Dean's Leadership Academy
Leaders inspire others, solve societal challenges, and create a positive culture where teams can thrive.
The Dean's Leadership Academy (DLA) is a 15-credit hour experience in which students develop essential leadership skills, hone their self-awareness and leadership effectiveness, gain real-world leadership experience and connect with a community of driven and inclusive leaders. Students who successfully complete the program will earn a Certificate in Leadership on their academic transcript upon graduation.
Why enroll in the DLA?
Earning a Certificate in Leadership from the DLA differentiates you from the crowd and helps you stand out during job or internship searches. DLA students have gone on to secure positions at Owens Corning, National Air and Space Intelligence Center, The Superior Group, Cigna, KeyBank, Amazon, Deloitte, Oracle, PolyOne, PNC, Cisco, JP Morgan Chase, EY, Grainger, and more.
Employers are actively recruiting students with leadership skills. Employers look to hire students who possess the teamwork (78% of employers), problem solving (77% of employers) and effective communication (75% of employers) skills.
The DLA leverages experiential content to create a unique classroom experience. Unlike many other leadership courses at Ohio State, DLA classes routinely incorporate practical, project-based exercises to actively apply what you are learning.
Student Eligibility: All Ohio State undergraduate students* with a declared major and a cumulative GPA of 3.0+ are eligible to enroll. Students are eligible to enroll after their first semester.
Register for the Dean's Leadership Academy
Required Courses
Builds leadership self-awareness through assessments, feedback, and work in teams through real-world consultative project. Also cultivates essential project management skills while delivering a project in the community.
Elective Courses
Prepares you to live with personal integrity by focusing on essential values to leading a life of character. Includes assignments and in-class experiences to examine your virtues, test your decision-making, and help you lead with character.
Increases understanding of leadership purpose through examination of personal values, individual purpose, time management, and more. Examines what it means to build leadership and life skills.
Leading Expeditions is a transformational co-curricular opportunity to immerse yourself in the study and application of leadership. These experiences allow you to apply knowledge gained in the classroom during an exhilarating outdoor adventure in one of the most beautiful settings in the U.S.
**MHR 3500: High Stakes Leadership is integrated within the Leading Expeditions Program and requires a separate application to enroll in the course. Space is limited.
Cultivates skills needed to become an effective coach and manager of people: balance, listening, emotional intelligence. Includes in-class coaching experiences.
Refines personal and team leadership through active simulations designed to test participants' leadership behaviors and provide real-time feedback.
Develops communication abilities through theory and in-class practice - specifically how to navigate through difficult conversations, advocate for opinions, find common ground, engage in dialogue, and present with confidence.
Improves understanding of negotiations process while investigating the impact that power, multiple parties, and other disruptions play. Includes in-class practice.
The Student Experience
Dean's Leadership Academy students gain unique leadership experiences in the classroom and community that prepare them for personal and relational leadership challenges. As part of required coursework, students also contribute to the community, delivering leadership projects that have benefitted partners including The Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Childhood League Center, The Ohio Environmental Council, TechCorps, Ronald McDonald House, Huckleberry House, StarHouse, GEMS, NC4K, and Lifecare Alliance.
*For students from other Ohio State colleges, the Leadership Certificate shows up on your academic transcript, like a minor, but does not constitute admission to Max M. Fisher College of Business.