Master of Science in Organization Development and Leadership

The complexities of today's organizations require leaders who understand how to motivate, train and retain employees and shape workplace culture. The Organization Development and Leadership (ODL) M.S. from Saint Joseph’s University is designed for professionals who want to lead change and create a company culture.

Customize Your Master’s Degree with a Concentration

• Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB): This concentration is for champions or aspiring champions of DIB principles and practices in the workplace. Learn to apply scholarly theories and practical tools to help foster and promote inclusion and belonging on teams, in organizational systems and align personal values and career aspirations.
• Organizational Dynamics and Leadership: Develop your skills in planning and facilitation, consulting, and guiding and implementing change in self, groups, and organizations.
• Organizational Psychology and Development: Focus on the human side of the business through training in organizational behavior, leadership development, and personal growth, with a focus on emotional intelligence, power dynamics, cultural competence, and team development.
• Talent Development and Leadership: Learn how to design and facilitate talent development and training programs.

Online or On-Campus Courses

Designed for busy professionals, the Organization Development and Leadership M.S. is designed to be flexible with online, in-person on our campus in Philadelphia, and hybrid models. Our evening classes are small and designed for professionals looking to create connections with their classmates and professors. Work at your own pace by choosing one, two, or three courses per term.

How will Saint Joseph's University help me advance my career in Organization Development and Leadership?

Earning a master's degree in ODL from Saint Joseph's University is just a single step in the process of becoming an empathetic leader who understands complex organizations and diverse cultures. The program's experiential learning format, which features a face-to-face residency component, allows you to immediately apply classroom learning in the workplace. Class sizes are small and offer interactive experiences with engaging and challenging projects and activities designed to enhance your education.

You’ll also be a part of a rich and vibrant learning community that will become a valuable network for you long after graduation. You'll benefit from studying at a university situated in Philadelphia, one of the nation's largest cities offering countless job opportunities. Our graduates also frequently report promotions and opportunities for career advancement after graduation.

What can I do with a Master's in Organization Development and Leadership?

With a master's in organization development and leadership, you will be prepared to take on leadership roles within your company, including:

• Vice president, director, manager, or partner-level roles
• Human resources or change management specialist
• Executive coaching
• Organization development, training, and learning
• Diversity and inclusion officer

Diversity Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) Concentration

The Diversity Inclusion and Belonging (DIB) Concentration will take you to the next level of leadership, practice, and scholarship with the goal of cultivating an inclusive workplace culture where people feel valued and know that they belong. This concentration is for students who are either champions or aspiring champions of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion principles and practices in the workplace. Students will learn to apply scholarly theories and practical tools to help foster and promote inclusion and belonging on teams, in organizational systems and align personal values with career aspirations. Students will become fluent in the languages of social identity, the impact of social context and group dynamics, and psychological and neuropsychological constructs that result in implicit bias, discrimination, marginalization, and scapegoating. Students will learn how to develop partnerships, facilitate inclusive conversations, create change within an institution, and understand methods for researching, implementing, and evaluating DIB initiatives. Students will build on their ability to be ethical leaders and to collaborate in increasingly diverse work settings.

Objectives

• Learn how to lead others by developing competencies such as self-awareness, self-management, communication, system awareness, and developing others
• Apply theories of social identity, psychological safety, and group dynamics to foster an inclusive workplace culture.
• Design strategies to implement changes that enhance DIB and equity in the workplace
• Collaborate, consult and coach partners/ clients to assess needs and develop solutions
• Formulate and conduct research and evaluation

The Master of Science in Organization Development and Leadership with a Concentration in Diversity Inclusion and Belonging consists of twelve 3-credit courses. The thirty-six credits are distributed as follows:

Course List

• ODL 610 Social Identity Theories 3
• ODL 650 Organizational Leadership 3
• ODL 655 Org Change & Culture 3
• ODL 665 Leading Teams 3
• ODL 700 Org Dev Theory & App 3
• ODL 760 Inclusive Convers: DEI at Work 3
• ODL 750 Change Leader: Facilitating Chg 6

Electives: ODL 600:799 12

• ODL 775 Applications DEI at Work 3
• ODL 785 Advanced Seminar 3

Total Hours: 42

Talent Development and Leadership (TDL) Concentration

The Talent Development and Leadership concentration (TDL) focuses on the training, education, and development of employees in the workplace. This enhances career development and is designed for leaders who are building careers in Organizational Change and for Adult Educators, Talent Managers, Trainers Facilitators, Curriculum Designers, Instructional Designers, Technical Trainers, Consultants, Health Education Professionals, and individuals in career transitions. Students will develop skills and knowledge in designing and facilitating talent development and training programs and utilizing experiential and adult learning methods to lead others and facilitate learning experiences.

