Revised MLCM

MASTER OF LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT (REVISED PROGRAMME)

The Master of Leadership and Change Management (old curriculum) will be phased out systematically until 2018 with minimal disruption to existing student's learning progression. The last intake of 1st  year students for the out-phasing programme (old curriculum) was in July 2015.

Students who are registered in 2015 for the 1st year of the phasing-out programme (old curriculum), and who fail more than 50% of the courses at the end of the year, will be required to change their registration to the revised programme (new curriculum) in 2016, and will be granted credits on a course-by-course basis in accordance with information in Table 15.1 below.

The Master of Leadership and Change Management (new curriculum) will take effect from January 2016. Courses will only be offered based on the revised syllabi in 2016.  Students who fail any of the courses on the old curriculum will be required to repeat the failed course based on syllabi of revised corresponding courses as detailed in Table 15.2 below.

The  deadline  for  completely  phasing  out  of  the  Master  of  Leadership  and  Change  Management  (old curriculum) is 2019 after which students must automatically switch to the new programme and fulfil all requirements based on the new curriculum.

1. Programme Aims/Purpose

The Master of Leadership and Change Management (M.LCM) degree programme is designed to educate and  develop  leaders  of  in  the  Public  and  Private  sectors,  State  Owned  Enterprises  and  Non- Governmental  Organisations  to improve the efficiency, productivity  and effectiveness  of such organisations.  This programme adds value by developing skilled, flexible and adaptable leaders playing a  pivotal  role  in  organisational  change.     Graduates  of  this programme  will  be  able  to  enhance organisational competitiveness that leads to value-added economic activity and, thereby, contribute significantly to national development goals and Vision 2030. The programme will be a combination of coursework (including compulsory and elective courses) and a mini-thesis.

The overall aim of the programme is to develop leaders with the competencies - knowledge, skills and willingness  -  to  lead  and  manage  the  transformation  of  organisations  to  world-class  performance standards. This is achieved through:

· Developing progressive problem solving capacity in students through advanced study and research of organisational development, leadership and change management in the changing Namibian and global contexts in which the public, state-owned, non-governmental and private sector organisations operate.

·  Developing   the   critical   and   evaluative   competencies   of   students   enabling   them   to   apply systematically   knowledge,   values,   understanding   of   complex   organisational   and   managerial problems, both systemically and creatively, to improve organisational performance and change management practices.

·  Providing  students  with  the  ability  to  demonstrate  specialised  organisational  diagnostic  skills, evaluative,   managerial   and   professional   competencies   to   be   strategically   effective   change advocates,  agents  and  leaders  both  in  Namibian  and  global  contexts,  together  with  the  self- awareness and personal development appropriate to management careers in business and other organisations.

·  Providing students with a comprehensive  understanding  of enterprise governance that empowers them to assess, develop and implement the governance role in their organisational specific context.

 · Providing students with competencies that will prepare them to be critical and creative thinkers, who are able to work strategically with self-direction and originality to make a positive and sustainable contribution to their organisations’ development, the community and society at large.

·  Developing a range of generally transferable intellectual and study skills, which while being highly appropriate to an organisational career path, are also applicable in many contexts in supporting life- long learning.

The revised programme has been endorsed by members of the Programme Advisory Committee; while institutions of higher learning in the region, and internationally, have been consulted for purposes of international benchmarking (please find evidence of consultation, benchmarking and support attached).

2. Programme Rationale

The development and implementation of the Master of Leadership and Change Management (MLCM) is a critical element to the realisation of the Namibia University of Science and Technology’s vision and Namibia’s Vision 2030.  The Namibia University of Science and Technology launched the first version of MLCM programme in 2012.  Therefore using that foundation as an invaluable learning platform provides an opportunity for the further review and development  of the Master of Leadership and Change Management programme.  Demand for the programme was initially established through a  process  of  wide  consultation  with  industry  stakeholders  and  subsequently confirmed with 33 students registering as part of the 2012 cohort and a further 28 registering in the 2013 cohort.  Currently  there  are  a  total  of  72  students  enrolled  in  the  programme.  There  is  a  growing awareness in all sectors of the Namibian economy of the negative impact of the critical shortage of leadership and management competencies which will be exacerbated as the economy grows.

