Organizational Leadership, Master of Organizational Leadership

Department of Organizational Leadership
475E Pawley Hall (map)
(248) 370-4109 • Fax (248) 370-4095
www.oakland.edu/orgleadership

Coordinators:
Tom Giberson
495C Pawley Hall
(248) 370-2625
giberson@oakland.edu

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► Graduate Catalog Addendum

Program description

Graduates of the program will be able to lead and support organizational interventions and processes in team or group-based settings within an ethical framework that integrates diversity, inclusion, and social justice across a broad spectrum of industries and organizational contexts.

This program is intended to help frame students’ experiences in order to facilitate lifelong leadership growth. Graduates of the program will be qualified to work in organizations as leaders committed to a lifelong practice of personal leadership development, as well as supporting organizational leaders in their process of development.

This program is an accelerated 12-month, 32-credit, three semester (including summer), cohort-based program offered in online and hybrid courses. On-campus courses are offered at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Students are admitted on a full-time basis and must complete the program in four years.

Admission terms and application deadlines

Before an applicant’s file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Oakland University Graduate School by the semester deadlines listed below. Incomplete applications will not be sent to departments for admission review.

Current Deadlines

July 15 for fall semesterr
International applicants
The Master of Organizational Leadership Program does not admit students during the summer or winter semester

Application requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:

Graduate Application Requirements
Additional department application requirements

A formal statement detailing work and life experiences of preferably one year or longer that have led to the desire to pursue the Master of Organizational Leadership degree program. The statement must be between 1,000 and 1,500 words.
Additional recommendation form is required for graduate admission
In addition to the two recommendations listed in Graduate Application Requirements, a third recommendation is required by the program.
All three forms must attest to the quality and scope of the applicant’s academic and professional ability.
A minimum of one year of professional work experience post earning a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
Official transcripts for undergraduate and graduate coursework, showing a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 (B) or better.
The formal statement is evaluated on the basis of quality of writing, organization of ideas, clarity of expression, and compatibility with program goals.
An interview with the coordinator will be required of all prospective students.

Admission review and assessment

Admission to graduate study at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Oakland University Graduate School, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, goal statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses and any other admission requirements established by the academic department.

Degree requirements

The Master of Organizational Leadership degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of 32 credits in the required sequence of courses.

Course requirements (32 credits)

HRD 6080 - Organizational Culture and Change (4 credits)
HRD 6090 - Developing and Leading Teams (4 credits)
HRD 6100 - Leadership Theory and Development (4 credits)
HRD 6140 - Introduction to Human Diversity Inclusion and Social Justice Perspectives (4 credits)
HRD 6150 - Leadership in a Global Context (4 credits)
HRD 6170 - Motivation and Leadership in Organizations (4 credits)
HRD 6800 - Leadership Seminar and Professional Portfolio (4 credits)
HRD 6900 - Current Trends (4 credits)

Satisfactory academic progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester.

Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state and university aid. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for additional details.

Good academic standing

All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.0.

Good academic standing is a requirement for:

Holding a Graduate Assistantship
Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
Going on a leave of absence
Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.

Additionally, graduate students must meet all department academic standards which may be more stringent than the minimum set forth by the University.

Department requirements: Completion of 32 approved credits with an overall grade-point average of B or better. Credit toward the degree will not be given for courses with grades under B.

Graduate students who are not in good academic standing for any reason are subject to probation and/or dismissal from further graduate study.

Related program information

Plan of study

All accepted applicants, in consultation with their assigned faculty program adviser, must develop a plan of study that details specific courses the students will use to satisfy their degree requirements. The plan of study must be approved by the faculty program adviser and submitted by the student to Oakland University Graduate School.

Master’s and graduate certificate students must submit a department-approved plan of study by the end of their first semester of graduate coursework. Doctoral students must submit an approved plan of study prior to completion of the first year of coursework. (See the Graduate Student Responsibility section of this catalog.)

Note: Credit granted for successful completion of a course toward an undergraduate degree program may not be repeated for a graduate degree. If a substitution is approved, the minimum number of program-approved graduate credits will be required. A Petition of Exception - OU Course Waiver/ Substitution requesting the substitution must be approved.