural alignment.
- MA in Leadership (Health Specialization) for leaders in the health system, and/or those working with underserved and challenging areas of health, such as Indigenous communities, community health and emergency medicine.
What you'll learn
Within the program, you will:
- Explore pressing challenges facing today’s leaders and consider diverse worldviews and perspectives to expand your orientation to possibilities for change.
- Learn from faculty who are leaders in organizations and communities, and from fellow students who bring a wide range of life experiences and perspectives.
- Study through a combination of online courses and learning experiences on campus. This means that you can apply your learning, while balancing your studies with your career and life.
- Culminate your studies in a capstone project or thesis. You'll help move an organization or community toward change to respond to a key challenge or opportunity.
Need to refresh or develop your skills before you start?
Take advantage of these preparatory courses. Our program staff are also here to support you every step of the way.
Apply your learning in a practical setting
Discover action-oriented completion options for the Master of Arts in Leadership program to create possibilities for meaningful change. Learn more.
Program outcomes
The program competencies support RRU’s new vision of “Inspiring people with the courage to transform the world,” and RRU’s goals to:
- Implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and honour the spirit of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
- Enhance the inclusion and engagement of people of diverse backgrounds and ideas in all aspects of university life. Read RRU’s Diversity Statement. The program promotes an intersectional approach to diversity and inclusion.
- Advance sustainability in all our academic programs and operations, with a focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Once you have completed this program, you'll be able to:
- Adopt a systems mindset to navigate complex leadership challenges.
- Lead with greater self- and cultural awareness, courage, confidence, humility and caring.
- Bring diverse teams together to engage in meaningful dialogue and move towards change.
- Apply the skills you have learned in your own organization or in other organizations, or communities where you feel called to lead.
Program delivery
Complete your Master of Arts in Leadership in 36-credits, delivered through a blended or online format in approximately two years.
Choose the program option that best meets your personal and professional needs:
- Blended: Executive Leadership Specialization (April), Multi-sectoral (June), Health Specialization (September)
- Online: Multi-sectoral (December)
Your time commitment
Whether you choose the blended or online program option, you'll spend about 15-20 hours per week completing online courses.
Online courses include assigned readings, asynchronous and synchronous dialogues, interactive discussions, reflective journaling, guest speakers, and individual and team assignments.
On-campus residencies
In the blended program, residencies are intensive and highly relational. The first takes place at the beginning of the program and the second occurs one year later.
You'll get to know your team members well. Many students say this time together is the highlight of their program.
During your on-campus residency, you can expect to:
- attend classes full-time
- complete homework and individual and team assignments both inside and outside of class hours, including weekends within the residency period
- take part in extracurricular activities
Virtual residencies
In the online, multi-sectoral offering (December), you'll take part in two virtual residencies.
During your residency, you can expect to participate approximately 5-7 hours per day in a synchronous format and spend additional time on teamwork assignments.
You'll engage with your cohort on topics related to the readings and competencies. Like in-person residencies, you'll be required to attend classes full-time for the scheduled dates.
Following your virtual residency, you'll move to online courses, which require about 15-20 hours of work per week.
Your learning community
You'll learn from faculty who are leaders in organizations and communities, and from fellow students who bring a wide range of life experiences and perspectives.
You'll actively develop your leadership skills and capacity, and contribute to the learnings of others in your cohort.
Throughout the experience, you'll build strategic and life-long connections with other mid-to-senior level professionals in leadership positions.
Courses
Required courses: MA Leadership, MA Leadership-Health
ITAI
Introduction to Academic Integrity
0.0 Credits
Online
LEAD526
Fundamentals of Personal Leadership and Learning
3.0 Credits
Blended, Online
LEAD527
Communications and Leadership in Groups and Teams
3.0 Credits
Blended, Online
LEAD528
Leadership in Systems
3.0 Credits
Blended, Online
LEAD516
Concepts and Theories of Leadership
3.0 Credits
Online
LEAD626
Leadership for Organizational Change
3.0 Credits
Blended, Online
LEAD627
Applied Methods for Organizational Leadership
3.0 Credits
Blended, Online
LEAD628
Capstone Design
3.0 Credits
Blended, Online
Capstone options: MA Leadership, MA Leadership-Health
- Engaged Leadership Project: LEAD640 & LEAD680
OR
- Thesis: LEAD690 (must complete LEAD519 and meet high academic standard)
LEAD640
Engaged Leadership Project
9.0 Credits
Directed, Field, Lab or Major Project
LEAD680
Reflective Leadership: Applying Learning to Practice
3.0 Credits
Online
LEAD690
Thesis
12.0 Credits
Directed, Field, Lab or Major Project
Elective courses - MA Leadership, MA Leadership-Health
Students choose 1 elective. GBLD511 not eligible for MA Leadership-Health students and Health Leadership experience required to enroll in LEAD534 and LEAD537. An alternate, self-selected elective is also an option with Program Head approval.
GBLD511
Strategic Analysis, Decision Making and Evaluation
3.0 Credits
Online
LEAD517
Self-Directed Studies
3.0 Credits
Online
LEAD519
Action-oriented Research
3.0 Credits
Online
LEAD534
Considerations for Health Systems Renewal
3.0 Credits
Online
LEAD537
Anti-Racism and Cultural Safety in Health Care
3.0 Credits
Online
Required courses: MA Leadership-Executive Leadership
ITAI
Introduction to Academic Integrity
0.0 Credits
Online
VBLD510
Values-Based Leadership: Being Best for the World
3.0 Credits
Blended
VBLD512
Values-Based Collaboration and Partnerships
3.0 Credits
Blended
VBLD514
Leadership, Culture and Sustainability
3.0 Credits
Online
LEAD625
Essential Executive Leadership Practices
3.0 Credits
Blended
LEAD626
Leadership for Organizational Change
3.0 Credits
Blended, Online
LEAD627
Applied Methods for Organizational Leadership
3.0 Credits
Blended, Online
LEAD640
Engaged Leadership Project
9.0 Credits
Directed, Field, Lab or Major Project
Elective courses - MA Leadership-Executive Leadership
Students choose 3 electives approved by Program Head. These electives can include 3 general studies courses or a 9 credit graduate certificate. Examples of preapproved electives are as follows: LEAD517, GBLD511, LEAD516 and Graduate Certificates in Corporate Social Innovation and Executive Coaching.
LEAD517
Self-Directed Studies
3.0 Credits
Online
GBLD511
Strategic Analysis, Decision Making and Evaluation
3.0 Credits
Online
LEAD516
Concepts and Theories of Leadership
3.0 Credits
Online
Graduate Certificate in Corporate Social Innovation
These 3 courses that make up the Graduate Certificate in Corporate Social Innovation are pre-approved electives for the MA in Leadership-Executive Leadership program.
CSIN550
Foundation of Corporate Social Innovation
3.0 Credits
Online
CSIN562
Design Thinking for Social Innovation
3.0 Credits
Online
CSIN575
Measuring and Scaling Social Impact
3.0 Credits
Online
Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching.
These 3 courses that make up the Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching are pre-approved electives for the MA in Leadership-Executive Leadership program.
EXCH500
Best Practices in Executive Coaching
3.0 Credits
Blended, Online
EXCH509
Executive Coaching in Organizations
3.0 Credits
Online
EXCH508
Foundations of Executive Coaching
3.0 Credits
Online
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Transfer agreements
Admission requirements
At Royal Roads University, the real-life leadership experiences that students bring to the classroom serve to enhance everyone’s learning. Leadership experiences could include one or more of the following:
- Formal organizational leadership roles in which you directly supervise staff or complete performance-oriented work with individuals, groups, or teams.
- Leadership roles in volunteer organizations.
- Roles in which you consult, negotiate with, or manage diverse interest groups through relationship, in a complex environment.
- Roles in which you lead others toward shared goals and outcomes.
- Roles in which you influence, organize, and coordinate groups of people.
- Overcoming a challenging life experience (for self or others), which involved navigating complex systems and resulted in positive community change beyond the individual.
We invite applications from established and emerging leaders who bring a range of professional experiences to the cohort setting. We review all applications on a case-by-case basis. If you are interested in either the 1. Health Specialization or 2. Executive Leadership Specialization, please make sure to see additional admission requirements at the bottom of the page.
Standard admission
- Four-year (or comparable) undergraduate degree from a recognized post-secondary institution, with a minimum GPA of B+ (3.33/4.33).
