As a Cal Poly Humboldt student enrolled in the Leadership Studies program, you are part of a robust community of adult learners who are at a similar place in life, with shared goals and motivations. In addition to the supportive faculty and advisors at Humboldt, you are each other’s best resource!
As you may already know, a special type of student is drawn to Leadership Studies -- those who have an ethic to serve and a vision to lead. If you are not already in a leadership role, you know you can impact change from any level of an organization.
Leadership Studies majors are mature, independent, and motivated. They elevate the learning experience for each other.
To learn more, check out our many student spotlights for insights, advice, and perspectives from your fellow students.
If you're active on social media, follow Leadership Studies on Instagram and Facebook.
How do I connect with fellow Leadership Studies students?
Once enrolled, you can take advantage of these tools to share tips, encouragement and support with fellow students:
- Lively discussion forums in your asynchronous classes
- LDRS Student Directory with home region and industries
- LDRS Discord channel for fun and study groups
- Portfolium (online portfolio) connections with current students and alumni
- Leadership Studies LinkedIn Group for current students and alumni
How do I connect with my advisors?
Individualized, 1:1 advising is available year-round via phone or zoom sessions with your academic advisor and/or peer advisor in Leadership Studies. At Humboldt, we advise holistically and are happy to work with you on any aspect of your degree progress and student success. Advisors will also help you access relevant resources for academic, personal, career, or graduate school support.
Current Leadership Studies students can find all support services and resources in the Leadership Advising Corner (through CANVAS).
Who Are Leadership Studies Students?
As a Cal Poly Humboldt student enrolled in the Leadership Studies program, you will meet fellow adults who are united by a shared passion for management, leadership, and impacting positive changes in their communities. Leadership Studies majors are highly diverse, returning to college with a wide variety of cultural and educational backgrounds, abilities, responsibilities, career experience, and life paths.
Each semester, we welcome 25-35 new students per cohort. There are approximately 120 LDRS students enrolled in total, and over 230 graduates of the program as of 2024. Students range in age from their early 20s to late 60s. The average student age is 39, and the majority of LDRS students are parents or guardians.
Over a five-year average, the Leadership Studies majors are:
- 60% first generation in college
- 37% Pell Grant recipients
- 56% Students of Color
- 66% identify as female
- 55% from Southern California
- 25% from Northern California
- 90%+ in good standing with most students earning a 3.0+ Humboldt GPA
Cal Poly Humboldt is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and a Minority-Serving Institution (MSI). We are student-centered and accessible to a wide array of non-traditional students, adult learners, returning students, online learners, and transfer students.
See the student spotlights for insights, advice, and perspectives from your fellow students.
What can I do with a degree in Leadership Studies?
In Leadership Studies, we believe that your broad array of life experiences, lived experience, and educational backgrounds are an asset. Whether you’re established in your career, making a transition, or looking to transform your life, this program will help you. It is much more than a degree completion program– it also promises personal growth and professional development.
A degree in Leadership Studies is designed to help you advance in a variety of careers, including business, non-profit management, government, social services, healthcare, education, fire fighting, and law enforcement, among others. The major is truly interdisciplinary drawing from psychology, sociology, communication, sustainability, business, and management disciplines.
After taking a few classes at Humboldt, many students find a renewed passion for learning and look ahead to graduate school. The program offers excellent preparation for master’s degrees in Public Administration, Business Administration, Social Work, Human Resources, law school, and other disciplinary-specific graduate programs. Graduates continue to attain leadership and management roles in both public and private sector organizations.
Overall, Leadership Studies is an incredibly empowering program. Our students come to know and believe in themselves, and bring that confidence to their teams in order to support others. Leadership Studies has been helping adult learners achieve the dream of a college degree since 2014. We understand where you are in life and provide the flexibility you need.
What is the Humboldt Pledge?
As a Cal Poly Humboldt student, you are part of a campus community known for its longstanding commitment to social and environmental responsibility. In each of your Leadership Studies courses, you will learn about the Humboldt Pledge. This pledge represents Cal Poly Humboldt's values as a community. It is a simple reminder that students, faculty, staff, and alumni have the power to make a positive impact.
"I pledge, as a Humboldt community member, to discover the social and environmental consequences of my choices and I will engage in positive change on our campus and in our community."
When you graduate, you'll have your bachelors degree AND the leadership skills to make your community and organizations better.
