Online Organizational Leadership Courses and Training

Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership  

The Master’s in Organizational Leadership program requires a total of 36 graduate-level credit hours delivered in five semesters of leadership classes over 20 months, with each semester building on the former. Students in the organizational leadership training program travel through the successive semesters as a cohort, establishing camaraderie and rapport as they study and learn together.


Semester I: The Learning Manager (8 credit hours total)
 

This semester examines individual experience, preferences, and attitudes in developing a leader’s personal competence. Emotional intelligence, and critical and strategic thinking are introduced as vital development skills throughout the program.  Formulating significant questions within the discipline become the foundation for research methods in organizational leadership.

OL614: Leadership and Ethics (4 credit hours)
This course focuses on theories and styles of leadership and the ways in which outcomes are influenced through increased awareness of personal style and skills. Personal and professional ethics are analyzed, and ethical issues in organizations are explored.

OL615 Critical Thinking and Research (4 credit hours)
This course focuses on exploring, analyzing, and evaluating information in order to think critically when creating management strategy.


Semester II: The Connected Manager (7 credit hours)
 

This semester focuses on building relationships and connections necessary for leading successful organizational operations. Communication strategies and approaches for influencing, negotiating, advocating, and teambuilding are emphasized. Collaborative relationships are examined.

OL624 Collaboration and Teambuilding (4 credit hours)
This course focuses on collaboration skills in developing high performing teams. Personal power, conflict, and influence are examined. Teambuilding, coaching, and motivational techniques are also included.

OL625 Communication Strategies (3 credit hours)
This course focuses on tools, techniques, and strategies for effective communication in organizational excellence. Presentation, negotiation, and advocacy are examined.


Semester III: The Global Manager (7 credit hours)
 

This semester examines all spheres—cultural, economic, political, legal, and social—that influence an organization’s domestic or global mission. World politics and corporate social responsibility are addressed.

OL634: Economic and Political Contexts (3 credit hours)
This course focuses on global, economic, and political issues influencing today’s organizations. Contextual factors and trends in world economics and politics are examined.

OL635: Social, Legal and Cultural Perspectives (4 credit hours)
This course focuses on the legal and ethical stewardship of an organization within a contextual environment. Increased awareness of social responsibility and global citizenship is addressed along with cultural influences that impact organizations.


Semester IV: The Change Manager (7 credit hours)

This semester focuses on the art and science of managing talent and organizational change to create a positive and progressive environment in organizations, using holistic thinking and technical skills.

OL644 Talent Management (3 credit hours)
This course focuses on talent analysis of the whole organization while advancing the development of its mission delivery. Performance management principles are examined.

OL645 Organization Change and Development (4 credit hours)
This course focuses on organizational change and the skills and strategies to address opportunities for positive impact on organizations and their missions. Systems thinking is examined.


Semester V: The Adaptive Leader (7 credit hours)

This semester focuses on synthesizing and applying leadership principles from the previous semesters to create a strategic, innovative, and competitive organization. The previously studied areas of personal, collaborative, global, and change awareness are integrated into a comprehensive view of contemporary leadership.

OL654 Strategy and Innovation (4 credit hours)
This course focuses on strategic thinking and creativity in organizational leadership. Innovation is examined as a process to develop the strengths of an organization as a whole system and to deliver positive results.

OL 655 Organizational Leadership Capstone (3 credit hours)
Prerequisite: Must be taken in student’s final semester
This course focuses on integrating the knowledge, skill, and experience from all management and leadership coursework through research, writing, and a proposal for creative change.

 
Find out more about how the unique Master’s in Organizational Leadership courses at Saint Mary’s University: call us at 877-308-9954 or request more information.