MA Leadership and Consulting

This part-time Master's programme is aimed at managers and consultants. It aims to provide you with socio-psychologically sound knowledge for sustainable leadership and consulting. To this end, you will take a psychodynamically oriented interdisciplinary perspective when studying, which builds on psychoanalysis and combines it with approaches in humanist and systemic psychology as well as economics and social sciences in order to enable modern leadership and counselling.

The course places great emphasis on the transfer of theory and practice. You will be able to reflect on your own practical experience and test new, scientifically based methods in a trusted setting.

The contents of the studies are, among others: organisational development from a psychodynamic perspective; organisations in transition; leading and being led; leadership and containment; psychodynamically oriented communication; coaching; supervision; control of organisational development, group and team processes; crisis and conflict management; Balint oriented group teaching supervision.

As part of your studies, you will train in various competencies that are central to management and consulting functions:

• Analysis and diagnostic competence: psychodynamically sound understanding of psychosocial dynamics in organisations and different corporate cultures; strengthening of self-perception and perception of others in different contexts
• Leadership competence: understanding and practice of leadership with a goal of sustainability
• Consulting competence: psychodynamically sound planning, implementation and evaluation of consulting processes
• Management skills: changing organizational cultures and associated structures, as well as designing and planning training courses and workshops.
• Conflict Competences: conflict Analysis, Conflict Management and Conflict Resolution

You can use these competencies in numerous areas of application: in the design of leadership processes, personnel and team development, organizational development, change management, innovation management and strategy planning, mediation and conflict management, moderation, management consulting, coaching as well as individual and group supervision.

The course is aimed at anyone who, as a manager or consultant, understands dynamics in organisations and wants to make a contribution to the success of satisfactory working relationships. Prerequisite is a degree in psychology, sociology, pedagogy, economics, law, medicine or a similar field as well as relevant professional experience.

Executive
Within the Master's programme Leadership and Consulting, students participate in in-person courses during four weekends and one block week per semester alongside their own careers. The study programme is structured as an advanced-studies course with a focus on leadership and organisation and includes preliminary studies (completion of foundational modules and the first two semesters). The standard period of study for this programme is two years, and results in a Master of Arts (M.A.).

Scope: 90 credits total, 60 for courses

Extended
The extended study programme with a focus on consulting and research (after completion of the foundational modules and first two semesters) lasts for three years. Graduates are eligible to become licensed consultants, coaches, and supervisors, according to policies established by the respective associations (DGSV, DBVC).

The extended programme includes

• Three additional modules
• Practical activities in the form of independently conducted consulting processes or change projects in companies and organizations as well as research projects
• A research project
• Teaching supervision to accompany independently conducted consultations

Interested students also have the opportunity to participate in a mentoring program.

Scope: 120 credits total, 90 for courses

We maintain scientific contacts in the field of industrial and organizational psychology with professors from the following universities: FU Berlin, TU Berlin, ESMT Berlin, Bremen University, Coventry University, Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, Kassel University, Klagenfurt University, St. Gallen University, Witten-Herdecke University and Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen.