Envision What Comes Next
Discover a meaningful next chapter through thoughtful reflections on your life and career.
The University of Chicago Graham School’s leadership offerings are designed to engage individuals in reflection and action throughout their adult lives.
Unlike traditional leadership programs, which typically concentrate on management skills used in business, our programs and courses reveal leadership insights drawn from the liberal arts. Graham students develop an interdisciplinary understanding of how they can apply leadership strategies in a variety of contexts and evolve their approaches to fit different stages of their own lives and careers. They evaluate decisions through the lens of great works of literature, philosophy, history, and politics.
Spotlight Programs
Your Bridge to an MBA
Explore courses at Chicago Booth, while boosting your resume or grad school application.
Shape Chicago’s Future
Gain the tools and networks to better understand, engage, and shape the region’s economic and community development.
Navigate Life’s Turning Points
Embrace your potential with practice-based learning that blends interpersonal skills with tools from theater.
Grow as a Thinker and Leader
Elevate your critical thinking and leadership through advanced study in the liberal arts.
Design a Future of Meaning and Impact
Join a community of accomplished leaders on a journey of self-discovery and meaningful action for society.
Leadership Skills
As we face looming global crises and dramatic technological advances, communities and organizations need leaders who approach complex problems with creativity and a spirit of collaboration. The wide-ranging knowledge, empathy, and adaptability you can garner from studies in the liberal arts are increasingly essential to effective leadership.
Experienced professionals can prepare themselves to make invaluable contributions by reflecting on their strengths, discerning their purpose, and envisioning their role in the future. When you apply your intellectual curiosity to social challenges with and engage with peers who are at a similar turning point in their lives, you can discover exciting opportunities to make a difference.
Leadership & Ethics Instructors
David Archer
Professor in the Department of the Geophysical Sciences
Fred Beuttler
Lecturer, Master of Liberal Arts Program
Alida Bouris
Associate Professor, School of Social Service Administration
Jason Bridges
Associate Professor of Philosophy
David Brooks
Columnist, New York Times, and Senior Advisor, UChicago Leadership & Society Initiative
Megan Christenson
Senior Portfolio Manager, REDF Impact Investing Fund
Harry Davis
MyLife Studio Guide, Booth School of Business Professor Emeritus, and the honoree of the Harry L. Davis Center for Leadership
Sascha Ebeling
Associate Professor in South Asian Languages and Civilizations, Comparative Literature, and The College
Russ Eisenstat
Executive Coach and Co-founder of Rising Path Partners
Stephanie Eisenstat
Executive Coach, Physician Educator, and Co-founder of Rising Path Partners
Symon Elliott
Managing Director, Russell Reynolds Associates
Michele Friedner
Associate Professor, Department of Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago
Sampriti Ganguli
Senior Advisor, Arabella Advisors
Marco Garrido
Associate Professor of Sociology, Division of the Social Sciences
Robert H. Gertner
Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Strategy and Finance, Booth School of Business
Eleonory Gilburd
Associate Professor of History and the College
Andreas Glaeser
Professor in Sociology and The College
Caroline Grossman
Adjunct Associate Professor of Strategy, Booth School of Business
Faith Hillis
Professor of Russian History and the College
Kimberly Kay Hoang
Professor of Sociology, Director of Global Studies
Edward W. Kolb
Arthur Holly Compton Distinguished Service Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Rochona Majumdar
Associate Professor
Robert Martin
Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anthropology
Peggy Mason
Professor of Neurobiology
Omar M. McRoberts
Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and The College
Stephen Meredith
Professor in Pathology and the Biological Sciences Collegiate Division
Mark Miller
Associate Professor and Director of Graduates Studies in the English Department
Daniel Moerner
Assistant Professor, Philosophy
Howard C. Nusbaum
Stella M. Rowley Professor of Psychology
Priya Parrish
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Strategy
Sheila Penrose
President, S.A. Penrose Advisors, LLC
Eugene Raikhel
Associate Professor, Department of Comparative Human Development
Michael Rossi
Associate Professor of the History of Medicine, Chair, Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science, and the College
Lawrence Rothfield
Associate Professor of the Department of English, Comparative Literature, the University of Chicago
Atiya Singh
Director of the McKeon Center at the University of Chicago
Anne Snyder
Editor-in-Chief, Comment, and Senior Advisor, UChicago Leadership & Society Initiative
Amy Dru Stanley
Associate Professor in the Department of History and the Law School
Michael Strautmanis
Executive Vice President, Obama Foundation
Lyndon A. Taylor
Partner, Heidrick & Struggles
Michael S. Turner
Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor, Departments of Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Physics, Enrico Fermi Institute, and the College
William Veeder
Professor Emeritus in the Department of English Language and Literature and the College
Kenneth Warren
Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor of English and Literature
David Wray
Associate Professor in Comparative Literature, Classics, and The College
Laurie Zoloth
Margaret E. Burton Professor of Religion and Ethics; also in the College; The Program in Jewish Studies; and the MacLean Center for Biomedical Ethics at the Pritzker School of Medicine
Our students are accomplished professionals who refuse to rest on their laurels. They’re dedicated to self-improvement and pushing their careers to even higher levels of achievement. They enter our programs seeking to add layers of complexity and nuance to their thinking.
Tim Murphy, AB’11, AM’14 Master of Liberal Arts Program Director
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn more about the Graham School’s leadership and ethics offerings.
Who is best suited to Graham School’s leadership offerings?
Graham’s leadership offerings are tailored for professionals who are advanced in their careers. Visit the individual program pages listed above for admission requirements.
Is financial support available?
We are committed to reducing financial barriers for students to take part in our programming. Please indicate in your application or contact us if you would like to be considered for scholarship support.
How large are the classes?
We are committed to keeping the classroom experience intimate to allow for meaningful engagement between students and instructors. As a result, we do cap the enrollment of each of our leadership cohorts.
How can I best prepare for class?
Complete any assignments and come prepared to participate actively in classroom discussion.
Are these offerings online or in person?
The Graham School offers both online and in-person class experiences. The description for each course specifies whether it will be offered online through Canvas or in person on one of UChicago’s campuses.
What’s it like to take a course in a Socratic seminar format?
Students come to each session prepared to engage in lively, respectful discussions about the assigned reading. With a small group of peers and your instructor, you’ll examine fundamental questions through the lenses of multiple disciplines and lived experiences.
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