PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — As organizations around the world contend with rapid change and evolving workforce dynamics, two new Brown University master’s degree programs will aim to provide students with the professional skills needed to make an impact as leaders at different stages of their careers.

The master’s in management and the master of science in organizational leadership, both 16-month online programs, were developed by Brown faculty and leaders from the University’s School of Professional Studies. The master’s in management will train recent college graduates and early-career professionals for the workforce, while the organizational leadership master’s program will prepare emerging leaders to advance into senior roles. 

Baba Prasad, interim academic director of the master’s in management, said the program will draw on Brown’s strengths across multiple fields of study to help young professionals advance their business skills and problem-solving capabilities in a way that positions them for successful careers.

“Today’s workplace demands adaptability, insight and the ability to connect ideas to impact,” Prasad said. “The master’s in management program is designed specifically for recent graduates and emerging professionals to translate their diverse academic and professional backgrounds into strategic and practical skills for the real world. The program takes a deeply integrative approach and, paired with Brown’s robust career development resources, provides a launchpad to thrive professionally.”

The program consists of eight courses and covers topics including management principles, analysis of financial metrics and data, supply chain management, marketing strategy development, leadership ethics and sustainable business practices.

The master’s in organizational leadership blends theory with practice in a program designed for professional leaders ready to increase their impact and advance their careers, said program academic director Ed Barrows.

“The master’s in organizational leadership is designed for emerging leaders who want to accelerate their development of the organizational and conceptual skills needed to advance into more senior roles,” said Barrows, a professor of the practice of leadership at Brown. “Combining rigorous research in psychology, sociology, politics and economics with deep expertise in professional education, graduates will be prepared with both the analytical insight and practical acumen to lead with impact.”

The program consists of eight courses — including an optional three-day residential experience — and develops competence in key areas such as strategic management, ethics and professional integrity, organizational behavior, emerging technologies, and power, politics and negotiation. It will include a culminating capstone project addressing real-world leadership challenges.

The first cohorts for each program are set to begin studies in Spring 2026, and program leaders are now accepting applications.