Organizational Leadership

Gain the strategic communication and leadership tools to run dynamic projects, manage complex systems, and lead diverse talent.

Program Details

Location:

Online, Corvallis

Program Type:

Major, Minor

Overview

Organizational Leadership

Planning, organizing, leading, taking initiative … does that sound like you? If you want a career where leading others and managing change effectively are your keys to advancement, look no further than organizational leadership. At job resources site Salary.com, on a given day, there are more than 1,000 available jobs in the “organizational leadership” category and several hundred jobs in the “executive” category, with salaries ranging from $46,832 to $792,493 annually.

Why? Because all organizations have a hierarchy of leadership and human resources to manage. Organizations can only succeed when they successfully find, motivate, and effectively lead talented employees.

Your degree will prepare you for organizational leadership in both goods-producing and service enterprises for fluency in the management of systems, personnel and/or quality. The job sector is expanding faster than many other occupations, and it is a competitive job market. You’ll gain the strategic communication and leadership tools to run teams, divisions and entire companies.

Organizational leadership is a major program of study offered in Corvallis and online through Ecampus.

Focus areas:

Through the degree program, you'll choose classes following along one of three tracks:

The human resource management focus area studies the systems and practices associated with hiring and managing an organization’s human capital.

Businesses rely on having a high performing workforce, which requires human resource practices that not only promote the success of individual employees but also align with the strategic goals of the organization. This specializations prepares you for a broad range of careers related to managing employees and developing HR practices that create better workplaces. As a SHRM-aligned program, this specialization also helps prepare you to take the SHRM-CP exam become a SHRM Certified Professional.

Human resource management is one of three areas of focus you can choose from while earning 12 credits of your 180-credit organizational leadership degree. You’ll take two required courses – Employee Recruitment and Selection and Compensation Management – and select at least one elective course from a range of subjects including cross-cultural management, innovation management, venture management, family business management, and supply chain strategy.

General management focuses on a broad range of knowledge and skill sets that are essential for managing and leading culturally diverse workforces in modern organizations. It also provides you with the necessary tools for assessing operations and addressing operational risks.

Businesses depend on effective management of both people and processes to achieve their business goals. This focus area prepares you for a broad range of careers related to analyzing and managing complex business processes and will help you hone the skills critical for leading culturally diverse teams.

General management is one of three areas of focus you can choose from while earning 12 credits of your 180-credit organizational leadership degree. You’ll take two required courses – Supply Chain Strategy and Cross-Cultural Management – and select at least one elective course from a range of subjects including innovation management, venture management, family business management, employee recruitment and selection and compensation management.

People analytics supports an evidence-based approach to workforce management but using data to support talent management processes.

More businesses are turning to data to support their HR and managerial decision-making and improve performance. In this focus area you learn about the systems and practices associated with hiring and management an organization’s human capital as well as how to use data to anticipate and respond to a range of workplace concerns. As a SHRM-aligned program, this focus area also helps prepare you to take the SHRM-CP exam become a SHRM Certified Professional.

People analytics is one of three areas of focus you can choose from while earning 12 credits of your 180-credit organizational leadership major. You’ll take three courses – Introduction to Business Analytics, Employee Recruitment and Selection, and Compensation Management.

 

 

Options:

Once you enroll in the organizational leadership program, you can also select an area of focus from the following options:

The Dean’s Academy is an academic forum for high-achieving first-year students, transfer students, and current undergraduate students who wish to maximize the educational and experiential aspects of their college experience. Invitation to this option is restricted to those who meet eligibility requirements.

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This area of study prepares you for leadership positions and exciting international careers at multinational firms, global financial service organizations and international centers of trade.

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28+

degrees and areas of focus

85% Job placement rate

of classes have fewer than 50 students

#3

nationally for online education
US News and World Report

Organizational Leadership Opportunities

Study Abroad

Study Abroad

Sydney, Australia: University of Technology Sydney

Vienna, Austria: Vienna University of Economics & Business

Santiago, Chile: Universidad de Chile, Facultad Economia y Negocios

Explore study abroad opportunities >

Student organizations and clubs

Associated Clubs

OSU Management Association/SHRM Student Chapter

Sales Club

Real Estate Club

See all clubs >

Scholarship

Scholarships

Boeing Corporate

Management Department

Richard T. Harris Memorial Scholarship

Supply Chain and Logistics Management Department Scholarship

See all scholarship opportunities >

Careers

Possible Careers

Supply chain management

Management analyst

Project management

Human resource officer

The PRIME experience for organizational leadership majors

The PRIME experience for organizational leadership majors lets you pursue a specialized four-credit independently designed project or experience related to your career or academic interests. Projects could include the development of an onboarding process, a financial or marketing analysis, or the development of a written business plan for a new product launch.

A PRIME experience takes you outside the classroom, and puts your learning to the test, Here are some examples of a PRIME project:

  1. an internship with a private business, non-profit, government agency or other entity;
  2. an opportunity to work closely with a faculty member on a research project or to pursue your own research;
  3. an international experience focused on working effectively with an increasingly diverse, connected and global community of colleagues; or
  4. an independent entrepreneurship project conducted for a business or organization.

Find out more

Meet Regan Mott

As freshman year gets underway at Oregon State, Mott isn’t worried about how she’ll pay for college. That's because she has been awarded the Anne E. and David A. Thompson Family Scholarship through the College of Business, which covers the cost of attendance for four years, including support for experiential learning, professional leadership and development.

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"

I was able to take my love of Oregon's small communities, travel and business development and turn that into my career supporting the creation of thriving rural economies throughout the state.

Alexa Carey ‘12
Travel Oregon, Director

Where our graduates work

Graduates from the college's management program have become marketing managers, sales managers, project managers, consultants, web developers, systems' analysts, chief operation officers and more.

  • Adecco
  • Adidas
  • Amazon
  • Boeing
  • Daimler
  • Dell
  • Deloitte
  • Indeed
  • Intel
  • Nike
  • Odom
  • Portland General Electric
  • Providence Health Services
  • Reser's Fine Foods
  • Salesforce
  • Schnitzer
  • Target
  • Umpqua Bank

Here's why you should be a College of Business student

A success plan for life

Professional, personal and leadership skills form the backbone of successful careers. Blueprint, our award-winning series of classes, is focused on professional and leadership development and financial literacy. With Blueprint, you’re on track to graduate on time, with the skills and network to choose your career, and the savvy to make the big decisions at the right time.

We're not just business; we're family

Our first-year students live in one of our business-themed residence halls. This learning-focused, student-first, open-door culture makes the big Oregon State campus feel like the supportive place it is – and feel a lot smaller and easier to navigate than you might think.

We’re the only college at OSU that has a dedicated Career Success Center for our students. We help you find an internship, write a resume and find a job.

Ranked and accredited

Oregon State is ranked in the top five for online education with U.S. News & World Report. The College of Business overall, as well as our accounting program, is accredited by AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB International is the premier accrediting agency for degree programs in business and accounting.

Discover the OSU difference