Organizational Leadership Master of Arts
Concentrations
Organizational Management
Not-for-Profit Management
Training and Development
Public Administration
Higher Education – Student Services
Organizational and Leadership Coaching
Program Objectives
The 37-hour Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program offers a contemporary and people-focused course of study for students who seek to develop their leadership skills more effectively. Targeted for working adults seeking to maximize their contribution to leadership in the workplace, the course of study integrates the best of scholarship and professional practice. The program is designed for those who want to develop their own effectiveness and contributions within their respective organizations. We support people who are primarily focused on "people management" and who desire to bring the highest level of value to their organizations. The core courses build toward concentrations in Organizational Management, Not-For-Profit Management, Training and Development, Public Administration, Higher Education-Student Services, and Organizational and Leadership Coaching.
Program Rationale
Workplace literature is rich with the leadership theme. It is identified as the key to organizational effectiveness and success. Grounding our study in the social sciences, we seek to identify the complex understandings of both "leadership" and "organization," develop the skills associated with these themes, and prepare to bring these skills to the highest level of effectiveness in our organizations. Further, students will embed these themes in areas of concentration or professional expertise.
At the end of this program, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of foundational leadership theories and leadership as a psycho-social phenomenon.
2. Apply models to the practice of leadership in organizational change, conflict management and team building.
3. Develop foundational notions of ethical leadership with a focus on Lasallian and Servant Leadership.
4. Utilize critical thinking and decision making skills to enhance leadership and organizational effectiveness.
5. Discuss the role of leadership in shaping organizational culture with particular emphasis on diversity, participative management and self-reflection.
6. Evaluate workplace research in order to make decisions that foster organizational improvement and inform future directions.
7. Create a Capstone which reflects academic discipline and workplace/community application.
Program Design
This program is designed for adults with full lives and deep workplace commitments. It is designed for flexibility and completion.
Courses are offered on a 12-month basis in 8-week sessions. On ground courses meet one evening per week at the Romeoville and Oak Brook campuses. Cohort groups meet weekly throughout the metropolitan Chicago area.
Courses are scheduled to allow students to enter the program at the beginning of any of the 8-week course sessions throughout the year. The schedule is also designed to allow students to take time out from enrollment and re-enter as circumstances permit.
This program enables students to advance their academic preparation in the context of full-time commitments at work and home. It is designed for students whose personal and professional interests would be better served by an accelerated format.
Admission Requirements
Experience in the workplace, especially direct involvement in management, is an essential resource for our applicants.
Applicants should be 24 years of age or older, submit verification by official transcripts of completion of a baccalaureate degree at a regionally accredited institution, have a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average, submit two university-provided letters of recommendation, and have at least three years of work experience. An essay concerning one’s personal and professional direction is required for full admission to the program. Admission will be determined by the Department Chair with final approval by the Graduate Council of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Applicants with less than a 3.0 grade point average and/or writing deficiencies may be admitted with provisional status that remains in effect for no more than two sessions.
Three categories of student enrollment are offered in the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program: full admission, provisional admission, and student-at-large.
Full Admission Status
Students seeking a graduate degree must fulfill the following minimal requirements:
- Hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
- Maintain an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 60 undergraduate hours, or possess a cumulative GPA of 3.0 based upon the completion of two 3-credit hour leadership graduate courses at Lewis University with no grade lower than B .
- Complete a graduate application form, accompanied by a non-refundable application fee.
- Submit complete official transcripts from accredited institutions previously attended.
- Be accepted by the Graduate Council of the College of Arts and Sciences. (Students will be informed in writing of the decision of the Graduate Council.)
Provisional Admission Status
Students who apply for full admission status and are deficient in one or more of the requirements for full admission may be granted provisional status until those deficiencies are removed. Deficiencies must be removed after six semester hours of graduate coursework (no more than two sessions) taken at Lewis University. (Students will be informed in writing of the decision of the Graduate Council if provisional status is granted.)
Student-At-Large Status
A student with a baccalaureate degree who wants to take certain graduate courses with the intention of becoming a degree or certification candidate may be admitted as a student-at-large by meeting the following requirements:
- Submit official documentation of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education.
- Complete an application form, accompanied by a non-refundable application fee.
Should a student-at-large seek full admission status, six semester hours completed as a student-at-large is the maximum credit toward an advanced degree that can be granted.
A student with a baccalaureate degree who wants to take certain courses, but not a full degree endorsement or certification program, may be admitted as a student-at-large.
Graduation Requirements
- Successful completion of 37 semester hours of credit.
- Successful completion of at least 28 semester hours of graded credit completed from Lewis University.
