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The School of Business
Management & Leadership Programs


Degree Details

  • Bachelor of Arts (BA)
    Total Credits
    180
    Start Term
    Any
    Delivery Method
    On campus
    Online
    Flexible
  • Bachelor of Science (BS)
    Total Credits
    180
    Start Term
    Any
    Delivery Method
    On campus
    Online
    Flexible

Learn more about our academic program delivery methods


School/College The School of Business

Bachelor's Degree: Management and Leadership Overview

Our management and leadership program equips you to set your own course—and get others to follow.

Today’s data-driven global economy calls for a new kind of business management. Portland State University’s business degree in management and leadership prepares you to exercise high-impact leadership at any level, from program director to chief executive. 

You’ll learn specific, outcome-oriented techniques for managing people at all levels of an organization. The program addresses universal management and leadership challenges and is customizable to fit your particular career goals.

PSU excels at business leadership training, as our nationally-ranked MBA program attests. With deep corporate connections and a tradition of innovative thinking, we offer unique management and leadership curriculum that integrates practical know-how with a forward-looking vision. You’ll deepen both of these qualities in our business management and leadership degree.

Management & Leadership Scholarships | There are approximately 45 scholarships available to Management & Leadership students 

Use PSU Scholarship Universe to submit a scholarship application. Incoming and continuing PSU students are eligible to apply for scholarships through PSU's Scholarship Universe. Students must file an admissions application with the university. Within 48 hours after a student has submitted an application, they can access the Scholarship Universe platform. 

Deadline for scholarship submission is May 1. 

General - The School of Business

Michael R. Gaines Endowed  -Undergraduate Tax Executive Institute John Andrew Funk EndowedAherne FamilyCOMP Endowed
Pathways to the Future - Fred Meyer FundThe Gary and Carla Cumpston Thrasher Family ScholarshipBoeingDemorest Family 
Greg and Terry Ness Graduate FundThe Owens Family Endowed  - Undergraduate Verne and Marjorie Rupp EndowedBraun Entrepreneurship Demorest Family Full-Time Student
PSU Beta Alpha Psi Epsilon Alpha Leader's Bartsch Family Scholarship - Undergraduate Junior or SeniorViking Engineering and Construction - Junior or Senior Level Undergraduate Carl Burgdorfer CFA Society of Portland  - Senior Class Standing Franklin Bauer Memorial - Undergraduate 
Retail Controllers SB Endowed - Upper Division Gary C. Homsley Endowed Accounting W.D. Hershey Memorial Fund EndowedNW Natural Sustainable Business Endowed Gaye and James Richardson Endowed - Undergraduate 
School of Business Daimler Truck Columbia Sportswear Athletic & Outdoor - Undergraduate Willamette Industries Endowed Cascade Spirits FundGerry and Marilyn Cameron Endowed Fund
School of Business Endowed FacultyOut in Business Zeliha Erdogan Scholarship in BusinessIke Nizam Foundation - Undergraduate Gloria J. Tipton Endowed 
US Bank - ATMOS ProgramSchlesinger Family Foundation Endowed A-Dec Endowed Business Iverson Family Business - UndergraduateHerbert Retzlaff Endowed - Undergraduate
Jackie Bell Endowed     
Hardship Funds
Boyle Fund for Pathway Student Assistance Renaissance Foundation Pathways Student Assistance
SBA Need Based Fee Remission The School of Business Fund 

Bachelor's Degree: Management and Leadership: Why PSU?

  • Dynamic community. With its vibrant economy and strong entrepreneurial spirit, Portland nurtures creative leaders in the business, government, and nonprofit sectors. PSU has strong relationships throughout the community, so you’ll enjoy exceptional opportunities to study—and interact directly with—successful managers and leaders from a variety of industries. You might be learning alongside employees from healthcare, the technology industry, the athletic and outdoor industry, or music and entertainment.
  • Practical orientation. Although “leadership” can be an ambiguous concept, our management and leadership program addresses concrete issues and offers applied training. You’ll learn to use storytelling techniques, build an inclusive culture, integrate hard data analysis with subjective judgment, cultivate dialogue, manage resources wisely, and solve other day-to-day challenges. 
  • Commitment to innovation. Leadership is central to what we do at The School of Business. With longstanding commitments to civic engagement, corporate responsibility, and social justice, PSU challenges all students to embrace leadership regardless of academic major or career path. It’s one reason we’ve made U.S. News & World Report’s “Most Innovative Universities” list for four consecutive years and earned a rare and prestigious “Changemaker” designation from Ashoka U.
  • Flexibility and convenience. With online and on-campus options, the management and leadership degree is equally accessible to full-time students and working professionals. It also offers maximum academic flexibility. You can apply electives from a variety of business disciplines toward our management and leadership degree, tailoring it to match your skills and support your career objectives.
  • Rigorous academics. PSU’s School of Business holds elite dual accreditation (in business and accounting) from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Only 1% of the world’s business schools have achieved this distinction. You’ll learn from seasoned, highly-published, and well-connected faculty.

Management and Leadership Degree Highlights

  • Available online and on-campus (mix and match to pick whatever fits your schedule in any given term)
  • Customizable credit requirements to fit your academic and career objectives
  • Leadership and management skills apply to organizations in business, government, and nonprofit sectors
  • A broad range of career options
  • University-wide commitment to values of corporate responsibility, social justice, and civic engagement
  • PSU has been featured for four consecutive years on U.S. News & World Report’s “Most Innovative Universities” list
  • Nationally ranked business school that holds elite dual accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

What can I do with a degree inManagement and Leadership?

The management and leadership degree has a wide range of applications because the demand for leadership skills far exceeds the supply. Employers in every industry describe the shortage of leadership and management talent as an obstacle to their organization’s success.

Past graduates of our management and leadership degree have taken a broad range of career paths. Some common choices include: 

  • Business analyst
  • Consultant
  • Entrepreneur
  • General manager
  • Government administration
  • Human resource management manager
  • Management analyst
  • Nonprofit leadership
  • Operations manager
  • Product development
  • Project manager
  • Property manager
  • Public relations
  • Risk manager
  • Sales manager
  • Social media manager

Management and Leadership Curriculum

The Management and Leadership degree includes core coursework in four areas: 

  • Human Resource Management
  • Team Processes
  • Organization Design and Change
  • Contemporary Leadership Issues

You’ll also take core business courses in finance, marketing, organizational behavior, information technology, business research, and operations management. Depending on your particular focus, you can apply electives from a wide array of disciplines toward the Management & Leadership degree.

Download the Management and Leadership Sequence Sheet for additional details about prerequisites, requirements, credits, and suggested sequences.

ACCREDITATION & RANKINGS

Portland State University is fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).

One of less than 200 business schools worldwide — top 1% — to be accredited in both business and accounting by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). AACSB is the elite business school accreditation known internationally.

Best Undergraduate Business Programs, U.S. News & World Report

#11 Best Online Bachelor's in Business Programs, U.S. News & World Report