- Normally a minimum of five years of leadership experience.
- Applicants who meet the degree requirement, but not the GPA, or have been away from academic writing for more than 10 years, will normally be required to take the “Academic Writing and Critical Thinking” course offered through Continuing Studies at Royal Roads University, and obtain a minimum B+ (77%) prior to commencing the program. (This course must end a minimum of five weeks prior to your program start date.)
Emerging leaders who meet the MA Leadership degree requirement, but have fewer than five years of leadership experience, yet have been in recent leadership or people management role(s) for two years or more, demonstrate exceptional leadership potential through their professional and life experiences, are preparing for further leadership roles, and otherwise meet the standard admissions criteria, are encouraged to apply.
Flexible admission
Applicants who do not meet the Standard Admission Requirements will be considered for Flexible Admission and assessed as follows:
- At least 10 years of professional experience, with five of those years of leadership* experience.
- Flexible admission applicants will normally be required to take “Academic Writing and Critical Thinking” and obtain a minimum B+ (77%) prior to commencing the program. (This course must end a minimum of five weeks prior to your program start date.)
Additional admissions requirements for specializations
1. Health Specialization
The MA Leadership (Health Specialization) is designed for leaders within the health system. To be accepted into the program, applicants will normally demonstrate five years of leadership experience in a healthcare organization, or leadership in a health-related capacity. Given the diversity of healthcare leaders, a variety of experiences are acceptable. While positional leadership in a healthcare organization is recognized, roles of significant influence in health-related community organizations, successful advocacy experiences, and health promotion are possibilities. We particularly welcome applicants who have worked in underserved and challenging areas of healthcare, such as Indigenous communities and emergency medicine. Healthcare related experiences that do not include formal supervisory roles, but require exceptional and critical decision-making skills, such as emergency nursing and various physician roles are adjudicated on a case by case basis. Applicants are encouraged to present a clear case for how they meet the leadership experience requirement. We also recognize that leadership roles are competitive, and emerging leaders may not have had the opportunity to obtain a full five years of demonstrated leadership experience. We encourage emerging leaders who have a four-year bachelor’s degree, and five years of professional experience in a health-related area, which includes two years full time equivalent or more of demonstrated leadership experience, to present a case for acceptance into the program. Applicants who do not have a four-year bachelor’s degree may apply with ten years of professional experience in healthcare, which includes at least five years of demonstrated leadership experience.
2. Executive Leadership Specialization
The MA Leadership (Executive Leadership Specialization) is specifically designed for mid-level to senior leaders and how they leverage values to lead cultural change and sustained successful innovation in their organizations. It focuses on how leaders foster the creation of shared values, vision, mission, strategy and the engagement of people in shaping the organizational culture and structure, in relation to both internal and external realities.
For standard admission, applicants will have a minimum of five years of leadership experience including at least three years as a designated organizational leader with responsibilities to lead others in delivering a common product or outcome with explicit values. Applicants without an undergraduate degree will have at least 10 years of professional experience, with at least seven years in an organization, as well as five years of leadership experience, with at least three years of positional leadership or designated leadership experience.
Some examples of roles for which the program is designed for are mid-level to senior leadership positions: CEO, VP, Deputy Minister, Assistant Deputy Minister, CFO, Director General. Some examples for designated roles for which experience is required for entry: Director, Manager, Supervisor.
Please ensure that you demonstrate your leadership experience in your detailed resume, and clearly indicate how your years of experience meet the standard or flexible admission requirements and, if applicable, for the specialization you are applying.
English language proficiency
If English is not your primary language, please review our English language requirements.
All applications to this program require submission of the following information and supporting documents before your file can be assessed for admission:
Application form
In order to apply online, you will be required to create a log-in account using your email address. You will be required to list all credit courses and/or programs you have completed or are currently enrolled in. A non-refundable application fee will be required. If your application fees are being paid by a third party, review sponsored student information. Once submitted, you may check the status of your application at any time.
Missed your application deadline? While we can’t make any guarantees, we may be able to accommodate late applications if there's still space and enough time to process. If you're interested in an intake that is now closed to applications, apply for the next available intake and email Admissions with your preferred start date. Make sure you’re prepared to submit your program's required documents right away. We can't make an admissions decision without them.
