Community Leadership

The Community Leadership program at UMBC is designed to prepare aspiring and practicing leaders with the skills and experience needed to enact transformative social change. The interdisciplinary program emphasizes highly applied coursework, relationship building, and hands-on practical experiences which are essential components for developing strong leadership skills.

These programs were designed with working professionals in mind and offer courses in the evening and in Baltimore City to accommodate students with full-time jobs. UMBC offers a 9-course Community Leadership Master’s program (M.P.S. in Community Leadership) as well as the 4-course post-baccalaureate certificate in Community Leadership.

The structure of the program allows students to integrate themselves into communities and organizations through a number of deeply immersive experiential learning opportunities.

Our unique program pathways allow students to tailor their education to their interests: Urban Studies; Non-Profits/Social Sector; Social Entrepreneurship.


Average Completion Time

  • 3 years (Master’s part-time)
  • 1 year (Certificate part-time)

Credit Hours

  • 30 (Master’s)
  • 12 (Certificate)

Tuition & Fees

Start Date

  • Spring/Fall


Why Community Leadership?

The Community Leadership graduate programs at UMBC draw from a wide range of disciplines–including Entrepreneurship, Africana Studies, Public Policy, and Sociology–in order to provide a thorough understanding of the social and economic context in which aspiring community leaders will be doing their work.

  • Our small evening classes give students the best of an in-classroom experience while allowing for work-school-life balance
  • Campus is located just outside of Baltimore, a city with a long legacy of community involvement and grassroots social change, providing the ideal incubator for students to engage with established organizations and develop strong leadership skills
  • UMBC has a deep and long-held commitment to building community partnerships and tackling issues of social justice with rigor, curiosity, and creativity
  • Classes are conveniently offered on UMBC’s main campus, located just five minutes from BWI Airport, with easy access to I-95 and the 695 Beltway, or the Lions Brothers Building in Baltimore

Our MPS programs are designed with your career goals in mind. Courses are taught by community leaders who are deeply embedded in the social fabric of grassroots organizing.

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What Is an MPS Degree?

An MPS degree is a non-thesis graduate degree designed to provide you with applied and professional knowledge in your area of study. While traditional Master’s programs tend to focus on theory and research, a Master’s of Professional Studies will equip you with specialized domain knowledge and hands-on learning opportunities that focus on developing one’s career as a cyber practitioner. Our MPS programs are designed with your career goals in mind!

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