Cass Business School, part of City University London, is to launch a new Masters in Leadership jointly with the Inspirational Development Group (IDG) and in association with the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Taught at Cass, and at Sandhurst, the two-year part-time course will combine Cass’s academic expertise with the resources of the British Army’s iconic leadership academy. The degree, targeted at senior managers, has a highly practical curriculum focused on developing delegate’s personal leadership skills as well as the business knowledge required at board-level.

“The syllabus aims to ready high-potential managers for the complex challenges of senior executive and board-level roles,” said Professor Colin Carnall, Director of Cass Executive Education. “It combines rigorous academic study with intensive leadership training. Managers won’t just study leadership, they will practise it.”

Based on the core curriculum of an Executive MBA, the course will give delegates a boardroom perspective on topics such as people management, business development, financial management, strategic communications and operations. It also focuses intensively on developing delegate’s personal leadership qualities, using experiential learning to help enhance their skills in motivating, teambuilding, influencing, decision-making and leading change.

Cass and IDG will work with delegates to identify their specific personal development needs, together with the wider leadership needs of their company, and regular reports on their progress will be made to their organisation. Delegates will also be assigned a senior mentor from their company. “Academic study is carefully balanced with learning by experience,” Professor Carnall added. “From practical activities to one-on-one executive coaching, the course will test and expand students’ leadership abilities to the limit.”

Stephen Bennett, CEO IDG, said: ‘’Our Masters’ programme provides the guidance and support required to develop the practical leadership skills and personal qualities a senior leader in a business needs. Business skills and financial acumen are critical, but they are not enough. Leaders must also lead. Perhaps now more than ever, that means creating a values based culture that brings sustainable commercial success. It will be a life changing experience.”

While the course will be taught by Cass academics and IDG, Sandhurst staff will deliver workshops and case studies drawing on their world-class military leadership development and team building expertise.

One case study will see Sandhurst military historians lead a visit to the Normandy battlefields where delegates will explore the leadership decisions and dilemmas faced by troops in the days after the D-Day Landings in 1945. Sandhurst will also host an international leadership conference with high-profile speakers from the military, politics, media, religion and sport.

“Leadership is the business of Sandhurst; we pride ourselves that we have produced leaders for the nation as well as the British Army. The Masters is an exciting opportunity for us to build upon this tradition of developing wider leadership and engage with the challenges business leaders face,” said Sean Mcknight Director of Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Sandhurst will provide the backdrop for half of the course. The inspiring surroundings, which are synonymous with leadership, are intended to remove delegates from their normal business environment. The remainder of the course will be taught at Cass’s new Executive Education suite in the centre of the City of London.

The course is aimed at seasoned business leaders with 10 to 15 years’ experience. It is slated to begin in Autumn 2013 with an intake of 20 delegates.