Official transcripts
Applicants are responsible for arranging for the submission of official transcripts from ALL post-secondary (higher education) institutions currently or previously attended, for all credit courses and/or programs. Transcripts are not required for non-credit programs or courses, though some programs may require proof of professional certifications or designations. Transcripts are considered official only if submitted directly by the Registrar or other recognized authority of the providing institution in the institution’s original, sealed envelope. If the envelope has been opened, the transcripts are no longer official and new (official) transcripts will be required to complete your application.
All international transcripts or credentials are subject to an international transcript and/or credential evaluation.
Personal statement
Your personal statement should be a maximum two-page letter that speaks to the following criteria:
- Your motivation for seeking entrance to the program (please respond to all of the following: why are you interested in this program? What do you hope to learn? What excites you about RRU’s teaching and learning model? Why do you feel called to this program at this moment in time?)
- The breadth and scope of your leadership experience (using one or more of the six criteria for leadership experience listed on the admission requirements page, please describe your current and past leadership experience(s) and, how your training and/or life experiences demonstrate your leadership capacities and potential).
- Your experience working in teams and with others from different sectors, disciplines, cultures etc., and the specific skills and capacities that you believe are relevant and applicable to the program.
- The gifts or unique strengths you can bring to the program; and
- The areas you would like to improve upon as a student in the program and as a leader more broadly. If applicable, please expand upon why you think your life and work experience and/or related formal education and courses merit adjudication as an Emerging Leader or under the flexible admission process.
Note: If applying for MA Leadership Health Specialization, clearly speak to your health experience. If applying for MA Leadership Executive Leadership Specialization, clearly speak to your mid-level to senior leadership experience.
Writing sample
There are three options for your writing sample:
- You may include a recent (within the last 2 years) writing sample from your academic work that includes citations and a list of references.
- If you do not have a recent writing sample on file, you may write an original, maximum 500-word academic essay addressing the question: “What is my leadership philosophy?” Your writing should be clearly organized, should take a position substantiated with evidence from academic books and/or peer-reviewed articles, and use examples from your relevant life experience. The paper should be formatted using APA 7 style, which is the preferred referencing style in the School of Leadership Studies. (Note that a sample APA essay is also available through Owl Purdue.)
- In lieu of a writing sample, applicants may register in the Academic Writing and Critical Thinking course offered through Continuing Studies at Royal Roads University. Your course may be in progress at the time of application. However, course completion with a minimum “B+” (77%) is required as a condition for entry to the Leadership program. Please select a course offering that ends a minimum of five weeks prior to your desired program start date.
Please note: Applicants must submit a writing sample OR proof of enrolment in RRU Continuing Studies’ Academic Writing and Critical Thinking course as a part of their application package. Applicants who have previously completed RRU Continuing Studies’ Academic Writing and Critical Thinking course with a “B+” (77%) or above should submit their final grade confirmation letter.
Detailed résumé
A detailed or structured résumé is one that provides a comprehensive professional profile of applicants, targeted towards their intended program of study. We are interested in knowing where applicants have worked, for how long, and what they were responsible for in the positions held. Provide as much information as possible, with special attention to demonstrating five years of leadership experience (and a minimum of 10 years of professional experience for flexible admissions) as described above. Your detailed resume should include the following:
- Education: List all post-secondary education, degrees, diplomas, and certificates you have achieved.
- Work experience: Please include name of organization, position, length of service (month and year), and a brief description of duties.
- Voluntary/unpaid work experience: List and describe any voluntary/unpaid post-secondary employment and/or community service experience. Please include the name of the organization, length of service, and a brief description of duties, and, in particular, any leadership responsibilities. List positions you have held in this service.
- Information technology training and experience: Briefly describe your level of training and experience in the use of information technology including computers, software and telecommunications networks as tools for business, education, teaching and personal use.
- Professional memberships/affiliations: List memberships and positions you hold/have held in professional associations, service clubs, community/volunteer sector.
- Other relevant information: Provide any other information which you believe is relevant to your application and will be of assistance to the review committee in assessing what you could contribute to the learning community.
Professional references
We require two professional references. Reference letters should be completed by someone from your current professional network (within the past five years) who can attest to your commitment, knowledge, skills, and ability to complete a demanding academic program. References from direct supervisors are preferred wherever possible.
References will not be accepted from members of your family.
If applicable:
- Applicants declaring permanent resident or Convention Refugee status in Canada must submit a copy of their Permanent Resident Card (PR card) along with their application.
- Transcript evaluation fee or credential evaluation report, if submitting international transcripts.
- An official English language proficiency score report or other evidence of proficiency if English is not your primary language.
- Other information or documents as may be requested to determine your eligibility.
For information on how and where to send your supporting documents, please refer to the document submission guidelines.
Financial aid and awards
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Executive Leadership Specialization
Are you a mid-to senior-level leader in public, private or civil sector?
Develop your capacity to lead organizational culture, change and innovation with values-based leadership through the Master of Arts in Leadership (Executive Leadership Specialization).
Students who complete this program are serving in roles such as deputy minister, assistant deputy minister, director, president, CEO, VP, CFOs, directors, health care administrator, commissioner, assistant superintendent and chief.
Courses
Through the Executive Leadership Specialization, you'll complete three integrated courses in your first year equivalent to a Graduate Certificate in Values-Based Leadership:
- VBLD 510, VBLD 512 and VBLD 514
Enhance your career track by choosing three elective courses, taken individually or as an approved 9-credit RRU graduate certificate.
Wrap up your program by putting your learning into practice through an organizational engaged leadership project and enhancing your executive leadership practices:
- LEAD 625, LEAD 626 and LEAD 627
- LEAD 640
Health Leadership Specialization
Are you an experienced or emerging leader in a health organization? Develop your self-awareness and capacity as a leader amidst complex change.
Through the Master of Arts in Leadership (Health Specialization) you'll learn to lead health organizations, communities and partnerships, and navigate the complex challenges impacting health systems today and in the future
Study with other health leaders and continue to work while you learn. The program includes a combination of online courses and two intensive two-week residencies on campus.
Courses
Through the Health Specialization, you'll complete three integrated courses in your first year equivalent to a Graduate Certificate in Leadership:
- LEAD 526, LEAD 527 and LEAD 528
You'll also complete one elective of your choosing, for example:
- LEAD 534 and LEAD 537
Wrap up your program by completing an engaged leadership project and reflective leadership paper, or by completing a thesis.
Program completion options
Completion options tailored to each specialization
There are different completion options depending on your specialization:
- As a student in the Multi-Sectoral or Health Leadership specializations, you'll complete an Engaged Leadership Project or a Thesis.
- Executive Leadership Specialization students will complete an organizational Engaged Leadership Project.
Both capstone options are engaged and action-oriented. As a change leader, you'll collaborate with a partnering organization or community around an issue of importance or concern to them.
Guided by the principles of leadership as engagement and making a difference in the world, you'll create opportunities or possibilities for meaningful change.
Engaged Leadership Project
If you choose this option, you'll complete a project involving an issue or opportunity faced by leaders in your organization, community, network or community of practice.
To complete your project, you'll need to do the following:
- design a project to meaningfully engage a group of people in an organization or broadly-defined community to collectively move towards positive change
- genuinely stretch in your leadership capacity
- apply your learnings in practice
- develop a final report and a creative knowledge product to help sustain the changes that emerged from your project
Thesis
The thesis option allows you to engage in a systematic and scholarly study of an organizational opportunity or challenge with the goal of creating positive change with the organizational stakeholders.
Your systematic analysis will create the possibility of knowledge of interest to the broader profession or field.
In your thesis you'll need to do the following:
- design an action-oriented inquiry that meaningfully engages the stakeholders of an organizational opportunity or challenge and helps them align their thinking on next step actions
- follows the scholarly process of creating and analyzing data to generate findings, conclusions, recommendations, and then, beyond traditional ideas of scholarship, helps the organization create an action-plan for next-step implementation
- synthesize, compare and contrast relevant scholarship from the theoretical, research and professional practice literature with your own study findings to support the conclusions, implications and recommendations
You can build your way here
Apply credits from the Graduate Certificate in Leadership toward the two-year Master of Arts in Leadership (Multi-Sectoral) or Master of Arts in Leadership (Health Specialization).
Or apply your credits from the Graduate Certificate in Values-Based Leadership, the Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching and the Graduate Certificate in Corporate Social Innovation toward the two-year Master of Arts in Leadership (Executive Leadership Specialization).