Master of Arts Leadership and Public Service

Every community has unique needs and must have leaders who possess the capacity to both understand community complexities as well as the knowledge base to contend with the challenges that inevitably arise. Most importantly, community leaders must have the capability to respond by implementing solutions-focused interventions and policies. The need for community leadership in all social contexts has never been greater than in the present, whether the context is urban, rural, suburban, economically challenged or affluent.

The Master of Arts (M.A.) in Leadership and Public Service at Lipscomb University has been created and designed to train leaders who can serve strong communities by implementing tangible solutions. The genesis of the M.A. program was predicated on both informal and formal guidance of local, state, regional, and national public servants in multiple sectors and venues of public service.

Discover ways to lead and serve with the State of Tennessee as your primary laboratory, providing a firsthand view of how this vibrant and growing state deals with dilemmas and opportunities. Accordingly, cities, counties, businesses, and public and private organizations offer countless opportunities for field placements designed to help students gain a valuable understanding of diverse policy issues. Join your classmates for immersive learning experiences throughout the state in cities like Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville, as well as many of Tennessee’s smaller cities, towns, and rural communities to learn the dynamics of leadership and governance in a variety of contexts and to explore how the policy development process works from current leaders. You will have the opportunity to discover that inspiration is not without the difficulties and complexities of poverty, race and economics. The program facilitates the building of critical skills in leadership, communication and conflict resolution. Our faculty and community experts will lead you along the way.

As a private, Christian liberal arts institution located in the heart of Nashville, Lipscomb University is joyfully committed to developing students whose academic excellence, faith and practice reflect our ideas of global citizenship.

With top academic programs, small class sizes, intentional faculty and faith-integrated experiences and curriculum, we are prepared to invest in you holistically. So that you can grow into the person God desires you to be. We believe that when you know your gifts, your God and your direction, you confidently welcome what is next.