m.a. organizational leadership - mansfield university of pennsylvania - course description brochure

Developing Tomorrow's LeadersDeveloping Tomorrow's Leaders

Mansfield University’sMansfield University’s

Master of Arts inMaster of Arts in Organiza onalOrganiza onal

LeadershipLeadership


The interdisciplinary online MA pro‐The interdisciplinary online MA pro‐gram in Organiza onal Leadership gram in Organiza onal Leadership consists of 33 creditconsists of 33 credit‐‐hours, including a hours, including a threethree‐‐credit prac cum experience credit prac cum experience and a threeand a three‐‐credit capstone course.credit capstone course.

Students begin with the founda on Students begin with the founda on course, ORL 5501 course, ORL 5501 ‐‐ Organiza onal Organiza onal Leadership: Theory and Prac ce.Leadership: Theory and Prac ce.

A student taking two courses per se‐A student taking two courses per se‐mester could graduate in two aca‐mester could graduate in two aca‐demic years (four semesters plus two demic years (four semesters plus two summers).summers).

Core CoursesCore Courses

• Organiza onal Leadership:• Organiza onal Leadership:

Theory and Prac ce (first course)Theory and Prac ce (first course)

• Organiza onal Behavior and Change• Organiza onal Behavior and Change

• Organiza onal Planning and Administra on• Organiza onal Planning and Administra on

• Governance and Community Rela ons• Governance and Community Rela ons

• Leadership Ethics• Leadership Ethics

• Effec ve Communica on in Leadership Roles• Effec ve Communica on in Leadership Roles

• Research, Program Assessment and Evalua on• Research, Program Assessment and Evalua on

Sample elec vesSample elec ves

• Entrepreneurial Leadership• Entrepreneurial Leadership

• Leadership in a Global Society• Leadership in a Global Society

The ProgramProgram

Courses Offered

ORL 5501, Organizational Leadership: Theory and Practice

Purpose and Nature of Course: This course is the introduction course that creates student awareness about the various facets of leadership.

Description from Catalog:

This first course in organizational Leadership will examine key concepts, issues and practices that contribute to effective leadership in a variety of organiza‐tions both nationally and internationally. Through a focus on self‐reflection and awareness, participants in the course will examine their leadership styles, strengths and challenges and receive useful practical suggestions for improv‐ing leadership skills.

ORL 5510, Organizational Behavior and Change

Purpose and Nature of Course: This leadership course focuses upon the nature of change within an organization, the different perspectives of how to view change and the devel‐opment of necessary skills to manage change.


This course focuses upon managing for the future and preparing people for a continuous organizational learning pattern leading to innovation and change. It approaches change from understanding organizational behavior through structural, strategic, political and cultural lenses.

ORL 5520, Organizational Planning and Administration

Purpose and Nature of Course: This Leadership course is designed to explore the logistical challenges in effectively managing and leading organizations.


This course focuses on the crucial roles of leaders operating organizations of every size and different types of industry in various settings. Organizational administration includes understanding how to assess the practices of an organ‐ization, lead others in strategic planning and decision making and understand‐ing the basics of budgeting and finance, developing a business plan, grant writ‐ing and facilitating an environment to empower employees.

ORL 5530, Governance and Community Relations

Purpose and Nature of Course: To help students examine organizational governance and the relationships between organizations and their stakeholder communities and pro‐vide them strategies for building and improving those relationships.


This leadership course examines organizational governance, the relationships between organizations and their stakeholder communities and strategies for building and improving those relationships. Emphasis is placed on governance relationships, understanding community context and building improved out‐reach and marketing efforts.

ORL 5540, Leadership Ethics

Purpose and Nature of Course: This Leadership course is designed to examine the ethical and legal issues related to leadership.


This course focuses upon ethical leadership practices in business and govern‐ment. The course takes an interdisciplinary approach using elements of law, political economy, international business, ethics, and social responsibility. Businesses have social as well as economic responsibilities to society and both business and government have important interactive roles in the developing global economy. Ethics and integrity are essential to the process of developing and monitoring business practices that will assist positive growth in the global economy

ORL 5550, Research, Program Assessment and Evaluation

Purpose and Nature of Course: This Leadership course is designed to introduce students to the foundations of research, program assessment and evaluation. The purpose is to facil‐itate student awareness regarding the uses of data in decision‐making and problem solv‐ing in their role as leaders.

