This online program is designed for students interested in or currently pursuing a leadership position.
The program allows students seeking an advanced degree to assess their own personal leadership style, critically examine organizational challenges and analyze the various aspects of organizational interactions at all levels (individual, group and organizational) to gain the professional competencies to effectively lead others and bring about change.
Our Master of Science in Organizational Effectiveness and Leadership degree program is 11 total courses (33 credits): 8 Core Courses (24 credits) + 3 Concentration Courses (9 credits).
OEL 501: Learning Community * You'll take this course in your first semester.
3 creditsOEL 520: Personal Leadership
3 creditsOEL 525: Group Process and Team Dynamics
3 creditsOEL 530: Organizational Development Landscape
3 creditsOEL 610: lntercultural / Global Perspectives
3 creditsOEL 615: Developing and Leading Others
3 creditsOEL 690: Applied Research Project *
3 creditsOEL 695: Capstone Seminar * Earn a "B" or higher to pass this course.
3 creditsCore Total
24 credits
* Not replaceable with transfer credit.
OEL 501: Learning Community
This course focuses on establishing collaborative learning environments within an organization, including those in a global community. This course presents an analysis of the various leadership styles, focuses on theoretical constructs for a learning organization, and explores issues such as diversity and moral and ethical dilemmas in leadership at the various organizational levels (individual, group, and organizational). This course provides students in a leadership role (or considering pursuing a leadership role) an opportunity to analyze, reflect on, and apply organizational principles, and other behaviors necessary to develop a learning organization.
OEL 501 Course SyllabusOEL 520: Personal Leadership
This course starts with the premise that everyone is capable of being a leader. Students will examine their own leadership style through the use of leadership assessment tools and literature reviews which will include a number of alternative perspectives of leadership, including contemporary styles. Based on their analysis of these styles and information from the assessments, as well as from applying them and using action learning methods, students will develop their own personal model of leadership.
OEL 520 Course SyllabusOEL 525: Group Process and Team Dynamics
This course will expose students to the social and psychological effects of group and team dynamics on an organization's ability to stay competitive in a global environment. Students will have an opportunity to explore various concepts associated with the formation of groups (inter-and intra-group relations) and methods for measuring and improving group effectiveness. Emphasis will be placed on theory and practice related to the various types of leadership teams, team cohesiveness, group communication, conflict resolution and other concepts related to group processes and team dynamics.
OEL 525 Course SyllabusOEL 530: Organizational Development Landscape
This course is designed to allow students to gain insights into the history and development of the principles of organizational structure and design. Students will explore the complexities associated with achieving a high performing organization. Consider the influence of such factors as organizational goals, life cycle, culture and environment on organizational design and decision making. This course will place emphasis on the roles of key business disciplines in achieving the organization's mission.
OEL 530 Course SyllabusOEL 610: lntercultural / Global Perspectives
The primary focus of this course is on the importance of culture in organizations and its effects on the organization's performance. Students will explore topics of diversity as a challenge and an opportunity at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Students will also examine the demographic trends as a result of globalization, including virtual work teams, and the effects of emerging digital technology and its influences on global relations.
OEL 610 Course SyllabusOEL 615: Developing and Leading Others
This course focuses on various leadership styles and its influence on an organization. The course will further examine theory and practice of leadership models and concepts; and build on coaching, mentoring, motivational, and empowerment models required to develop effective leadership skills.
OEL 615 Course SyllabusOEL 690: Applied Research Project *
This course provides research techniques and language for both qualitative and quantitative research methods. This course will include how to develop research questions and hypotheses, how to conduct library/literature searches, research limitations and other research design considerations. The Applied Research Project is a part of the Capstone Seminar course. The research project should be a work-based project focused on a research problem. (Pre-requisite: Undergraduate Statistics)
OEL 690 Course SyllabusOEL 695: Capstone Seminar
The Capstone Seminar provides an opportunity for students to complete their research projects and present and receive feedback on their research projects. The projects will be evaluated by peers and faculty. It also provides students an opportunity to reflect upon and integrate their course learning with their life and work experiences and to relate their learning to effectiveness within their organizational work environments.
OEL 695 Course SyllabusThree of the degree program's courses (9 credits) are in a concentration of your choice: Business or Nonprofit.
Business Concentration Courses
OEL 541: Business and Economics of an Organization
3 creditsOEL 542: Effective Communication
3 creditsOEL 643: Leading Organizational Change
3 credits
Nonprofit Concentration Courses
OEL 553: Nonprofit Management
3 creditsOEL 554: Nonprofit Resource Development and Fundraising
3 creditsOEL 655: Role of Nonprofits in Fostering Social Change
3 credits
OEL 541: Business and Economics of an Organization
This course will introduce students to financial strategies required for non-financial managers working in a global economic environment. The course will present a high level overview of various accounting / financial processes and other resources necessary for decision making and organizational strategic planning purposes.
OEL 541 Course SyllabusOEL 542: Effective Communication
This course will provide students with the skills, and the research and theory behind those skills, to communicate effectively with people located in the same geographic region and located anywhere across the world. Students will have an opportunity to evaluate and apply numerous communications options to develop an authentic, powerful, leadership voice using interpersonal, technology-mediated, and intercultural communications competencies and techniques. Students will develop both a personal and an organizational model of effective communication.
