Value of Leadership degrees

Any thoughts on advanced degrees in Leadership -- for example, a Ph.D. in Leadership?

I've read several places elsewhere that there is little academic history for degrees like these, and that universities effectively teach these programs for money/income-boosting only.

Will a degree in Leadership at a higher level, for example, land you a better industry job if you already have experience? Will it land you a faculty position (and if so, what would you teach -- Leadership)? Will your peers look down on your doctorate if it's in Leadership (instead of Management, or something similar)? I have some answers, and thoughts myself to these questions (and this topic, overall), I'd just like to see what the rest of you think.

Is it worth it to have a master's a doctorate in Leadership in the business field? If so (or no), is there anything that will support your opinion?

 

I see it as more of a check-the-box degree and not much else. I'll stop there with my opinions because I'm very biased when it comes to leadership degree programs.

 

okay......

 

Southwestern College offers a M.S. in Leadership. The study of leadership is absolutely fascinating, but it's probably best suited for those who are already working in upper echelons of leadership. The utility and practicality of a leadership degree for a garden variety Joe is going to be limited, as well as the ROI.

 

Hi Steve,

Great to hear that you have finally got on to your doctoral program! Just wondering, is this program totally via distance learning?

 

I can give you the "HR" answer, if you like.

The answer is: "It depends."

In a situation such as Steve's, it can be beneficial. Only Steve knows Steve's situation fully, however. So the question of "Is the cost (time and money) outweighed by the potential reward?" can only really be answered by the person in that particular situation. You know the value of your time and money better than anyone. For me, I have very little discretionary time with which to undertake studies at this time. So, for me, I value my time greatly. In my situation it would be unlikely that a doctoral program, of any sort, would outweigh the costs (for me, in my situation at this particular moment in time).

In private industry, there are very few employers who magically gift you more money for obtaining an academic degree. It happens. But it is somewhat rare. At my company, we have a few accounting clerks who had been with the company for decades. We offered them a pay raise and an in-series promotion if they earned accounting degrees (bachelor level) within a five year time-frame. Of the six, I believe four took us up on the offer while the remaining two just decided to coast for their last few years before retirement.

We also made a rule some years back that, in order to be promoted to the Vice President level or above, you needed a "relevant" Masters degree.

These are two incredibly specific examples that illustrate two approaches by employers: 1) Earn that degree and we pay you more and 2) earn a degree so that future opportunities are open to you.

Option 2 is far more common in the private sector than option 1.

Next point, the private sector has a complicated relationship with doctorates. If your private sector job (for purposes of this discussion, I am excluding for-profit education here) requires a doctorate, it is almost certainly a technical field. My company employs three metallurgists. If you want the job, you need a Ph.D. there is no wiggle room.

If you work in say, human resources, I'm sure that a Ph.D. would impress. But you won't get a big fat raise the moment you successfully defend your dissertation. The degree isn't necessary to work in HR. Earning it might show great self-development skills. That may, in turn, result in you getting a better evaluation. And that better evaluation may mean the difference between a 5% annual merit raise over a 3% annual merit raise.

Employers generally don't want to pay you more for doing the same work.

So, can it help your career in private industry? Sure. Aside from the "wow" factor because none of your co-workers are likely to have a Ph.D., even a modest number of publications (and maybe even teaching a course or two at the local community college) can definitely beef up your credibility in a company. But the Ph.D. itself is unlikely to earn you a raise by itself.

Now, in the education world, I would yield to Steve's experience. I know that some school districts have policies in place specifically to pay teachers and administrators more if they earn doctorates. I don't work in that world. I work in the regular, boring, corporate grey, artificial lighting from 7:30 AM until 5:30 PM world.

 

My apologies, when you said you were an "academic administrator" my brain must have autocorrected that to "educational administrator" which it then interpreted as K-12 education.

My brain kind of works like Google sometimes (a lot of "did you mean?" and "showing results for X instead.")

 

Agreed, 100%. I have a BA in Leadership, seriously contemplated a MA in Leadership prior to choosing Organizational Performance, and I still think about a PhD in Leadership. I am also a corporate executive. A leadership degree at any level is going to be fascinating study, but it's going to be most useful for two groups of people: 1) People already in leadership positions. 2) People who understand (and are comfortable with) the concept of leading without positional or "legitimate" authority.

A degree of this nature can be extraordinarily valuable, but the value may not be realized in dollars.

 

I like this line.

I was having lunch the other day and a newer employee said:

"Yeah, I'll go back to school and get a Masters if I get paid more."

I get it. We want more money for more degrees. Our degrees, ideally, make us better employees (and sometimes, better people overall). So, shouldn't a better employee get more money? The problem is that it doesn't always work that way.

I think when earning any degree we need to consider the financial ROI. We are spending money. And unless you have gobs of discretionary income (or a private benefactor who gives you unlimited free education) you need to weigh what you are going to get in return against what you spent in time and money. But there are degrees (like the graduate leadership programs) which do bring value even if the financial value is not immediately apparent.

Suffice to say, an MA in Leadership might not be the best investment for a lot of people. But there are people, who are at a certain point in there careers, for whom degrees can really be helpful. Maybe it's a diminishing utility of wealth sort of thing too. If a mid-level employee got a degree in leadership I think it would look good on their evaluation. I think their manager might think it was an interesting talking point (depending upon your manager). Maybe it would frame your performance dialog in a more positive light. But that doesn't mean you'll see an immediate and apparent financial return and sometimes that's OK.

 

Very well said. I don't know if my leadership degree had a direct impact on my earnings. Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. What I know for sure is that the degree, as well as the countless readings and self-study following the degree, has made me more effective in every leadership role I assume. It's also made me a more effective, more attentive follower. Sometimes those roles, as leader and/or follower, might occur in a work setting. Other times they might occur at home, or at church, or in a study group, or at martial arts class, etc. The point is that a degree of this nature can pay dividends in many areas of your life.

 

To add: During my time in industry as an exec, pursuing a Ph.D (in Business Admin) with my research focusing on Leadership really set me apart from the rest of the crowd. i was with a Fortune company who really values the importance of leadership as well. With that being said, without an already established background in (applied) leadership, I don't know that it would have been as important.