Mansfield University’s

Masters of Arts in

Organizational Leadership

The Masters of Arts in Organiza‐The Masters of Arts in Organiza‐onal Leadership at Mansfield onal Leadership at Mansfield

University is an online program University is an online program providing advanced knowledge in providing advanced knowledge in leadership across a wide spectrum leadership across a wide spectrum of disciplines and organiza onal of disciplines and organiza onal se ngs. This interdisciplinary pro‐se ngs. This interdisciplinary pro‐gram allows students to enhance gram allows students to enhance their knowledge about leadership their knowledge about leadership and the organiza onal environ‐and the organiza onal environ‐ment, applying leadership skills in ment, applying leadership skills in realreal‐‐world se ngs. The program world se ngs. The program focuses on the theore cal founda‐focuses on the theore cal founda‐ons of leadership and develops ons of leadership and develops

prac cal skills for emerging lead‐prac cal skills for emerging lead‐ers working in local, regional, na‐ers working in local, regional, na‐onal and interna onal organiza‐onal and interna onal organiza‐ons. It creates an online leader‐ons. It creates an online leader‐

ship learning environment that ship learning environment that promotes inclusion, respect, col‐promotes inclusion, respect, col‐labora on and a view of leader‐labora on and a view of leader‐ship development that embraces ship development that embraces the values of the Mansfield Uni‐the values of the Mansfield Uni‐versity Creed: Character, Scholar‐versity Creed: Character, Scholar‐ship, Culture, and Service.ship, Culture, and Service.

Mansfield UniversityMansfield University


This course introduces the skills, attitudes and methods to analyze services offered to both public and private organizations in a wide range of fields. In addi‐tion, basic research methodology is covered to illustrate the importance of a sci‐entific approach to business research and problem‐solving projects. Students will learn to formulate a problem, choose research methods, clearly articulate the past research and then collect, analyze and present new data with new interpretations and conclusions.

COM 5545, Effective Communication in Leadership Roles

Purpose and Nature of Course: This Leadership course is designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of effective communication. Description from Catalog:

Leadership is inherently communicated. This proposed course will explore mod‐els of leadership and the strengths and weaknesses of those models. Issues facing leaders such as diversity, the communication of organizational values, response to change and other concerns will be examined. Students will be expected to ar‐ticulate a perspective of their leadership style and the appropriateness of that style to their work environment.

ORL 5580, Organizational Leadership Practicum

Purpose and Nature of Course: This organizational leadership field experience is designed for the student to apply the theoretical foundations and practical skills learned within the program, to an organizational setting of their choice.


This is an applied experience in an organization with focus on the type of leader‐ship opportunities the student wants to better understand. Students will practice leadership skills in their chosen setting, while being supervised and mentored by a site supervisor and interacting online with other practicum students and the course instructor. One‐hundred twenty (120) on‐site hours with regular supervi‐sion are required for this course.

ORL 5595, Leadership Capstone Seminar

Purpose and Nature of Course: This course is designed to reflect both the overall goals of the program and each student’s internship area and is taken by each student at the end of the program of study. An individualized, applied project and a leadership portfolio will be the focus of the course.


The Leadership Capstone course is designed as a summative evaluation experi‐ence for students in the masters program. A major project or portfolio will be developed with guidance by the faculty mentor. The purpose of the project and leadership portfolio is to showcase students’ leadership skills.

Current Electives:

ORL 5571, Leadership in a Global Society

Purpose and Nature of Course: This leadership course is designed to focus on communication and effective interaction patterns in the global economy.


This course focuses upon understanding the nature of communicating and nego‐tiating in diverse cultures across the globe. Examination of one’s one ethnocentric viewpoint will be emphasized through experiential activities. Understanding oth‐ers’ cultural values, learning to communicate in diverse populations and becom‐ing aware of global etiquette will also be emphasized in this course

ORL 5572, Entrepreneurial Leadership

Purpose and Nature of Course: This leadership elective is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts in entrepreneurial leadership, decision‐making and problem solving.


Entrepreneurial leadership encompasses an understanding of how to analyze the calculated risks necessary to launch into a new venture. This course covers the process of starting and operating a new business, through assembling resources, examining the risks and potential benefits of moving forward, examining the market, developing a business plan and recruiting the right team of people. At each stage, participants will examine how these processes must be viewed through analysis of individual, group and societal contexts.

Visit our website at

Mansfield.edu

and click on

“What Can I Study”

for more program informa on

and the online applica on.

Or call 1‐800‐577‐6826

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania 71 South Academy Street Mansfield, PA 16933

570‐662‐4818 570‐662‐4121

h p://mansfield.edu/organiza onal‐leadership/


m.a. organizational leadership - mansfield university of pennsylvania - course description brochure

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