Leaders in business, public administration and the non-profit sector now find themselves confronted by problems of an increasingly challenging nature. The conditions of a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) place high requirements on leaders in many areas. It is essential to make purposeful use of all available information to deliver, under time pressure, practical and clearly understood solutions. The people involved are a major factor in the success or failure of this mission and therefore merit careful attention. Traditional leadership training courses often concentrate on administrative aspects and on understanding day-to-day operations (finances, controlling, marketing, macro and micro economics, etc.). They rarely address the specific themes which gain in relevance in exacting situations (decision-making, human factors, information management). The "Master of Advanced Studies in Effective Leadership" ("MAS in Effective Leadership") fills a gap in that it trains the skills required for leadership in situations with an acute need for action. The “MAS in Effective Leadership” combines a scientific foundation with proven methodology through a partnership between the University of Lucerne and the Swiss Armed Forces College (SAFC). Thus, the “MAS in Effective Leadership” is ideal for reserve officers, and, precisely for its teaching of content of military leadership training, also for participants from a non-military background. In this respect, the “MAS in Effective Leadership” differs from other degree programmes due to the following unique features: Focus on exacting, high-intensity situations; Practical positioning ensured by training partnerships and practical application of theoretical content through exercises; Acquisition and consolidation of ability to make elaborate and justifiable decisions; Focus on leadership as an instrument for delivering effects; Continuous course development in step with science and practice.