POLSE

Psychology, Organizational Leadership, and Sociology Exchange

Org Leadership

Organizational Leadership at Maryville University:

Organizational Leadership is an interdisciplinary and custom designed field of study which integrates theory and practical knowledge from the social sciences, business, communication, political science, and the humanities. It focuses on the human side of organizations and prepares individuals for leadership positions in corporate, government, not-for-profit, and community organizations. The undergraduate program in Organizational Leadership at Maryville University begins with a multidisciplinary core focused on coursework in organizational leadership, psychology, sociology, business, philosophy, policy, and communication. The core courses, and the skills gained within each, directly map onto the skills most desired by employers.

According to the The National Association of Colleges and Employers’ 2012 Job Outlook Survey, the top skills that employers are looking for include the: Ability to work in a team structure, Ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization, Ability to make decisions and solve problems, Ability to obtain and process information, Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work, Ability to analyze quantitative data, and Technical knowledge related to the job.

Our core courses in Organizational Behavior, Group Dynamics, Communication, Public Policy, Ethics, Management, Research Methods, and Statistics help you develop the skills that will maximize your job marketability!

In addition, to ensure that students develop the technical skills related to specific occupations, students also identify a concentration of choice that allows students maximum flexibility in custom designing their major to fit the student’s interests and prepare them for a wide variety of career options. For example, students can create an organizational leadership major with a concentration or minor in the area that interests them the most, such as psychology, sociology, criminal justice, communication, environmental science, international and cultural studies, women’s studies, health care management, legal studies, business, education, or the fine arts, just to name a few. Use the links below to learn more about your options for an undergraduate or graduate major in organizational leadership from Maryville University (for some of the links you may have to scroll down to select the information related to the organizational leadership major):

Organizational leadership program features: http://maryville.edu/academics-as-orgleadership.htm

Masters in Organizational Leadership: http://www.maryville.edu/academics-as-MA-Organizational-Leadership%20.htm

Maryville course catalog: http://maryville.catalog.acalog.com/content.php?catoid=7&navoid=401

Degree planning sheets: http://www.maryville.edu/academics-advising-dpsheets-1112.htm

 

What can I do with a degree in Organizational Leadership?

According to the U.S. Department of Labor (http://online.onetcenter.org) occupations related to Organizational Leadership have above average projected job growth rates and above average median annual salaries. A recent report by the Center on Education and the Workforce found that with a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership (categorized as Industrial/Organizational Psychology in the report), the median annual earnings are $53,000 with an employment rate of 94%. Around 38% of people with this major go on to earn a graduate degree, which can result in a 28% boost in earnings (about $14,840 per year). Read more: What is it worth_Psychology and Organizational Leadership.

Because the program at Maryville University allows you to choose a concentration in an area of choice, the career options with a degree in Organizational Leadership are quite numerous.  Once you have narrowed down your career interests, check with your academic adviser to determine the concentration and course work that will best prepare you for your desired career! The following are just some of the careers that you could explore with a degree in organizational leadership:

Register with Maryville University’s career connections in order to learn more about employment opportunities:

http://maryville-csm.symplicity.com/students

Graduate Study in Organizational Leadership:

Earning a master’s degree in a field related to Organizational Leadership can prepare you for a variety of leadership positions in for-profit and not-for profit organizations, including leadership roles as internal or external consultants in Organizational Development, Human Resources, Community Service, and others.  The master’s degree can also prepare students for further graduate work in PhD programs in preparation for positions in research, consulting and teaching.  Masters degrees typically take 2 to 3 years to complete. Doctorate degrees can take several years to finish and require a great deal of hard work; but may result in higher salary, more work autonomy, and a wider range of career opportunities.  Master’s and Doctoral degree programs in organizational leadership can fall into one of several disciplines:

Psychology: Industrial/Organizational Psychology programs train individuals to apply the principles of psychology to organizational and work settings. These programs tend to place an emphasis on application and research. Learn more: http://www.siop.org/visibilitybrochure/studentbrochure.aspx.

Sociology: Individuals with training in Organizational Sociology use their training in sociological theory, research methods, and statistics to engage in research and strategic planning in corporate departments of human resources, industrial relations, public relations, and marketing.

