Center for Leadership and Development

Andrea Bishop, Ph.D.
Director of Center for Leadership & Development

Dr. Andrea Stark Bishop leads the academic offerings of the center and teaches classes in organizational communications and learning and development. She is an eager and energetic force focused on continually building and strengthening this exciting academic program. She is passionate about establishing standards of academic excellence and brings a wealth of experience as both an educator and leader. She also serves as an assistant professor of education.

Dr. Bishop previously served as coordinator of virtual learning for UofM Global, the online arm of the University of Memphis. She helped create and administer Prep Academy, a unique online bridge program designed to better prepare students for the academic rigor of higher education. She also designed curriculum and coordinated course offerings for TNeCampus, a collaborative partnership offering quality online course options among Tennessee universities.

With nearly 20 years of experience in higher education, she believes that better communication leads to better leadership, teaching and learning. She also says, “Communication is the center of the workplace and the heart of leadership. It is the focal point of any organization. Communication generates new thought, new practice and new strategies. It defines the culture of families, schools, workplaces and governments, for good or ill. Simply put, poor communication equates to poor leadership while strong communication equates to strong leadership.”

A native of Wynnewood, Oklahoma, Bishop holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in education from Harding University as well as a doctorate in writing rhetoric and technical communication from the University of Memphis. She and her husband, Mike, were married in 1997, and have two sons, Zach and Alec.

The Center for Leadership and Development is excited to partner with other organizations to offer our degree options with a streamlined application process, wraparound service from application to graduation, and a tuition discount. The discount can be applied to our fully online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership, a 30-credit hour program. It can also be applied to any of our 12-credit hour graduate certificates in Learning and Development, Human Resources, or Executive and Workplace Coaching.

	All students, alumni, faculty, and staff of Crowley's Ridge College are eligible for a 15% tuition discount. To inquire about the discount or to learn more about the application process, please email maol@harding.edu.
	Employees of Expedient Technology Solutions are eligible for a 15% tuition discount. To inquire about the discount or to learn more about the application process, please email maol@harding.edu.

If your organization would be interested in partnering with the Harding University Center for Leadership and Development, please contact us for more information: maol@harding.edu. We would love to help you develop a workplace culture of courageous communication and effective leadership!

Due to the interdisciplinary nature inherent to the study of organizational leadership, students from a broad range of academic backgrounds are welcome to apply to this program. All applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree.

The MAOL degree requires the completion of 30 credit hours. All classes are three credit hours. The completion of the MAOL includes the successful completion of six core classes (18 credit hours) plus four certificate courses (12 credits hours), for a total of 10 classes (30 credit hours).

Depending on the schedule and course availability, students have the option of beginning with their certificate courses or their core classes.

The Center for Leadership & Development offers three graduate certificate options: executive and workplace coaching, human resource management and learning and development. For MAOL students who are interested in numerous topics, the strategic practitioner option can be a great fit. You are given an a la carte option to choose four electives from the certificate courses that you find most interesting and useful for your career.

Students are responsible for pacing themselves through the program based upon their personal and professional goals.

When taking a maximum load, MAOL students can earn their degree in three semesters.

To provide maximum flexibility, MAOL students can take up to 7 years to complete the program.