Black Hills State University

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Apply For Online Masters in Strategic Leadership

Two Steps to Apply Online For the MSSL Program

First, you need to submit the Graduate Studies application. Click here to submit this application online.

Second, gather the following items and mail them to the address below:

  1. Submit a personal essay, approximately 3-5 pages (double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman), which should include the following:
    • Past: Leadership experience (what leadership roles and responsibilities have you personally held and/or currently hold?)
    • Present: A self assessment of leadership strengths and weaknesses (you might find it helpful to use an existing framework of leadership characteristics, such as the book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell, which has a leadership questionnaire in the back, or Colonel Horton’s essay on leadership http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au-24/horton.pdf; others can be found online.)
    • Future: A self assessment of your leadership potential (what future leadership potential do you anticipate for yourself and how do you see this program strengthening your potential?)
  2. Submit a current Resume
  3. Submit official BS/BA transcript from an accredited college/university with evidence of cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale to align with the other BHSU masters’ degrees admission requirements.
  4. Submit three letters of recommendation; please use our Recommendation Form. They can be from a professor in the applicant’s BA/BS degree program, an employer, or anyone else of your choice. The recommendation letters should provide the university with evidence of the applicant’s potential for academic success in graduate studies and professional success as a leader.
  5. Submit the $35 (non-refundable) application fee.
  6. For International Students Only: Provide TOEFL results (if most recent academic degree is from a university where English is NOT the primary language of instruction). The international studies program requirement states that a minimum score on the paper exam acceptable at BHSU is 550 (IBT = 79).

Mailing Address

Graduate Studies Office
Black Hills State University
1200 University St. Unit 9501
Spearfish, SD 57799-9501