Communication: Individuals who study Organizational Communication are concerned with the creation of meaning, the production of messages, and the processing of information that makes organizing possible.

Business/Management: Individuals who study Organizational Management approach organizations from a business/management perspective.

Political Science: Individuals who approach Organizational Leadership from a political science perspective tend to examine leadership theory from a political standpoint and/or examine the policies related to organizations.

Legal Studies/Law: Individuals may also want to pursue a law degree in order to better understand and impact Organizational Law.

Public Administration: Individuals in public administration learn to apply leadership skills and organizational theory to the administration of government programs.

History/Humanities: Leadership abounds in history and in the humanities. Individuals who approach the study of organizations or leadership from a humanities perspective will study the historical and literary significance of leadership.

Interdisciplinary: Given the prevalence of leadership across multiple domains, many graduate programs in organizational leadership offer a multidisciplinary perspective. Check out Maryville University’s own multidisciplinary Master’s program in Organizational Leadership:

 

Maryville’s Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership:

Maryville University offers a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership. The program is designed to prepare you to lead and learn in the 21st century, and emphasizes strengthening your skills in evidence-based practices and reflective thinking to prepare you to impact real, sustainable positive change in yourself as a leader, your organization, and your community.  A Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership is a great way to prepare for a leadership position in a corporate, government, not-for-profit, or community organization.  You can customize your focus to match your unique career interests in areas such as Organizational Development, Human Resources, Community Service Leadership, and others. Qualified students may be able to gain early access to the graduate program (see below).

Early Access Bridge to the Masters in Organizational Leadership: Maryville undergraduate students, who have a cumulative GPA of 3.6 and a minimum of 100 credit hours completed, with at least 20 credit hours from Maryville, may apply for early admission into the Masters in Organizational Leadership graduate program.  Qualified students may take up to 12 credit hours at the graduate level that count toward the undergraduate and graduate degree. Students should consult with their academic adviser for more information.

For more information about the Masters in Organizational Leadership go to: http://www.maryville.edu/academics-as-MA-Organizational-Leadership%20.htm

Certificate Program in Organizational Leadership Coming Soon! We will soon be offering an 18-hour graduate certificate in Organizational Leadership or Strategic Communication. This program is perfect for individuals interested in graduate work in these areas, but who aren’t ready to commit to a full MA program. For more information contact Dr. Barb DeSanto at bdesanto@maryville.edu.

 

Organizational Leadership as Pre-Professional Training:

A bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership can also be a great starting point for entry into a professional degree program:

Learn more about Industrial/Organizational (I/O) Psychology: http://www.siop.org/gtp/GTPDescription.aspx

Universities offering professional programs in I/O Psychology: http://www.siop.org/ioprograms.aspx

 

Resources on preparing for graduate school:

Learn more about free GRE prep sessions in St Louis:

http://www.kaptest.com/enroll/GRE/63141/events;jsessionid=4DFDA143D7852B9881AB353E448727F4

Learn more about how to interpret your GRE scores:

http://www.ets.org/s/gre/pdf/concordance_information.pdf

 

Links related to Organizational Leadership:

Professional Development Opportunities in Organizational Leadership for 2011-2012: http://blogs.maryville.edu/kbramesfeld/2011/09/organizational-leadership-professional-development-opportunities-2011-2012/

Organizational Development Network (ODN):   http://www.odnetwork.org.

St. Louis Organization Development Network (STL-ODN): http://www.stlodn.org/

American Society of Training & Development (ASTD): http://www.astdstl.org/.

Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM):  http://www.shrm.org/Pages/default.aspx.

CORO: Coro trains ethical, diverse civic leaders nationwide:  http://www.coro.org/.

AOM (Academy of Management): http://www.aom.org/

MAOM (Midwest Academy of Management): http://www.midwestacademyofmanagement.org/

(IAC) International Association of Conflict Management: http://www.iacm_conflict.org/

SIOP (Society of Industrial/Organizational Psychology): http://www.siop.org/

GIOP (Gateway of Industrial/Organizational Psychologists):http://www.giop.org/

National Social Science Association: http://www.nssa.us