Accredited Online Master’s in Organizational Leadership

A Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership can make you a leader in your field.

The most successful leaders blend innovative knowledge with interpersonal skills that move organizations forward. Point Park University’s online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership delivers the management expertise you need for the next step in your career. With four concentrations to choose from, you can specialize your organizational leadership master’s degree for your professional goals.

MA in Organizational Leadership Curriculum

Pennsylvania’s affordable, fully online organizational leadership degree will help you gain a comprehensive understanding of modern leadership theory and organizational approaches. Our professional faculty bring current issues into projects and assignments, allowing you to apply your life experience in course discussions.

The master’s in organizational leadership degree includes a core that builds your skills in areas like decision-making, ethics, intrapreneurship, organizational behavior and more. Earning an organizational leadership master’s degree can help you advance your career in fields ranging from human resources to non-profits and higher education.

Contact an enrollment counselor to learn more.

  • Next Start Date: May 7, 2023

Program Length: 18 months
Credit Hours: 30
Course Length: 8 Weeks
Cost Per Credit: $759
Transfer Credits Accepted: Up to 6

  • Est. Program Length: 18 Months

  • Credit Hours: 30

  • Course Length: 8 Weeks

  • Cost Per Credit: $740

  • Transfer Credits Accepted: Up to 6

Tell me more about Point Park University’s Online Master’s in Organizational Leadership

Ranked As One of the Best Online Organizational Leadership Degrees

Point Park University Online MA in Organizational Leadership Concentrations

A focused degree built in Pennsylvania, offered 100% online. Wherever you need to be, that’s the POINT.

Leading Social Innovation

Designed for professionals who are interested in promoting social change, this concentration features coursework in fundraising, law, social entrepreneurship and diversity. It delivers the skills you need for roles in non-profit or community service positions.

National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer

Designed for graduates of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer program, this concentration allows you to leverage your NFA coursework toward a graduate degree. Transfer up to 12 credits to finish your program faster.

Leading for Diversity and Inclusion

This concentration takes a global view of diversity, enabling you to create inclusive workplaces that prioritize partnership and mentorship for employees from all walks of life. You will complete career-focused coursework in community leadership, diversity, team building and more to prepare for career paths like human resources.

General Concepts in Organizational Leadership

Build your curriculum and customize your studies with this concentration. Depending on your career goals, you can choose courses from the other master’s in organizational leadership concentrations or those offered through our online MBA.

MA in Organizational Leadership Course Offerings

Admission Requirements

Course Description
This course addresses leadership as a set of theories and models that serve as a basis for determining the specific environmental context within which an array of behaviors for success is identified. Students will individually build a personal leadership paradigm based upon theories, best practices, beliefs and assumptions as applied to a specific organization. An additional focus is on how leaders help followers shift paradigms. The bottom line is a composed, rational perspective of leadership.

Course Description
The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the theoretical and practical aspects of the decision‐making process. The course is designed to equip leaders with a conceptual and practical understanding of decision‐making tools and their use in making efficient and effective managerial decisions.

Course Description
The course examines human behavior in organizations at the individual, interpersonal and group levels. The interplay of human, technological and structural factors in organizations is examined. Important issues considered also involve motivation theories, communication and group decision theories for managerial applications. The course looks at how managers can design jobs and organizational structures and techniques to be used for evaluating and rewarding performance. Similarly, the course explores techniques for the development of team building, leadership and conflict resolution skills.

Course Description
Students will be introduced to the tenets of organization development (OD): history, theory and techniques. Students will be immersed in the OD view of organizational functioning and purposeful change, the impact of change and the change process when addressing social impact. Students will analyze the role and confluence of infrastructure, people, culture, power and the role of the intrapreneur within the organization.

Course Description
This course examines human behavior in organizations at both the micro and macro levels. The interaction of human, technological and structural factors in organizations will be examined. Important issues to be considered include theories of communication, motivation and decision making. Issues of organizational politics and the challenges of conflict management will be addressed. Special attention is given to designing efficient and effective organizational structures and processes, and the application of modern organization theories to real-world situations.

Course Description
This course examines the interactive impact of leaders on diverse communities. This course will ask students to analyze the leadership needed in communities (local, regional, national and international) and explore the institutional influences of family, religion, education, government and commerce for communities and leaders.

Course Description
Social entrepreneurship (SE) describes a set of behaviors focused on a social mission. SE fosters a business‐like discipline, and a vision of/for innovation, to ensure social value and social impact. Students will analyze how SE can be used to adopt a value‐driven mission, recognize and pursue opportunities to support and serve the mission, continuously innovate, adapt and learn and do so with accountability as a key value.

