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Leadership, as an Interdisciplinary Field of Learning

At the turn of the 21st century, and around the world, there were only twelve (post-)graduate curricula in the specific field of leadership, and offered by less than ten educational institutions paving the way in that discipline of study and practice. In Europe, the Thierry Graduate School of Leadership's Master of Arts in Leadership emerged as a singular programme that embraced an interdisciplinary, culture-sensitive, cross-continental, and innovative approach to leadership education. 

With, on the one hand, the aim of endorsing the academic will that  leadership be recognised worldwide as a fully fledged discipline of study, and, on the other hand, the strong desire of supporting the ascent of the independent Thierry Graduate School - two factors that coincided with the University Academy's pivotal role in international education -, the Graduate School operated successfully under the University Academy's aegis from September 2003 to August 2008. Since then the School awards degrees, by virtue of the direct authority provided by the Noyon Charter.

The Thierry Graduate School 

The Thierry Graduate School is an international postgraduate educational institution based in Belgium. As an independent, not-for-profit, and non-subsidised institution, and with a transcultural educational scope, the school is not part of the linguistic community-bound higher education systems of Belgium. [1]  As explained before, the School's leadership curricula are not listed or categorised under the caption of another academic discipline of study. Furthermore, and unlike many other organisations and institutions offering leadership development courses, seminars, or programmes, THIERRY is a true leadership school, not a business or public administration school, nor a corporate enterprise or firm, nor is it part of another school, faculty, or college. 

Driven by its mission of providing "better leaders for a better world", the institution's goals are focused on the learning of effective leadership by its students. Such a process includes the building of vision and character, in the context of which the total number of students is limited to maximum fifty per year. The school's educational mission and concept can be viewed as a contemporary equivalent to "Instruction in the Good Conduct of States", the goal-mission of the 8th century ancestor academy.  

Students and Curricula

THIERRY's worldwide students and alumni are active in leadership, development, education, the environmental fields, and in change management; they evolve in a variety of organisations, at many levels, and in diverse personal environments. Care and esprit de corps are key values at THIERRY. The sharing of the worldwide leadership practice and expertise is facilitated by experienced leader-educators, who use state-of-the-art educational approaches and cutting-edge learning tools, supported by cost-efficient technologies.

The school offers accredited masters (MA, MPhil, EML) and doctoral (PhD) curricula, as well as other non-degree programmes. The major areas of focus and study are leadership practice; leadership development and education; environmental ("green") leadership; executive coaching, and mastery of change. The practice-oriented programmes, aimed at experienced persons, are offered in-classroom, online, or in blended distance learning modes, combined with (e-)coaching and mentoring, and with a residential summer institute.

The School's apex in leadership development is the exclusive CEO and Head of State curriculum, with its world-unique diploma: the Coryphaeus in Senior Executive Leadership.  

 Official link to the School's website: The THIERRY Graduate School of Leadership.

[1] The term 'transcultural' encompasses the notions of cross-cultural or multicultural leadership (or leading "across" cultures and nations). This approach pervades the programmes offered at the Thierry Graduate School.