The One Year Programme in Leadership consists of 60 ECTS credits divided between mandatory and elective courses.
The mandatory courses provide students with an introduction to the leader’s position and role, what leadership is and how it is exercised by many within the organization, how organizations function, how they can be changed and developed, what creates a good work environment, as well as key topics within work psychology.

The elective courses offer opportunities to specialize in specific topics related to leadership, organization, and working life.

The program is designed to prepare students for the challenges leaders face both within and outside the organization, as well as the demands for adaptation in the labor market. It includes courses focusing on environmental changes, organizational frameworks, interaction within organizations, personnel management, and developing the organization’s ability to adapt.

The academic foundation of the program is holistic leadership, which encompasses leading people and organizations as well as self-leadership. This perspective aims to help students understand what the leadership role and leadership in practice entail.

The program has a broad interdisciplinary focus and includes theoretical foundations from various disciplines to reflect the many functions, ecosystems, leadership systems, and the social complexity of an organization.

Relevance to Working Life

The One Year Programme in Leadership is aimed at anyone who wishes to learn about leadership—whether they aspire to a leadership position or simply want to deepen their knowledge and develop professionally and personally. The program provides insight into a rapidly changing society, workplace, and organizational landscape, where developments in technology, demographics, and sustainability—as well as new value chains and forms of value creation—set the conditions and influence how leaders organize and manage teams, departments, and organizations.

The target group includes individuals interested in leadership as a discipline, those who already hold formal leadership responsibilities, or those who wish to take on leadership roles in private, public, or voluntary organizations and want to stay professionally updated in a fast-changing environment and labor market. Students can choose their own specialization and tailor their education to their personal or workplace competence needs. The program qualifies for further studies at the bachelor level in leadership and related fields.

Connections to Society and Working Life

The academic environment associated with the One Year Programme in Leadership has extensive expertise in the field of leadership and demonstrates significant research and dissemination activity. The faculty also maintains close ties with working life and stays updated on research, development, and practice within the discipline.

Those who teach and supervise in the program have extensive work experience, both nationally and internationally. The instructors understand the complexity of working life, operate at the research frontier within their fields, and are skilled and inspiring communicators. In the courses, students meet industry professionals connected to relevant subject areas. Teaching is based on concrete examples from working life. Students bring and share experiences from various sectors and industries, which can be used in the learning process. Altogether, this program provides an arena for discussion and reflection, fostering new knowledge about industries beyond one’s own.

Study program AR-LED

One-Year Study Programme in Leadership