Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership
Develop your skills to manage, lead, and grow in your career and ministry.
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Earn Your Strategic Leadership Master’s Online
The Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership online program at North Central University will help you gain strategic management skills and knowledge that you can use in your workplace, your ministry, and in your home or ministry right away. Choose from one of six specialized graduate degree tracks in addition to the main Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership offering. You’ll have the opportunity to grow as a leader and increase your existing knowledge and skills in ways that will apply immediately to your life and career.
Online programs at NCU reflect our commitment to a multicultural and caring Christ-centered community even away from campus. Online students can expect meaningful communications with faculty, collaborative classes, and rigorous coursework, as well as online tutoring and academic success coaching. Connect with peers and participate in virtual live chapel.
- Online: Complete this 30- to 36-credit graduate program online as part of our Christian community.
- Affordable Tuition: Explore discounts available specifically for graduate students employed in Assemblies of God ministry.
- Christ-Centered Curriculum: Define and refine your faith at NCU, where classes and student life are rooted in Scripture and nurtured in community.
The degree helped me utilize new project approaches, see people through Christ’s eyes, and learn ethics on a whole new level… The degree was not a ‘stepping stone,’ per se, but rather a honing of my skills to help me lead where I am planted.”
Christopher Vincent ’00,
Lead Pastor
Why Strategic Leadership at NCU?
Christian leaders need a clear ethical vision, cultural competence, and the ability to address complex personal and organizational challenges. They must think strategically, motivate others toward shared goals, and lead with integrity grounded in Christian values. This program equips you to develop and apply those essential leadership skills with confidence and purpose.
View the Academic Catalog for a full list of admission requirements and course listings.
Program Highlights
Learn From Practicing Leaders
Connect With a Likeminded Community
Learn With Flexibility in Accelerated Courses
Learn From Practicing Leaders
Program faculty are leaders in their marketplaces and faith communities, eager to mentor students through applying your studies to your calling.
Connect With a Likeminded Community
NCU graduate students are pursuing degrees as part of their professional and personal development and spiritual formation. Build your network across the country.
Learn With Flexibility in Accelerated Courses
Each online course takes 8 weeks to complete, and you can take multiple courses at once to accelerate your pace and graduate on your timeline.
Concentration Tracks
Worship Leadership Track
The worship leadership track will prepare current and future leaders and musicians to communicate and demonstrate the role of worship in the believer’s life by receiving biblically, theologically, historically, and contextually-grounded training. Through this program, you will gain communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills and apply leadership theories, principles, and worship leadership skills in a collaborative environment.
Church Leadership Track
The church leadership track develops effective Christian leaders for dynamic roles in church and parachurch organizations through a theologically-informed, theoretically-grounded, and practically-applied curriculum. Through this program, you will gain communication, decision-making, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills and will apply leadership theories, principles, and ecclesial leadership skills in a collaborative environment.
Business Administration Leadership Track
The business administration leadership track provides practical training to increase business acumen and skills in foundational areas of organizational administration and operations in nonprofit or for-profit settings. This track provides a core in leadership strategy and integrates competencies in cultural awareness and sensitivity, understanding organizational behavior, and creating an ethical vision, while increasing comprehension and application of project management, innovation, business law, finance and business operations.
Lay Counseling Track
The lay counseling track provides practical, theoretically grounded training in basic counseling theories and techniques, social psychology and crisis counseling. Through this track, you will gain skills in understanding how your personal presence influences the people around you, with an increased awareness and ability to discern verbal cues and responses, interpersonal behaviors in workplace and social environments and crisis intervention strategies. As a lay leader, develop your ability to attentively listen to and stand alongside others as they go through challenges in life.
Spiritual Formation Track
The spiritual formation track develops holistic Christian leaders and practitioners to create intentional space for God to speak and interact with them and help others to do the same. This track provides practical training in spiritual formation practices and introductory skills for spiritual direction/companionship and life coaching through a Christ-centered, theoretically-grounded curriculum. Gain stronger listening skills and grow in your ability to discern how God is at work in your life and in the lives of people you serve.
Organizational Development
The organizational development track emphasizes the importance of ethical decision-making in leadership roles. You will explore different ethical frameworks and learn how to apply them in real-world situations, ensuring that your choices align with your organization’s values and mission. Our curriculum focuses on developing your ability to convey complex ideas with clarity and persuasiveness. You’ll gain an understanding of various communication styles and techniques, enabling you to address diverse audiences and foster a culture of open dialogue.
