The organizational leadership specialization curriculum is both strategically focused and innovative, aligning contemporary leadership theory with today's best leadership practices. The course work offers students the opportunity to identify and achieve personal learning objectives and professional goals as well as the opportunity to make immediate and significant contributions to their organizations.
Offered as a specialization within the EdD/PhD program in leadership, the organizational leadership specialization will develop scholar practitioners who will grow their organizations by incorporating various methods of strategic planning and forecasting, innovative change initiatives, organizational diagnostic strategies, and purposeful reform interventions.
Doctoral candidates must complete:
in subject areas covering:
Candidates must also complete:
Pick five:
Pick one:
For the EdD, Practitioner Track (10 hours)
Select two:
For the PhD, Researcher Track (16 hours)
The analysis of the methodological and statistical components of existing research data to enhance and facilitate the educational decision making process. Particular attention is given to applications regarding issues of educational policy.
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the methods used by leaders to approach training, coaching and developing their organizational workforces. Faced with the constant of change and ever increasing global competition and pressures, organizations must find ways to develop the individuals, teams and leaders in their organizations if they are to remain relevant and competitive in today’s marketplace. Students explore various means that can be used for development including various forms of training, mentoring and coaching. Ethical issues as they relate to development and coaching are also examined.
This course is designed to provide an opportunity for exploration and critical examination of self in the context of leadership development and proficiency. The organizational leader is viewed as the lead learner whose responsibility is to cultivate, shape and sustain the development of the organization and personnel. Emphasis is placed on the practice of self-reflective leadership grounded in established theory and principles. Students are encouraged to self-assess and articulate their own generative capacities, professional renewal initiatives and leadership legacy. Purpose, intention and actionable plans for leadership growth and development are encouraged.
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the key elements of communication and decision-making in 21st century organizations. Current, relevant and timely resources are explored to provide students with opportunities to analyze elements and functions of communication and decision-making. Significant emphasis will be on effective communication skill sets and competencies utilized in organizational communication and decision-making in the current global milieu, working in both real-world and virtual environments.
In this course students will examine the various roles and processes in organizational intervention as they relate to identifying, implementing and sustaining change. Organizational culture, climate, communication practices, mental models and change theories will be explored.
In this course, concepts, skills and strategies for the enhancement of personal and professional leadership are examined. One’s fundamental leadership beliefs and assumptions are explored along with organizational performance and achievement.
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of the critical issues faced by leaders in every organization in the 21st century. Current, relevant, and timely resources are explored to provide students with opportunities to analyze both organizations and their leadership.
In this course, students explore and examine contemporary and classical leadership theories and their application to a variety of professional settings; students assess and evaluate organization’s leadership platform, policies and professional practices.
In this course, students examine and explore human resources policies and practices; administrative supervision strategies and effective communication techniques; job performance, employee development and deployment, diverse work force, employment law, training and development, harassment and health issues and disabilities and discrimination.
Leading the Knowledge Enterprise is a course that introduces students to the exciting and sometimes hard to define field of knowledge management. The role of the leader is emphasized, especially as it relates to identifying and leveraging the intellectual capital of an organization; promoting and facilitating knowledge sharing and innovation; intellectual assets, knowledge management strategy, knowledge management cycle and knowledge taxonomies.
Effective change leadership requires an understanding of the basic principles and practices underlying innovation, change processes and sustainability in organizations. The focus of LDR-7030 is initiating, implementing and ensuring continuation of change as a key leadership challenge. Various change theories and principles are examined with an emphasis on the leader’s role in capacity building, creativity, organizational strengths and style. Participants are encouraged to develop a more situated and experience informed approach to change in the organizational front lines.
In this course, students explore and examine the five disciplines of learning organizations; characteristics of learning organizations, growth cycles, building capacity and sustainability.
This course examines strategic planning models, forecasting methods, trend analysis, futuring, problem-based learning, return on investment, organizational health and effectiveness, cost/benefit analysis and research and planning.
Application of change theory to large and small organizations. Leadership strategies for successful change implementation.
Educational policy-making at the macro (national, regional and state) and micro (local and institutional) levels. Selected educational policies.
In this course students will examine the ethical dilemmas of leadership, the foundations and context of moral choice and the moral implications of decision making. In doing so, the purpose is to make visible the ethical challenges and decision criteria facing leaders, the role of politics and power in organizations and the leader’s ability to promote and infuse organizational ethics and integrity into the culture.
Ethical theories and practice of school district leadership.
Sports Leadership and Ethics is designed to prepare learners to evaluate business principles, theories and responsibilities in the field of sports management, with an increased understanding of acceptable practices, human capital, and professionalism. In addition, this course provides learners with an understanding societal reasonability, common moral and ethical values, and how they are applied to varying sports leadership scenarios.
Principles of research theory, methods, inquiry, problem formulation, data collection, literature searches, and ethical considerations. Emphasis on how to design a doctoral-level research study.
This course introduces students to survey and instrument development including issues related to operationalizing variables, survey construction, sampling, coding, analysis, and evaluating the reliability and validity of survey research methods.
An examination and application of qualitative research approaches with focus on research design, the role of the researcher, data collection and analysis, and writing from a qualitative perspective.
Principles and application of action research planning, implementation and reflection in educational environments. Exploration of collaborative, participatory and individual approaches to action research methods that can be utilized to improve schools and/or organizations.
An introduction to quantitative analysis of data. Statistical software will be used to explore descriptive and inferential statistics using both non-parametric and parametric techniques.
This course explores the theory, design, and application of mixed methods research.
An introduction to advanced statistical concepts including multivariate analysis, linear models, hierarchical linear models, factor analysis and data management. Students will use statistical software packages and will learn to write basic syntax for custom analysis.
This course will prepare students to utilize naturalistic inquiry in their own research, most immediately, the dissertation experience. Students will be able to reflect on choices of inquiry paradigms, the goodness of fit between the problem and the approach chosen to explore it, the selection of appropriate instruments, and the role of the writer in the presentation of findings.
The specialization in organizational leadership is designed to equip students with the
In addition to the overall objectives of the leadership department and its programs, students will acquire the following knowledge, skills, and competencies in the Leadership program’s specialization organizational leadership:
The doctoral degree specialization in organizational leadership is intended for students who have selected study organizational growth and development from theoretical and systemic perspectives. The specialization curriculum is strategic and innovative in its focus and content in order to prepare students to make continuous improvements within the organizations they serve.