The Professional Science Master’s program, and by extension, the Master of Business and Science (MBS) degree, are superb opportunities for any working professional looking to expand their knowledge of business and science and connect with others looking to do the same. One specific course tailored to help students achieve these goals is called Principles of Communication and Leadership. From the title, you can likely infer that the course covers multiple areas surrounding this topic, and you would be correct. Professor Kathleen Cashman takes a unique approach to teaching leadership and communication skills to MBS students, and the class serves as a call to action for those looking to make an impact in their careers before the course even concludes. If you want to learn how to get the most out of this class, take note of the key insights below.
Step outside your comfort zone. Projects and group tasks are specifically designed to challenge each student in this course. You’ll feel more comfortable reaching out to strangers, professionally and academically, especially those in senior-level positions. If you allow it, your contributions during meetings will change, and even your demeanor in the workplace will shift.
Rethink what you’ve learned about communication and leadership. This class provides tools and assignments to expand your understanding of both these areas and ensure they develop throughout the duration of the course. After completing this particular MBS course, my understanding and perspective on communicating and leading has drastically improved.
Don’t just attend class. Start applying what you learn right away. Shortly after this course starts, you can begin using the skills covered in class in and outside of the workplace. You’ll quickly learn the benefits of completing these innovative requirements. Ultimately, you’ll find that it’s one of the most useful courses in the entire MBS program.
The lessons learned make each student a better communicator and leader. I feel I have grasped and encompassed more leadership attributes as a direct result of taking this course than I have in years of working full-time. There are many principles that can be gained from the workplace, but seldom will you learn more about communicating like a leader in a short period of time than you will in this course.
You grow as a person. I no longer shy away from opportunities that drive me outside my comfort zone in and outside of my job, but actively seek them out in order to grow as a leader and individual. I have started to crave chances where I get to show off the technical abilities I’ve learned in this course about presenting, addressing different personality types, and displaying leadership in multiple facets of my life.
Even if this course were an elective for the MBS program, I would strongly suggest taking this class for each professional student that wants to grow in innumerable ways. I have no doubt that my career and education have already been—and will continue to be—bolstered by everything I’ve learned from this class. I was already a driven person before this class and now, I truly believe my future endeavors will be enhanced due to the time I spent with the course materials and learning from and with my peers. The seed to learn more about leadership principles and help others grow has been planted, and I plan to keep watering it for many years to come.
This guest post was written by Christopher Smith, MBS'25, Drug Discovery and Development.