Organizational Leadership

Department of Organizational Leadership
Kimberly O’Connor, Chair
Kimberly O’Connor, Graduate Program Director
260-481-6420 ~ Neff Hall 288

Graduate study in Organizational Leadership provides a theoretical foundation to connect key concepts in leadership and human resources research with best practice. The master’s and graduate certificate programs offer in-depth learning and career-oriented study with comprehensive and professionally relevant course work.

The M.S. in Organizational Leadership offers students a foundation in the key principles of organizational leadership through core courses and the opportunity to choose a concentration, in either leadership or human resource management, that will provide in-depth knowledge and skills. OLS programs focus on understanding and working with people within organizations and the practical application of leadership concepts and theories. Graduates of the program will be prepared for leadership or human resources roles in a wide variety of settings including industrial, medical, service, and other profit and nonprofit organizations. The Graduate Certificate in Organizational Leadership is based on the core of the Organizational Leadership master’s degree program. The courses combine theory and practice to yield a combination that is immediately applicable to the work place and builds a foundation for more specialized study for those interested in advanced work.

Admission

The OLS graduate committee considers several factors to be important for academic success at the graduate level and uses a balanced perspective in evaluating candidates based on those factors. Candidates for the OLS master’s degree are required to have earned an undergraduate degree from an appropriately accredited institution, preferably with a B or better average. In addition, candidates are expected to show leadership potential through strong interpersonal, analytical, and communication skills, as well as a high standard of equitable and ethical behavior.

The admissions process will require: (1) completion of an application including an essay that demonstrates writing skills, ability to articulate a leadership perspective, and clarity of career objectives; (2) official transcripts of all previous college and university work; (3) a recent resume; and (4) two recent letters of recommendation that reflect on professional and/or academic skills. If applicants are within five years of completing academic work, at least one of the letters should be from a former faculty member.

Applicants with undergraduate GPAs below 3.0 (4.0 scale) must present recent scores from either the GRE or the GMAT. Applicants for whom English is not a native language must present evidence of their proficiency in English by presenting appropriate TOEFL scores or equivalent results on a similar instrument (for example, the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency).

Degree Requirements

The M.S. in OLS is a 33-credit-hour program composed of 18 credit hours of core and applied research requirements, and 15 credit hours in either the leadership or the human resources options.

Transfer Credit

No more than 6 graduate transfer credits earned at other accredited institutions may be considered for application to the plan of study. Requests for transferring credits into the program must be approved by the graduate admissions committee. No more than 12 graduate credits earned in non-degree status will be counted toward the degree.

Academic Requirements

A cumulative GPA of 3.0 (4.0 scale) or better is required through completion of the program. Students must earn a C (2.0) or better in all OLS courses applied to the degree. Any course grade below C (2.0) is not counted towards degree requirements, although all grades are used in computing the cumulative GPA.