Course Description
This course provides an overview of American philanthropy and examines the roles and responsibilities of executive directors and fundraisers. Students will investigate the fundamental theories behind designing and implementing a robust fundraising plan, including the development of a case statement, effective data management and leading and building a fundraising team. Students will explore the motivations of individual donors, ascertain the sources of contributed funds, discern the internal and external forces affecting fundraising and survey new and emerging fundraising techniques. Students will also gain practical experience in writing an annual fund appeal, researching foundations and composing a grant proposal.

Course Description
This course explicates the regulatory environment guiding social innovation. The social enterprise, the spectrum of nonprofit organizations, is subject to a complex set of organizational and operational tests and doctrines—a web of state and federal laws. The information covered throughout this course ensures social entrepreneurs, board members and donors are well‐prepared to make ethical decisions about their organizations’ actions and future endeavors.

Course Description
The purpose of this course is to analyze the roles and responsibilities of women in leadership positions. Current issues and trends are examined from historical, sociological, psychological, political, economic and ethical perspectives. Analysis and synthesis are used to apply information from a variety of resources to issues facing women who hold or seek leadership roles. Strategies for developing leadership skills are integrated throughout the course.

Course Description
This course examines different aspects of the leadership theme in history, literature and film, with special attention to such topics as ethical dilemmas confronting leaders, different styles and models of leadership, the intersection of the leader’s private and public life and the competing loyalties and pressures felt by leaders. In addition, students will discover that literature often raises provocative questions about the very nature and even desirability of leadership.

Course Description
This course examines the concepts of team dynamics and team building within a variety of organizational frameworks. This course will focus on creating teams, understanding the team life cycle, the dynamics of teamwork, building trust within teams, reducing communication barriers, strategies to encourage leadership development and intervention strategies to enhance the team process. Students will participate in and evaluate a variety of team building and leading activities.

Course Description
This course examines the interactive impact of leaders on diverse communities. This course will ask students to analyze the leadership needed in communities (local, regional, national and international) and explore the institutional influences of family, religion, education, government and commerce for communities and leaders.

Course Description
Community organizations, both nonprofit and governmental, provide a breadth of social and health services dependent on support from a variety of public and private sources. The key to successful organizations is the synergy they create in solving issues affecting groups of all scales. This course explores the networking and interdependencies of community organizations and how leaders can maximize their impact in resource‐limited environments.

  • Successful completion of the NFA EFO program (9 credits)
  • MLDR or MBA directed elective (3 credits)
  • MLDR or MBA directed elective (3 credits)

Students taking this concentration may customize their program by choosing any combination of five courses from MLDR or MBA course selections.

Course Description
This course provides students with advanced research and writing skills and techniques culminating in the production of a significant research paper. Students will be required to respond in writing to issues in leadership for social innovation and leadership in strategy framework. Additionally, the course will focus on the basics of delineating issues, formulating propositions, constructing an argument and researching a topic. Adherence to skills presented in the American Psychological Association (APA) Manual for preparing manuscripts is required.

Course Description
In this course, students complete an internship in an organization under the supervision of the MLDR graduate program director or graduate faculty member.

Course Description
In this course, students complete an internship in an organization under the supervision of the MLDR graduate program director or graduate faculty member.

Course Description
The capstone courses are dedicated to leadership in social innovation and strategy and the application of project-based community research, case study and/or autoethnographic approach. Students will be required to make presentations in the class on specifically assigned readings, followed by questions and discussions.

Online Point Park University MA in Organizational Leadership Career Outcomes

Earning an online master’s in organizational leadership can qualify you for management roles across industries and fields. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, management occupations are expected to grow 9% through 2030, leading to 906,800 new jobs.

The median salary for managers is $109,760 – the highest of all major occupational groups. The following are just some of the organizational leadership jobs you can pursue with an accredited organizational leadership degree.

Organizational managers are responsible for helping companies improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their internal organizational systems. These professionals may examine current policies and practices, identify problem areas, create strategies to improve employee work performance, train upper management to implement new methods of work and other related duties.

Human resources managers are responsible for overseeing all administrative processes within organizations. They direct recruitment efforts, work closely with stakeholders to develop staffing strategies and coordinate communication between company leadership and employees.

Training and development managers design and implement employee training programs. They identify personnel development needs, ensure programs align with organizational goals and develop budgets for chosen initiatives.

Social and community services managers lead teams and organizations that help others. They oversee volunteers, coordinate public service efforts and develop outreach programs to raise awareness. These professionals often specialize in one area, such as aid for veterans, children or the elderly.

Next Steps

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