Online university now accepting applications for April 1 enrollment

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Western Governors University (WGU), www.wgu.edu, has launched a new master's degree program in the online university's College of Business, the M.S. in Management and Leadership. This new program is designed to equip working adults with the leadership and organizational skills they need for effective change management, strategic management, and developing high-performance teams. Applications are being accepted now, and students may begin coursework in this new degree program on the first day of any month, beginning April 1 of this year.

The M.S. in Management and Leadership is designed for business professionals who wish to expand their career opportunities or improve their job performance by honing their ability to be effective leaders and managers—whether they aspire to enter management or are already in a management role. Students enrolled in this new online degree program will enhance their ability to lead and manage in dynamic environments such as business, government, nonprofits, or education. Courses will cover team leadership, data-driven decision making, and change management and innovation, as well as other skills necessary to be a successful leader.

Like all of WGU's online, accredited, competency-based degree programs, the M.S. Management and Leadership program was created for working adults looking to advance their careers in an educational setting that fits with their busy lives. WGU uses technology to facilitate education in ways that work for individual learners, allowing them to study, complete assignments, and take tests on their schedule and at their pace. Competency-based learning allows students to advance through their programs as soon as they're able to demonstrate mastery of the material—competencies that are defined by academic and industry experts to reflect the latest needs of the marketplace. Because WGU measures learning rather than time spent in class, professionals with knowledge and skills from work and previous college experience can often move through their programs more quickly, saving both time and money.

Key topics and areas of study covered by this new business degree are:

• Managing Organizations and Leading People
• Business Acumen
• Managing Human Capital
• Becoming an Effective Leader
• Management Communication
• Leading Teams
• Ethical Leadership
• Data-Driven Decision Making
• Change Management and Innovation
• Strategic Management

For more information, visit www.wgu.edu/ML.

About Western Governors University 
Recognized by President Obama as an innovative university that "awards credits based on learning, not seat time," Western Governors University is the only university in the U.S. offering accredited, competency-based bachelor's and master's degree programs at scale. Named one of  Fast Company's "Most Innovative Companies for 2013," WGU has been featured on NPR's "All Things Considered," NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, CNN's "Schools of Thought," and in The New York Times.

WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. WGU's Teachers College is the first exclusively online provider of teacher education to receive accreditation for its teacher licensure programs from NCATE, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The WGU bachelor's and master's nursing degree programs are accredited by the Commission for Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE*), and its B.S. in Health Informatics is accredited by CAHIIM (Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education).

Western Governors University has partnered with five states to establish state-based universities aimed at adding affordable capacity to state higher education systems. WGU Indiana, WGU Missouri, WGU Tennessee, WGU Texas, and WGU Washington are key elements in their states' strategies for increasing the percentage of adults with bachelor's or master's degrees. These state-endorsed universities offer degree programs that are accredited through WGU.

The university has earned the support of more than 20 leading corporations and foundations, including AT&T, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lilly Endowment, HCA, Hewlett-Packard, Lumina Foundation, Microsoft, Oracle, SunGard Higher Education, and Zions Bank. More information is available at www.wgu.edu or by calling 866.225.5948.

*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington DC 20036, 202-877-6791).

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Contact for media inquiries:
Joan Mitchell – VP of Public Relations
801-428-5463
jmitchell@wgu.edu

Contact for enrollment information:
866-225-5948
www.wgu.edu

SOURCE Western Governors University