Leadership Graduate Degree Programs: A Comparative Review and Analysis of Value Propositions

Abstract

The language used in program descriptions of graduate leadership programs on college and university websites are first attempts at enticing prospective students to consider enrolling. The descriptions invariably include value propositions about the benefits of a particular program, aimed to appeal to readers’ motivations, couched in one of three discourse styles: Formal Impersonal, Formal Personal, and Informal Personal styles. Program descriptions, a de facto rhetorical genre, and demographics of all 154 master's degree programs in Organizational Leadership in existence as of January 2014 are analyzed, using a systematic discourse analysis typology which explored the ways in which value propositions were presented. Four questions concerning discourse types, the kinds of value propositions, the relationship between rankings of universities and kinds of value propositions and discourse types, intrinsic (meaning) and extrinsic (utility) appeals are answered. Detailed cross‐sectional comparative analysis of leadership master's degree programs are also presented.

Leveraging your programmatic “why”: Articulating graduate leadership program value through mission alignment

“…Stork et al. (2015) have done some important initial work on the importance of value propositions to students. Additionally, Guthrie et al.…”

“…One effort in this regard is the work of Stork et al. (2015) who analyzed the value propositions of 154 master's degree programs. The authors indicate that many websites contain value propositions, defined as “a statement that promises value in a persuasive way” (p. 21) and these propositions prove important in helping students select graduate schools.…”

Analysis of Doctoral Programs in Leadership: Strengths and Weaknesses

“…Results of this study could be used as reference for a review of graduate degree programs in leadership in a future. Numerous studies in leadership relating to an examination of related leadership programs in higher education have cited the study of Crawford et al (2002) as a reference for their studies (Stork et al, 2015;Tolstikov-Mast et al, 2018). However, the use of this article as a guideline for conducting research in leadership programs in Thai context was zero despite the useful information and ideas to extend the study in a related topic in a different context.…”

“…Most leadership programs are basically developed for individuals from different professional and academic backgrounds who want to study and drive organizations to transformation and success (PhDstudies.com, 2019). The proliferation of leadership graduate degree programs in the past years has demonstrated the interesting of studying leadership for professional and academic purposes (Stork, Grant, & Darmo, 2015). The nature of graduate program, in particular, doctoral degree in leadership was emphasized on the integration of coursework and research with different concentration such as business, education, political sciences, and public health or nursing.…”

Understanding the Impact of Case-in-Point Courses in Graduate Leadership Programs

“…The International Leadership Association (2020), lists over 351 institutions with master's programs available for individuals to enroll in, as compared to 260 in 2014 (Stork et al, 2015). There are more options for prospective students with each program claiming a different set of outcomes and learning.…”