What Is The NLA?
The NLA (National Leaderology Association) is a non-profit association of leadership-educated professionals dedicated to treating leadership as a real social science. The association exists to safeguard the public, uphold rigorous standards for leadership education and practice, advance leaderology as a discipline, and connect organizations with qualified leadership professionals and leaderologists.
What is a 'Leaderologist?'
A leaderologist is a professional who specializes in the scientific study and application of leadership. Leaderologists focus their academic work and practice on leadership specifically, rather than treating leadership as a side topic within management or another field.
They study leadership theory, history, behavior, bias, followership, and development, and they use that knowledge to design, evaluate, and refine leadership practices in real settings. The term is intentionally academic and signals that leadership is a distinct field of inquiry with its own standards, methods, and body of knowledge.
The NLA reserves the title “leaderologist” for those who have devoted multiple leadership degrees to the discipline and who actively contribute to leadership research, education, or high-level practice.
What differentiates NLA members from coaches?
The core distinction is that NLA members are leadership educated first, and coaches second. Their work is grounded in leadership science, not just personal experience, charisma, or popular business slogans.
NLA members focus on hard leadership skills such as strategic thinking, behavior modification, bias awareness, decision processes, culture design, and followership dynamics. Soft skills like communication and empathy are still important, but they sit on top of a structured scientific base rather than replacing it.
Many non-leadership-educated coaches work almost entirely from soft skills, anecdotes, or management frameworks and may not know where leadership and management meaningfully diverge. NLA members are expected to understand that distinction, apply evidence-based models, and operate within their actual training. That is the foundation of the NLA standard.
Does Business Administration Count as Leadership?
No. Business administration programs are designed as management degrees, not leadership degrees. Their primary focus is on functions such as accounting, finance, marketing, operations, and administrative control.
Some business administration programs may offer one or two leadership related classes, but the curriculum is not built around leadership as a discipline. From an NLA standpoint, a business administration degree does not qualify as a leadership degree because leadership theory, history, behavior, and development are not the core of the program.
Is an MBA Considered a Leadership Degree?
No. A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a management and business degree. While some MBA programs include leadership courses or modules, leadership is not the central organizing focus. The degree is designed to develop managerial and business competencies across functions such as finance, marketing, operations, and strategy.
For NLA purposes, an MBA is respected, but it is not classified as a leadership degree and does not, by itself, qualify someone as a leaderologist.
MS in Leadership vs MBA: Which is Better?
Neither is universally “better.” They serve different purposes.
A Master of Science in Leadership (or similar degree with leadership clearly at the center) is designed to develop deep competence in leadership theory, behavior, strategy, and development across contexts. It is appropriate for people who want to specialize in leadership itself or who intend to practice as leadership professionals or leaderologists.
An MBA is designed to develop broad managerial competence in business functions. It is appropriate for people who want to run or manage operations, staff, and resources. From an NLA perspective, the key question is not which degree is better, but whether the degree aligns with your intended role: leadership science or business management.
What Degrees Are Confused for Leadership Degrees?
Several programs are frequently mistaken for leadership degrees because they use leadership language in marketing or include a small number of leadership themed courses. In reality, their core curriculum is built around management or another field.
Common examples include degrees in business administration, professional administration, management, human resources, public administration, public health, and general education administration. At the graduate and doctoral levels, this includes degrees such as MBA, MPA, M.Ed., DBA, DPA, and DHA.
These programs can be valuable, but from an NLA standpoint they are not leadership degrees unless leadership is the primary focus of the curriculum and the program clearly meets NLA Leadership Education Standards.
I have a “Leadership Management” Degree. Does that count?
It depends on how the curriculum is built. There is a growing trend to blur leadership and management in program titles. The NLA is cautious about these blended degrees because they often dilute both disciplines and create confusion in practice.
If most of the program is management content with a light leadership overlay, the NLA will not treat it as a true leadership degree. If the program clearly meets NLA Leadership Education Standards, with leadership making up the required percentage of coursework and management remaining under the recommended threshold, it may be considered.
Each program is reviewed case by case. The NLA will look at the actual course list, credit distribution, and faculty expertise rather than the title alone. If you have a “Leadership Management” degree and want to know how it is classified, contact the NLA for a review.
Leadership Professional vs Leaderologist: What's the Difference?
The NLA defines a leadership professional as someone who holds at least one accredited degree in leadership at any level. These individuals have dedicated formal study to leadership as a discipline and have completed a leadership focused program that meets minimum scientific and curricular standards.
A leaderologist is a leadership specialist whose academic career is anchored in leadership at two or more degree levels. Leaderologists have completed multiple leadership degrees, conducted leadership specific capstone or research projects, and are expected to contribute to the discipline through research, applied work, or both.
Leaderologist I: Typically holds two leadership degrees, such as an undergraduate and master’s degree in leadership, or a master’s and doctoral degree in leadership. They have completed substantial leadership research or projects and are regarded as experts in leadership practice and theory.
Leaderologist II: Has devoted their entire academic pathway to leadership, with an undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degree in leadership or leadership subfields. They have completed leadership focused capstone, thesis, and dissertation work and are regarded as authorities in the discipline.
Both leadership professionals and leaderologists are valuable. The distinctions exist so the public, employers, and institutions can understand depth of training, not to diminish any level of leadership education.
I Have a Doctorate in Leadership, but not a Bachelors or Masters in Leadership. Why am I not a Leaderologist?
Under NLA standards, a single leadership degree, even at the doctoral level, classifies you as a leadership professional, not a leaderologist. The issue is not the value of the doctorate. The issue is the missing foundational sequence in leadership at earlier degree levels.
Leaderology is treated as a social science. Foundational coursework at the undergraduate and master’s levels builds the core concepts, history, theory structure, and methodological habits that advanced work assumes. Without that progression, it is easier to mix leadership and management without noticing, to skip key parts of the literature, or to lean too heavily on another home discipline.
The NLA standard exists to protect the public, maintain clarity for the discipline, and set consistent expectations. It signals that the title “leaderologist” is reserved for those whose academic careers have been anchored in leadership across at least two degree levels. Your doctorate in leadership still matters and is recognized. It places you in the leadership professional category, which is a respected and needed classification within the NLA framework.
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