Career Outcomes
A master’s in strategic leadership opens many career paths to you, including managerial and executive positions, as well as ministry and consulting. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for management positions across disciplines is projected to grow faster than the national average between 2024 and 2034. Most of these roles require at least a bachelor’s degree, while some expect post-graduate degrees.1
Similarly, executive positions are projected to grow by 4% and stay in high demand in the same ten-year time.2 These positions offer similar compensation, with an average between $105k and $122k annually.
Our graduates succeed in a variety of jobs and careers. Here are some possibilities:
- Nonprofit organization director
- Church administrator
- Small business owner
- Operations manager
- Education administrator
- Pastor
- Worship pastor
Where Our Alumni Work
NCU social work graduates are serving at these and other organizations in the Twin Cities and beyond:
- Native American Community Clinic
- Minnesota Hospice
- Avenues for Youth
- Minneapolis Public School District
- Mercy Hospital
Learn From Industry Experts
Seasoned, credentialed faculty share from their diverse and extensive leadership experience with a commitment to support students as you pursue your calling.
Explore Related Programs
Not sure how your calling translates into a degree? These programs may interest you:
Master of Arts in Biblical Theology
FAQs
Can I enroll in the Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership if I’m not a member of Assemblies of God?
Yes! We welcome students of any denomination (and nondenominational students) to apply for the master’s in biblical theology. NCU is affiliated with Assemblies of God and teaches from that perspective. This will be especially central to your program if you pursue a track in church leadership, lay counseling, spiritual formation, or worship leadership. Engaging in dialogue across denominations and faith backgrounds can help us grow in our understanding and deepen our scholarship.
Can I participate in campus life during the Christian theology online program?
We welcome all NCU students and alumni to visit campus, join us for chapel, attend graduate student events, and meet with faculty and staff in person. Prior to your visit, please call the Security office at 612-343-4445 to confirm parking availability and location.
Are there any financial aid options for NCU grad students?
Yes, NCU offers two discounts for eligible students to reduce tuition costs by 25%. As you prepare for your graduate education, be sure to submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and apply for 2026-2027 tuition discounts to help manage your costs.
NCU Graduate Discounts:
Assemblies of God and Pentecostal Family of Churches Discount
Credentialed ministers of the Assemblies of God and the Pentecostal family of churches can receive a 25% tuition discount on graduate programs.
Full-Time Employees of Assemblies of God Churches Discount
Full-time employees of Assemblies of God churches and Pentecostal family of churches are eligible for a 25% tuition discount on all graduate courses.
Do I have to attend regular class periods?
No, the graduate programs at NCU are all online and asynchronous. You can work toward course deadlines at your own pace, wherever you live.
Can I apply for FAFSA to help me pay for graduate school?
Yes, you can use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to access funding to pay for any NCU graduate program.
Learn more about financial aid at NCU.
Do I have to order textbooks through NCU, or can I purchase them from outside the university?
You may purchase textbooks from a different seller. But if you purchase through an outside source, please double and triple check the editions of each publication. This will ensure that you have the most up-to-date information and you are on the same page (literally) as your instructor and classmates.
What happens if I need to take a break?
Life happens, and we understand! You can take a hiatus for a semester or two if needed.
If you need to pause your education, please contact Meg Breithaupt, Program Manager / Academic Coach, College of Graduate and Professional Education, at mlbreith@northcentral.edu.
I’m an NCU Alum and an Assemblies of God credentialed pastor. Can I stack the two 25% discounts for a total of 50% off?
We understand the desire, but no. You are not able to stack those two graduate tuition discounts.
Do you sponsor visas for international grad students to live on campus?
No, we do not sponsor visas for international graduate students. Our graduate programs are online, and you can complete this program from anywhere in the world.
Does NCU offer any scholarships to graduate students?
NCU does not award any graduate student scholarships, but we do offer tuition discounts for eligible applicants. However, please reach out to your church, employer, or local business. Some NCU students have received external scholarships, and you never know who may offer funding until you ask.
Citations
Sources: 1Bureau of Labor Statistics, Management Occupations, on the internet, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/ (viewed Nov. 18, 2025).
2Bureau of Labor Statistics,Top Executives, on the internet, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/top-executives.htm (viewed Nov. 18, 2025).