Leadership Academic Program Development in North America: Theoretical and Contextual Challenges

Abstract

[EN] The development of a new academic field of study is always confronted by many challenges including carving a space for the program but also defining and designing a curricular that is unique and different from existing traditional academic programs. The research and debates about leadership academic education contribute to a rich debate about program design, content, curriculum and positioning. This paper explores the different levels of the theoretical debate about the best approaches to provide leadership education in colleges and universities in North America. Although the area of program design still lacks harmonization, many areas of agreement have emerged over the years.