The M.LCM has been specifically designed to prepare participants to meet the challenges of the ever changing  organizational  context  globally  whilst  incorporating  Namibian specific  needs  and  issues. Graduates of the M.LCM programme will not only be able to have career progression, but also contribute to organizational growth and effectiveness. The programme is fully aligned with requirements of the Namibia University of Science and Technology   Curriculum  Framework,   the  National  Qualifications   Framework   (NQF),  and  European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD).

3. Criteria for Admission

The M.LCM will recruit suitably qualified applicants who are, or have the potential to become, change management leaders and capable of benefitting from, contributing to, and successfully completing the programme. In order to be considered for admission to this programme, prospective students must:

· Hold  a  recognised  four-year  Bachelor  degree  from  a  recognised  institution,  or  an  equivalent qualification  at  NQF  Level  8,  which  shall  include  a  component  of  supervised  research  or  a recognised graduate degree with a research component;

· Have at least three years of work experience in a managerial capacity (i.e. responsibility for the work of a team of employees);

Demonstrate competency in English communication in business at post graduate level  by either:

-   The fact that the undergraduate degree was done in the medium of English, or

-   Successful completion of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) at a minimum of band seven (7) or an equivalent test.

-   Alternatively, proficiency in English language should be demonstrated at the appropriate level through written assessments under controlled conditions, while applicants may also be required to take part in an interview.

-    Applicants will be required to write an admission test based on a simplified analytical skills test modelled in line with internationally recognised Admission Tests to Graduate Management Education GMAT® or computer based tests with similar predictive attributes concerning the applicant’s general aptitude.

-   Alternatively,   where   appropriate,   applicants   are   eligible   to   submit   recent   Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) results in lieu of the admission test.

4. Mode of Delivery

This programme will be offered on part-time mode of study delivered by 2 x 3-day monthly weekend study schools per course supplemented by action learning sets meeting both during and outside study-school blocks.
 

5. Requirements for Qualification Award

This qualification will be awarded to candidates credited with a minimum of 240 credits (all at NQF Level 9), and who have met the detailed qualification requirements as set out below. Students are required to complete 11 compulsory courses (worth 132 credits), 2 elective courses (24 credits), and a mini-thesis (84 credits) in a minimum period of two years. In addition, candidates must meet the administrative and financial requirements as spelt out in the Postgraduate Prospectus of the Namibia University of Science and Technology.

6. MLCM Fees 2016

Fees include textbooks

2016 HP-GSB Fees

7. Teaching and learning strategies

The requirements of the NQF underline the acquisition of cognitive skills and competencies exceeding knowledge and understanding of subject specific knowledge items and professional/technical competencies. The M.LCM therefore focuses on the engagement of students in an interactive learning process in order to provide for the development of generic cognitive and intellectual skills, key transferable skills, and, as the case may be, subject specific and/or professional/technical and practical skills. This learning process will be facilitated both in and outside the classroom, requiring specific tasks to be carried out by the student individually and in a team. This facilitation will make use of, inter alia, lectures, practical projects, tutorials, case studies, problem based learning and individual and/or group work within blocks delivered in 2 x three day (Friday – Sunday) monthly study schools. The progress of learning embedded in such tasks will be monitored, recorded and assessed.

8. Assessment strategies

Students will be assessed through diversified continuous assessment. These assessments will focus on the achievement of qualification outcomes and take the form of problem solving exercises, individual/group assignments and presentations, case study analyses, report writing, practical application of skills and competencies, tutorials, practical projects and tests. In addition, verbal defence of mini-thesis may be required to ensure the work is indeed that of the student.

In specific courses that will require the administration of tests in line with AMBA requirements for programme rigour; such tests will be conducted in controlled environments similar to the institutional requirements for conduct of examinations. Where applicable, tests will carry a weight of 40% in the total course grade with a sub-minimum of 40% for a pass; the weighted arithmetic mean value of the remaining assessments will be assigned a weight of 60%. The overall pass mark of the course taking into account the performance in both the test and other remaining assessments will be 50%.The Mini-thesis will be assessed in accordance with the Namibia University of Science and Technology’s rules for studies at postgraduate level, including an oral defence of the thesis as applicable.

8. Curriculum outline

The curriculum outline is as follows:

The detailed requirements for the programme are as follow (course codes will be created by the Faculty Officer for all new/revised courses following Senate approval of the programme):

The detailed requirements for the programme are as follow (course codes will be created by the Faculty

Officer for all new/revised courses following Senate approval of the programme):

Year 1: Semester 1

Year 1: Semester 2

Year 2. Semester 3

Year 2: Semester 4