At the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Master of Business Administration students leverage their personal leadership strengths to enhance their effectiveness and build high-performing teams. As part of the 60-year tradition of innovating the MBA, Nebraska offers a highly affordable, high-ROI MBA program—where graduates report starting average salaries over $140,000 while total tuition remains under $34,000.

A hallmark of our program is the Strengths-Based Leadership course (GRBA 896), led by Timothy Hodges, executive director of the Clifton Strengths Institute and assistant professor of practice in management. Rooted in strengths-based psychology pioneered by Nebraska’s own Dr. Donald Clifton, ’48, ’49, ’59 and ’90, the course teaches students to identify and apply their strengths in leadership and teamwork. Gallup research shows people who regularly use their strengths are six times more likely to be engaged at work and significantly more productive.

“We spent time focusing on great leaders, great leadership teams and why people follow. We started by taking the CliftonStrengths assessment so they could learn their own top strengths. Then the students got to work on how they could best apply their strengths to their current role,” Hodges said.

Each student receives personalized coaching from MBA faculty who are Gallup Certified Strengths Coaches, ensuring practical application of their CliftonStrengths® assessment results. The in-depth coaching conversations include strengths, workplace challenges and wellbeing.

“The insights from this experience not only helped me use my strengths to balance the demands of school, family and work but helped me appreciate the unique perspective I bring to each of those settings," said MBA student Jared Walton of Monrovia, California, who is a strategic account manager at Eaton. “The CliftonStrengths coaching helped me understand the power of the individual thinking systems I use every day to make decisions in my life. Dr. Amy Bartels' coaching showed me how these characteristics were really my inner superpower.”

Students learn about the different styles of leadership, teams and why people follow. They also explore strategies for applying strengths in team settings and decision-making processes to foster collaboration and innovation.

"While I had previously undergone a strengths assessment, Professor Hodges' guidance elevated the practical application of my strengths, showing me how they collectively shape my identity beyond just five individual traits," said Jason Alsup, '24, the head of computational sciences in Global Product Supply at Bayer Crop Science in St. Louis, Missouri. "I received a promotion and secured a new role within the company, and I am confident that my MBA studies played a pivotal role in these achievements."

The Nebraska MBA program goes beyond theory, offering students concrete skills for leadership and innovation.

Hodges said, "This unique arrangement gives students an opportunity to engage more personally with their MBA faculty and gives faculty an opportunity to better serve the students in the program. It's one of the many ways we develop the next generation of business leaders like only Nebraska can."