This article will tell you about what an organizational leadership degree is. You will discover the essential criteria for deciding which degree is a good fit for your career goals. We also will list relevant accreditation information and provide a recommendation for a good organizational leadership degree program.
What Is an Organizational Leadership Degree?
An organizational leadership degree prepares students and business professionals to be transformed into business leaders, with particularly strong skills in handling the human relations side of business management. Organizational leadership programs are most often offered as a master’s degree.
The focus of a typical master’s in organizational leadership program is training students on how to be an effective business manager, how to motivate other workers, and how to implement major business changes successfully and efficiently. Organizational leadership is needed in all industries in the public and private sectors, thus there are many types of jobs that you can obtain after graduation.
A master’s in organizational leadership is distinct from a Master of Business Administration or MBA. The MBA teaches students a more analytical and traditional approach to management. On the other hand, an organizational leadership degree teaches you how to lead others with a creative and personal approach.
Students in this type of master’s program will learn how to build an effective team, how to efficiently manage workers, how to make smart business decisions and to lead and inspire others.
Common courses in organizational leadership programs might include:
- Leadership
- Conflict management
- Organizational communication and behavior
Some organizational leadership programs may offer specializations in certain fields, including health care, human resources, project management and nonprofit management.
Why Earn a Degree in Organizational Leadership?
A recent Forbes article shed light on a vital subject – what are the most critical challenges for CEOs in America today? The article noted that hands down, the winner was the challenge of properly managing human capital, and exercising effective organizational leadership.
The article noted the most successful business leaders are able to drive innovation in their companies at a high level. Leaders who drive innovation and exhibit strong organizational leadership enjoy highly rewarding careers because they:
- Create a collaborative vision with their colleagues
- Build trust by trusting their people, and this builds trust in the leader in return
- Challenge the status quo
- Set very high goals
- Work extremely well in teams
- Value inclusion and diversity
A business professional who has a degree in organizational leadership will be set up to excel as a business leader that can drive innovation and manage human capital effectively. Forbes also noted that today’s global market environment has a premium on speed to market, flexibility and the ability to lead in chaotic situations. These market needs are creating demand for serious organizational leaders.
Also, as the US economy is expanding more rapidly, with 8% growth in all business occupations by 2024. Also, there will be growing demand for effective business leaders in a variety of roles.
For example, top executives are seeing substantial growth in the area of 6%, as more companies are expanding and new ones are being created. Some of those jobs will be as CEOs and CFOs, while others could be as general and operations managers.
Another rapidly growing profession that is a good fit for those with an organizational leadership degree is medical and health services manager. If you earn a degree in organizational leadership with a focus on healthcare, you will have a very strong job market to anticipate.
Job growth for medical and health services managers will be 17% by 2024. The median pay in this field is a healthy $94,500.
Online Organizational Leadership Degree
We recommend the online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University. This two year, online degree will challenge you to hone advanced leadership skills, as well as the knowledge to manage personnel effectively.
Students also will learn how to resolve conflicts, build teams, and grow their communication skills. Graduates of this program are able to seize high paying leadership positions, improve work relationships and develop highly successful and profitable organizations. This program will drive you to do the following:
- Develop and refine your leadership style
- Take positive actions in your workplace
- Become a change agent and challenge status quo thinking
You have the opportunity to focus your studies on these two concentrations:
- Servant Leader: This program offers the most comprehensive study of this type of leadership in the country. This is a four course concentration that is ground in servant leadership philosophy. It is designed to grow your ability to build a better organization, enrich the lives of your co-workers, and also to improve your community.
- Global Leader: This is an online, hybrid and face to face concentration, and is designed for professionals who are either starting their career or are mid career. This is the only such concentration offered in the northwest US.
This program is specifically focused on developing and practicing leadership that builds teams and inspires others. While an MBA program does usually feature this type of focus as well, this organizational leadership degree does not have a finance, accounting or statistics component. Those who want focus on becoming better leaders will be well suited to the Gonzaga program.
Past graduates of this program currently work in these diverse job areas:
- HR management
- Training and development
- Organizational change management
- Systems management
- Team building
Past graduates work at companies such as Starbucks, Nike, Paypal, Microsoft, Target, Boeing and Disneyland.
This university is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, which is recognized by the US Department of Education as an institutional accrediting body.
Accreditation
We recommend that you ensure that your university has been accredited by one of the six accrediting bodies that is recognized by the US Department of Education. Regional accreditation ensures that your university and program are of high quality and that your potential employers will view the degree is valuable.
Summary
With the growing business economy in America today, there is an increasing need for effective organizational leaders in many roles. A master’s degree focusing on organizational leadership exclusively will arm you with the advanced leadership skills you need to qualify for a top tier management position.
