Organizational Development and Leadership—Master of Science

Program Overview

The Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership is an accelerated graduate organizational development program of instruction designed to enhance each student’s understanding of the fundamental practices of organizational development while enabling the acquisition of the analytical skills necessary to lead others. The program provides convenient delivery design and formats for working professionals who seek the opportunity to complete an entire graduate organizational development and leadership graduate degree plan by taking two courses per 8-week session for 5 sessions. The Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership degree requires students to successfully complete 10 courses (30 credit hours) representing key functional areas of organizational development and leadership, including a capstone course that requires the student to develop a new, comprehensive case study under the supervision of a practicing Organizational Development Leader/Mentor.

Admission Requirements

Tier I

Unconditional Admission  to the Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership program will be granted to applicants who satisfy all general graduate studies admission requirements:

1. Baccalaureate degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0

2. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work

3. A completed application

4. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) not required for Tier I and II applicants

Tier II

Conditional Admission to the Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership program will be granted to applicants who satisfy all general requirements for admission noted above, but who have a GPA between 2.5–3.0. Those granted Conditional Admission will be required to complete the first four courses with a grade of “B” or better.

GRE is not required.

Tier III

Conditional Admission to the Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership program will be granted to applicants who satisfy all general requirements for admission noted above but who have a GPA of at least 2.00 but less than 2.5. Applicants with a GPA above 2.0 but less than 2.5 MUST take the GRE General Test or the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT). Applicants must achieve a minimum verbal score of 150 and a minimum quantitative score of 144 or higher and an analytical writing score of at least 3.5 on the GRE General Test OR a score of 450 or higher on the GMAT before they can be admitted into the Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership program. Those achieving these scores will be granted Conditional Admission and will be required to complete the first four courses with a grade of “B” or better.

As a general rule, applicants with an earned baccalaureate degree with an overall GPA of less than 2.0 will not be admitted.

Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership Degree Plan

To fulfill the requirements for the MSODL degree program, each student must complete 30 hours of graduate coursework as well as a significant research project. A minimum of 24 credit hours of courses for the master’s degree must be taken at the University of the Incarnate Word.

Required Courses

Curriculum, Format and Schedule

Although students may choose to pursue their degree at a less than accelerated pace, the Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership program does enable highly driven and motivated students to complete their degree in five 8-week sessions by following the recommended schedule.

Program Sequence

Recommended progression of coursework:

First eight-week term:

Principles of Ethical Leadership

Organizational Behavior and Learning

Second eight-week term:

Foundations of Organizational Development

Organizational Consulting

Third eight-week term:

Leading Change

Strategic Leadership

Fourth eight-week term:

Foundations of Organizational Research and Assessment

Organizational Development Interventions and Practices

Fifth eight-week term:

Applied Human Resource Management

MSODL Capstone