OEL 542 Course SyllabusOEL 643: Leading Organizational Change
This course will provide a conceptual frame of organizational change theories, concepts and models. Students will have an opportunity to practice implementing organizational change processes; and to examine critical leadership competencies necessary to lead a strategic change initiative. This course will also allow students to gain a broad understanding of issues associated with implementing a change process at the individual, group, and organizational levels. Students will critically examine different types of change –incremental, transitional, transformative, and strategic - and the various implementations in performing systems change.
OEL 643 Course SyllabusOEL 553: Nonprofit Management
This course is designed to allow students to gain competencies necessary to manage a nonprofit organization. This course focuses on current issues, theoretical perspectives, federal and state regulations and reporting requirements, policies, and methods in the development and management of a nonprofit organization. The course places additional emphasis on strategic planning, marketing, identifying financial resources (grants, fundraising, etc.), management of finances (making operational and capital budgeting decisions) and human resources--that include volunteers, information technology, and the skills necessary for effective organizational leadership.
OEL 553 Course SyllabusOEL 554: Nonprofit Resource Development and Fundraising
This course focuses on the history, theories, skills, and practices of fundraising, including how fundraising emanates from the organizations' strategic plan; how marketing has an impact on fundraising; the components of a successful fundraising campaign; fundraising ethics and legal issues; and the basic techniques of fundraising such as annual giving, grant writing, special events, and capital campaigns.
OEL 554 Course SyllabusOEL 655: Role of Nonprofits in Fostering Social Change
This course focuses on the impact of nonprofit organization in fostering social change and the roles of the director and board in bringing about social change. The course will challenge students to consider the shift from a program centric model to a mission centric approach that is focused on social impact, outcomes, and measures of success. Students will also gain an understanding of the roles and influences (positive and negative) of philanthropy on political advocacy and social change movements in the U.S.; the scope and diversity of the philanthropic sector; political advocacy approaches and social movements; and example of current philanthropic involvement in advocacy and social change efforts across the political spectrum, It will examine nonprofits organizations that have succeeded and those that have failed in implementing social change.
OEL 655 Course Syllabus- A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution, or international institution equivalent to a U.S. regionally accredited institution, with a grade point average of 3.0 or better.
- Students with GPA's between 2.7 and 3.0 may apply. If accepted, grades of B or better must be achieved in the first two courses to continue the program.
- Three years of relevant work experience required, five preferred.
- One essay, 500-750 words, describing the applicant's specific career goals, objectives, motivation to pursue an advanced degree, and professional experience and/or projects.
- A professional resume
- No GREs or entrance exams required
- The OEL501 Learning Community must be taken in the student's first term.
- The OEL501 Learning Community, OEL690 Applied Research, and OEL695 Capstone seminar courses will not be accepted in transfer and can only be taken at Charter Oak.
- Program Prerequisite: A prior undergraduate course in Statistics. Students without this will be required to take a non-credit, online, low-cost review seminar (approximately 12 hours to complete).
To be eligible for graduation, students must meet the following College requirements:
- Earn at least 33 hours for a master's degree.
- Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0.
- Fulfill all course requirements of the major and:
- Complete all the Core and Major courses with a grade of B- or higher.
- Complete the Capstone Seminar with a grade of B or higher.
- Submit a graduation application by the appropriate deadline, including the graduation fee.
- Graduate students have five years to complete a Charter Oak State College graduate degree.
Lorinda Lewis
Kimberly James
Michael McGivern
Michelle Stronz
Outcomes & Pathways
Students who graduate with a Master of Science in Organizational Effectiveness and Leadership will be able to:
- Assess and design learning communities in organizations.
- Evaluate and formulate an individual leadership style.
- Develop professional communication skills.
- Recommend how one develops effective groups.
- Construct organizational leadership strategies.
- Explain the complexities of organizational design and the interconnection between organizational structures.
- Design and implement organizational change processes.
- Create strategies to support intercultural/global inter-relationships.
- Develop strategies that support the advancement of organization’s vision and mission.
- Apply various nonprofit fundraising principles and practices to accomplish the organization’s financial goals.
- Formulate change strategies that supports a continual changing landscape for nonprofit organizations.
- Apply financial and economic tools to improve organizational performance.
- Conduct research utilizing online sources and databases and write research papers that analyze and synthesize information and data gathered.
- Formulate, propose, and develop a plan utilizing appropriate tools and interventions to implement solutions designed to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
Skills You Can Put to Work
Graduates of the Master of Science in Organizational Effectiveness and Leadership will learn to:
- Lead, formulate and implement organizational change strategies to achieve the organization's mission.
- Create and lead local, national, and international self-directed, cross functional, and virtual work teams.
- Identify and implement continuous improvement strategies to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
- Lead, motivate, coach, mentor, and develop associates and groups to achieve measurable results.
- Utilize applied research to analyze and solve complex organizational problems.
Save Time & Money with Transfer Credit and/or Credit for Prior Learning
Applicants may transfer in up to 6 graduate-level credits from other regionally accredited institutions if the credits are equivalent to the content offered in one of the required courses of the program. Transfer credits must be no more than 10 years old and the student must have earned a “B” or better.
Students may also be able to earn up to 6 credits through an assessment of their prior learning and evaluation of credentials earned.
See information about your Financial Aid options.
Charter Oak State College Executive Leadership Training Programs in partnership with Zschool.
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Charter Oak State College is an Educational Member of the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), and has affirmed its commitment to excellence in business education.
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- GRE/entrance exams not required