- Completion of required courses including
- six (6) courses and one (1) seminar or nineteen (19) credit hours of core courses;
- four (4) courses or twelve (12) credit hours of concentration courses;
- two (2) courses or six (6) credit hours of elective credit; and
- achievement of an overall grade point average of at least a 3.0 (B) for all courses taken from Lewis University.
- Students will be permitted to repeat a course only one time. After the second attempt, students will be subject to academic dismissal (pending review by the Department Chair).
- Students designated by the Department of Organizational Leadership as having been participants in good standing in the undergraduate Organizational Leadership Fast Track program offered by Lewis University (and who have fulfilled all the requirements delineated in the undergraduate catalog) may waive the 6 graduate elective credits in the program, thus reducing the total credit hour requirement from 37 to 31.
Time Limit
A student has seven years to complete the program. Students remain under the requirement of the catalog in effect at the time of matriculation unless they discontinue attendance for more than two consecutive years, in which case they will follow the catalog in effect upon their return.
Transfer Procedures
Students may apply up to nine semester hours of graduate-level work from a regionally accredited institution. A transfer student must follow the admission criteria stated on the previous page (full or provisional).
The following conditions apply to the acceptance of transfer credit.
- Only courses with a grade of B or better will be accepted.
- Coursework must have been completed within the last five years.
- Appropriateness of coursework will be decided by the Chair of the Organizational Leadership program at the time of the student’s application to the program. Generally, courses accepted for transfer credit must bear similarity to the courses in this program.
- Courses from outside the United States will be considered if they are evaluated as graduate level by the Office of Admission or the Commission on Accreditation of the American Council on Education.
Credit for prior learning is not awarded for graduate courses. Students must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0/4.0 for continuation of the program. No content or discipline-specific qualifying or comprehensive examinations are required. These competencies are acquired throughout the curriculum. No foreign language is required.
Degree Offered: Master of Arts
Total Credit Hours: 37
Course Requirements
I. Core Courses (19)
| LL-501 | Introduction to Leadership Studies | 1 |
| - | (LL-501 is required in the first term of degree-seeking students.) | |
| LL-509 | Leadership: Theories, Practices and Context | 3 |
| LL-512 | Assessing Leadership Skills | 3 |
| LL-536 | Ethics, Integrity and Social Responsibility | 3 |
| LL-539 | Conflict Management | 3 |
| LL-592 | Workplace Research | 3 |
| LL-595 | Capstone: Leadership and the Future | 3 |
II. Concentration Courses (12)
Organizational Management Concentration
| LL-527 | Building Teams | 3 |
| LL-558 | Planning Strategically | 3 |
| LL-561 | Organizational Cultures and Systems | 3 |
| LL-565 | Finance as Organizational Text | 3 |
Not-for-Profit Management Concentration
| LL-558 | Planning Strategically | 3 |
| LL-561 | Organizational Cultures and Systems | 3 |
| LL-567 | Working with the Community: Boards to Volunteers | 3 |
| LL-570 | Stewardship and External Support | 3 |
Some courses in the Not-for-Profit Management Concentration may be offered online only.
Public Administration Concentration
| LL-530 | Managing Diversity | 3 |
| LL-558 | Planning Strategically | 3 |
| LL-560 | Themes in Public Policy, Administration and Leadership | 3 |
| LL-564 | Public Policy and Governmental Relations | 3 |
Some courses in the Public Administration Concentration may be offered online only.
Organizational Training and Development Concentration
| LL-518 | Organizational Communication | 3 |
| LL-524 | Leading Change | 3 |
| LL-555 | Psychology of Motivation | 3 |
| LL-577 | Design and Delivery of Training | 3 |
Higher Education – Student Services Concentration
| LL-516 | Principles of Higher Education: Mission and Directions | 3 |
| LL-527 | Building Teams | 3 |
| LL-556 | Systems and Services in Higher Education | 3 |
| LL-572 | Adult Development | 3 |
Organizational and Leadership Coaching Concentration
| LL-546 | Introduction to Organizational and Leadership Coaching | 3 |
| LL-547 | Coaching Methodologies | 3 |
| LL-548 | Building A Coaching Practice | 3 |
| LL-549 | Coaching Research | 3 |
The Organizational and Leadership Coaching Concentration follows the requirements set forth by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). While Lewis University does not provide a certificate upon completion of this concentration, it does prepare students who desire to obtain a coaching license/certificate. Students can obtain more information about this concentration from their advisor.
III. Electives (6)
Choose two graduate electives (elective credit hours can also come from courses outside of the student's concentration):
| LL-515 | Critical Thinking and Decision Making | 3 |
| LL-522 | Leadership and Technology | 3 |
| LL-545 | Mentoring and Coaching | 3 |
| LL-573 | Independent Inquiry | 3 |
| LL-579 | Selected Topics | 3 |