Learning objectives for the Master’s Degree Concentration in Adult Learning and Training are to:

• Learn how to lead others by developing competencies such as self-awareness, self-management, communication, organizational awareness, and managing others.
• Analyze learning and performance needs
• Consult with employers and clients to develop talent by implementing learning strategies, training programs, coaching programs, and workshops
• Design interventions and instructional approaches that meet objectives
• Increase self-awareness about personal learning and professional development
• Facilitate programs based on adult learning principles, methods, and techniques
• Measure outcomes and evaluate performance improvement

The Master of Science in Organization Development and Leadership with a Concentration in Adult Learning and Training consists of twelve 3-credit courses. The thirty-six credits are distributed as follows:

• ODL 600 Adult Learning: Theory &App 3
• ODL 605 Performance Consulting 3
• ODL 610 Social Identity Theories 3
• ODL 615 Learning Design & Implem 3

Electives: ODL 600:799, HED 575, EDL 655 12

• ODL 705 Facilitating Org Development 3
• ODL 710 Interven Skills: Strat & Desgn 3
• ODL 780 Research Design & Eval 3
• ODL 785 Advanced Seminar 3

Total Hours: 36

Concentration in Organizational Dynamics and Leadership

The Organizational Dynamics and Leadership Concentration is designed to enhance the capability of executives, middle managers, project managers, sales managers, human service directors and supervisors, educational leaders, government officials, supervisors, military officers, and HR administrators in cultivating their ability to lead. The Concentration is designed for busy professionals who have a clear understanding of their educational objectives. The curriculum of the program focuses on the human side of the business with training in organizational behavior, leadership development, and personal growth. A variety of management models and tools are studied: including Emotional and Social Intelligence, leadership styles, team development, cultural competence, power and authority dynamics, and effective communication

Learning objectives for the Master’s Degree Concentration in Organization Dynamics and Leadership are to:

• Emphasize leadership competencies such as self-awareness, inspirational leadership, influence, and managing conflict by developing the ability to learn and value others' knowledge and experience.
• Enhance students’ knowledge of psychology and education to successfully initiate, execute, and implement strategic and operational goals by creating positive work environments.
• Learn skills and knowledge to translate vision, both professional and personal, into reality by broadening the student’s comfort zone through self-assessment.

The Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership with a Concentration in Organization Dynamics and Leadership consists of twelve 3-credit courses. The thirty-six credits are distributed as follow:

• ODL 660 Strategic Leadership 3
• ODL 705 Facilitating Org Development 3
• ODL 710 Interven Skills: Strat & Desgn 3

Electives: ODL 600:799, HED 575, EDL 655 27

Total Hours: 36

Concentration in Organizational Psychology and Development

The Organizational Psychology and Development Concentration strengthens the ability of Organization Development Practitioners, Human Resource Professionals, Project Leaders, Managers, Change Agents, Internal and External Consultants, Mental Health Professionals and individuals in career transition to develop assessment, planning, facilitation, and consulting skills in guiding and implementing change in self, groups, and organizations.

Learning objectives for the Master’s Degree Concentration in Organizational Psychology and Development are to:

• Collaborate with sponsors/clients by helping to assess their needs
• Collect and act on quantitative and qualitative data that identifies the organization and individual strengths and weaknesses.
• Learn new skills to create strategies that align individual and departmental goals with organizational objectives
• Leverage internal/external resources to deliver excellent client services by concentrating on the work issues and problems that matter
• Develop measurements that help clients focus their behaviors on achieving specific outcomes.

The Master of Science in Organization Development and Leadership with a Concentration in Organizational Psychology and Development consists of twelve 3-credit courses. The thirty-six credits are distributed as follows:

• ODL 605 Performance Consulting 3
• ODL 620 Psych Assessments 3
• ODL 660 Strategic Leadership 3
• ODL 625 Psych of Executive Coaching 3 or ODL 680 Coaching Leader
• ODL 630 Ldshp & Team Development 3 or ODL 665 Leading Teams
• ODL 635 Positive Org Psyc& Scholarship 3 or ODL 600 Adult Learning: Theory &App or ODL 695 Org Change: A Gestalt Approach or ODL 760 Inclusive Convers: DEI at Work

Electives: ODL 600:799, HED 575, EDL 655 9

• ODL 705 Facilitating Org Development 3
• ODL 780 Research Design & Eval 3
• ODL 785 Advanced Seminar 3

Total Hours: 36

Concentration in Organizational Leadership

The Concentration in Organizational Development and Leadership is designed to enhance the capability of executives, middle managers, project managers, sales managers, human service directors and supervisors, educational leaders, government officials, supervisors, military officers, and HR administrators in cultivating their ability to lead. The Concentration is designed for busy professionals who have a clear understanding of their educational objectives. The curriculum of the program focuses on the human side of the business with training in organizational behavior, leadership development, and personal growth. A variety of management models and tools are studied: including Emotional and Social Intelligence, leadership styles, team development, cultural competence, power and authority dynamics, and effective communication

Learning objectives for the Organization Development and Leadership Master’s Degree are to:

• Emphasize leadership competencies such as self-awareness, inspirational leadership, influence, and manage conflict by developing the ability to learn and value others’ knowledge and experience.
• Enhance students’ knowledge of psychology and education to successfully initiate, execute, and implement strategic and operational goals by creating positive work environments.
• Learn skills and knowledge to translate vision, both professional and personal, into reality by broadening the student’s comfort zone through self-assessment

• ODL 650 Organizational Leadership 3
• ODL 655 Org Change & Culture 3
• ODL 665 Leading Teams 3
• ODL 700 Org Dev Theory & App 3
• ODL 750 Change Leader: Facilitating Chg 6

Electives: ODL 600:799 12

• ODL 780 Research Design & Eval 3
• ODL 785 Advanced Seminar 3

Total Hours: 36