Online Degrees in Management & Leadership

Management & leadership degrees are often offered as a specialization within a business degree program. However, dedicated management or leadership degree programs do exist as well. Online management & leadership degrees include a broad curriculum that focuses on both people skills (courses may include psychology, conflict resolution and motivation techniques) and business fundamentals (for example, economics, labor law and government).

Degrees in management and leadership are available at a range of levels and with a number of specializations, allowing students to tailor training to their needs:

1. Certificate/diploma: Requiring the smallest time commitment, this training is most suited for retail supervisory positions or similar service roles. It can also be paired with additional education for those looking to move into leadership positions in other industries.
2. Associate degree: A two-year degree that offers versatility; training can lead to more education or low-level supervisory positions.
3. Bachelor's degree: Degree training at this level is adequate for many non-specialized management jobs in business.
4. Master's degree: Often paired with subject-specific undergraduate training, the master's degree can add the necessary business education required for career advancement into supervisory and higher-level management.
5. Doctoral degree: Focused more on research or higher education. Doctoral students contribute to policy and theory on management and leadership and often work in academic rather than applied disciplines.

Some management & leadership degrees are so broadly focused that they could prepare students for advancement in virtually any industry, others, like health care management degrees or degrees in information systems management, are designed to offer leadership training that complements an existing technical skill set.

Many individuals looking to move into management roles may already be working. Online education offers the convenience of Web training, allowing students to log on from anywhere to complete coursework. With online management & leadership degrees, students enjoy the added benefit of interacting with other students and instructors across the country, painting a fuller picture of management and leadership challenges in a variety of economies.

Healthy wages are reported for management professionals in a range of fields. Take a look at common management careers with mean annual wages from 2010, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

• Supervisors of retail sales workers: $39,890
• Food service managers: $52,220
• Supervisors of office and administrative support workers: $50,770
• General and operations managers: $113,100
• Architectural and engineering managers: $125,900

Managers combine solid industry know-how with a wide range of qualities that inspire, motivate and direct those working under them. While some people may be born leaders, management & leadership degrees provide the practical and theoretical base to put those skills into action in the workplace.

• Common industries: Management of companies and enterprises, local government, computer systems design and related services, management, scientific, and technical consulting services
• Common careers: General and operations managers, food service managers, supervisors of retail sales workers, supervisors of office and administrative support workers
• Salary range: $39,890 (supervisors of retail sales workers) - $113,100 (general and operations managers)
• Common concentrations: Nonprofit, organizational, clinical, engineering, sports

(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010 data)