Department website: https://engineering.jhu.edu/cle/academics/undergraduate-studies/leadership-studies-minor/
The Leadership Studies minor offers Johns Hopkins Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and Peabody students a broad array of courses that help them to position themselves as leaders among their peers in entrepreneurial ventures in private industry, government, and academia. The minor offers a multidisciplinary approach that focuses on organizational and contextual aspects of leadership and personal development. Leadership Studies courses are also open to students who choose not to declare the minor.
The minor in leadership studies, part of the Center for Leadership Education, offers students a diversified learning experience that emphasizes the concepts, practices, and skills necessary for effective leadership as managers and entrepreneurs in the public and private sectors.
Some students simply take a course or two. Many choose to fulfill the seven-course Leadership Studies minor, pairing it with their engineering, liberal arts, or public health major. The minor’s four core courses provide a strong foundation in the fundamentals of entrepreneurial enterprises.
Students can then select any upper-level courses to complete the minor or elect to focus further in the areas of Social Enterprise, Science Policy, or Leadership for Health Professionals.
The Capstone Experience
In the Leadership Studies capstone experience, students gain hands-on experience through the development of a project in which they practice leadership. Options for the Capstone Experience include (but are not limited to):
- Experiential Social Entrepreneurship
- Developing an Environmental Venture
- Leading Educational Initiatives
- Leadership in a JHU-approved student organization
All Capstone Experience projects must be approved by the director of the Leadership Studies minor before enrollment in the Leadership Studies Capstone course. Projects must be team-based, require strong communication, exhibit measurable results, and exist within external-facing organizations.
Goal of the Capstone Experience
Johns Hopkins University's Center for leadership Education (CLE) capstone experience serves as the culminating academic project for students, offering an opportunity to integrate and apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in their CLE courses. This capstone project is designed to address a real-world problem, allowing students to demonstrate their mastery of a specific subject area while honing essential skills for their professional careers. By engaging in this hands-on, practical experience, students deepen their technical expertise in entrepreneurship, research, and analysis. They also demonstrate critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication abilities-skills that are vital for success in today's complex, fast-paced professional environments.
The capstone project is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary experience that challenges students to engage in problem discovery, a key focus of CLE's curriculum. Students at JHU are taught to navigate the boundaries of uncertainty, searching for previously un-articulated problems that are worth solving. The CLE capstone experience encourages innovation and provides students with an opportunity to use the tools they acquired in coursework to analyze and address complex, real-world challenges. To complete
the capstone project, students use quantitative reasoning, systems thinking, with a focus on approaching problems from multiple perspectives. They collaborate effectively with diverse teams that include other students and external stakeholders.
The capstone experience also emphasizes the importance of effective communication. Students practice articulating their ideas and solutions clearly, both in writing and in verbal presentations. This not only illustrates their ability to convey complex concepts to a wide range of audiences but also prepares them to lead and succeed in entrepreneurial ventures and professional settings.
CLE's curriculum is specifically designed to teach students how to lead with innovation, using principles of sustainability and entrepreneurship to drive impactful solutions. Ultimately, the CLE capstone project is an experiential learning opportunity that allows students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world scenarios and to demonstrate the entrepreneurship, leadership, analytical, and communication skills that they have acquired, ensuring they are not only well-prepared but are also poised to be effective innovators and leaders in their respective fields.
The information below describes the academic requirements for students entering JHU as degree-seeking students in Fall 2025. Students who entered JHU as degree-seeking students prior to Fall 2025 should view the appropriate archived catalogue.
The Leadership Studies (LS) minor is designed to develop strategic leadership skills in an organizational setting. The minor requires 21 credits. Grades of C- or higher are required. A maximum of one Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grade may be applied to the Core Courses, Upper-Level Electives, or Capstone Course requirements. Details of these requirements are as follows:
CORE COURSES
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EN.660.105 | Foundations of American Enterprise | 3 |
| or EN.660.250 | Identifying and Capturing Markets | |
| EN.660.331 | Leading Teams | 3 |
| or EN.660.407 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | |
| EN.660.332 | Leadership Theory | 3 |
| EN.661.110 | Professional Writing and Ethics | 3 |
| or EN.661.250 | Oral Presentations | |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
UPPER-LEVEL ELECTIVES
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Complete two courses from the following options: 1 | ||
| EN.660.329 | Social Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Community Based Learning | 3 |
| EN.660.333 | Leading Change | 3 |
| EN.660.407 | Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| EN.660.455 | Reimagining The City to Resist Climate Change | 3 |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
- 1
Clark Scholars may satisfy three credits of the Upper-Level Electives with the three one-credit course series: EN.660.122 Clark Scholars Engineering Design I, EN.660.230 Clark Scholars Engineering Design II, and EN.660.260 Clark Scholars Engineering Design III.
CAPSTONE COURSE
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EN.660.470 | Leadership Studies Capstone 1 | 3 |
| Total Credits | 3 | |
- 1
Clark Scholars may apply EN.660.415 Clark Scholars Capstone: Service and Leadership towards LS Capstone requirement.