Bachelors (BA) in Management and Organizational Leadership
Overview
The management and organizational leadership major offers a 36-semester-hour course of study that is designed for working professionals. This program blends management and leadership theories and practices with practical application, case evaluation, and student experiences to create a relevant and practical learning environment.
Degree Outcomes
- Function as a manager or leader who engages with others in a manner that displays character and ethical reasoning, and a manager or leader who engages in professional growth and confidently supports the learning and growth of others.
- Support an organization through effective engagement in a variety of roles, understanding how individual differences and cultural norms contribute to organizational differences and inform teamwork and communication.
- Apply critical thinking to decision making in order to identify organizational problems, evaluate appropriate data to determine a course of action, and formulate a legal, ethical, and values-driven response.
- Examine an organization’s alignment with its purpose, values, and strategic plans; recognize when nuances in organizational functioning trigger a need for organizational change; plan and lead change initiatives.
- Utilize operational planning and management approaches to meet organizational needs.
- Know how their ethical position and values inform their leadership and management practices, including effective leadership communication skills.
Course Requirements
Students are required to obtain a minimum grade of C- in all courses taken for the major.
Major Requirements
Complete the following:
In Organizational Behavior, students study organizations and the people who work in them. Emphasis is placed on leadership and management roles and responsibilities, including team and group behaviors, biases, values, and attitudes, and their effects on organizations.
In Organizational Theory, students will explore how internal and external environments influence organizational designs, structures, cultures, processes, practices, and people. Change identification and execution will be discussed.
In Organizational Communication, students build communication competencies by employing audience-appropriate messaging skills, listening skills, and emotional intelligence. From a management & leadership perspective, this course focuses on the role of communication in creating a productive global and culturally diverse organizational culture. Emphasis will be given to the development of ethical communication strategies, especially in the use of technology.
In this course, students will investigate concepts of worldview as it relates to personal identity, cultural assumptions, interpersonal communication, individual decision-making, and faith. Students will explore the roots of the Christian faith and the influence of Christianity on society, seeking to construct a personal worldview that informs their understanding of the meaning of life.
In Financial Decision Making, students will learn to analyze and interpret both historical and estimated financial data used by leaders and managers to conduct daily operations, plan future operations, and develop overall business strategies.
In Law and Ethics in the Workplace, students will learn to identify and transform inappropriate workplace behaviors, unethical situations, and legal dilemmas in the global workplace. Emphasis will be placed on workplace behaviors that cause ambiguity and destructive environments within organizations. Students will learn how to apply managerial decision making based on ethical principles, processes, and formats.
In Innovation & Strategy, students will explore the formulation and implementation of organizational strategies. To support strategic thinking, students will investigate what it means to be innovative and how that influences strategy and organizational success. This capstone course will provide students opportunities to apply concepts they have learned throughout the program.
Complete the following:
MGOL 475 is optional and not required for Management and Organizational Leadership majors.
In Research-Informed Decision Making, students learn the art and science of using research in decision making in a professional context. Students will explore research methodologies, critically evaluate data sources, and apply evidence-based strategies to problem situations and decision-making scenarios to make informed decisions.
In Data-Informed Decision Making, students will become familiar with how to evaluate and analyze data to determine its relevance to organizational needs.
In Operations Management students will be introduced to concepts and techniques for design, planning, and control of service and manufacturing operations. Students will learn the basic definitions of operations management terms, tools and techniques for analyzing operations, and strategic context for making operational decisions.
In Human Resource Management, students examine policies and practices regarding employee planning, recruitment, selection, compensation, training, and development. Attention is given to current regulatory employment issues.
In Organizational Dynamics, students will discuss current societal forces that influence managers and leaders in organizations. By delving into a variety of topics, such as DEI, cybersecurity, and sustainability, students will explore the significance of decision making to organizational culture.
Supervised experiences in businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies.