2023-24 Academic Catalog

Bachelors (BA) in Management and Organizational Leadership

Overview

The management and organizational leadership major offers a 36-semester-hour course of study that is designed for working professionals in business, public, and non-profit organizations. This program offers an innovative curriculum that attains a balance of management, organizational, and leadership theory and practice. Through specific instruction and practical experience, students will learn how to successfully manage and lead people, teams, and organizations.

Degree Outcomes

  • Function as self-directed learners who engage in continuous professional growth through the application of experiential learning principles and practices, and support the learning and growth of others.
  • Express understanding of leadership and management functions, theories, and models; describe their own professional philosophy, and serve effectively as a team leader and a team member.
  • Utilize the management tools, analytical methods, and research skills necessary to identify organizational problems and to formulate solutions for those problems.
  • Apply the principles of organizational environment, design, systems, and change to facilitate improvements in operations and strategy.
  • Exhibit effective leadership communication skills and an understanding of organizational communication strategies and methods.
  • Describe how their understanding of ethics and Christian values informs their leadership and management practices in an organizational context.

Course Requirements

Students are required to obtain a minimum grade of C- in all courses taken for the major.

Major Requirements

Complete the following:

Course content focuses on organizational behavior models and practices and their application in work, group, and virtual teams. Emphasis is placed on group behavior and how group functioning affects organizational effectiveness.
This course provides an overview of the fields of organizational and management theory. It gives the student an understanding of the roles of management in fulfilling the mission and goals of the organization. Students are expected to apply management theory as they make decisions to solve organizational problems. Prerequisite: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior.
From a leadership perspective, this course focuses on the role communication plays in creating a productive work environment. Students will build communication competencies through learning to use listening skills, emotional intelligence, purpose identification, audience analysis, strategy development, message design, and medium selection. Topics covered include the effective use of digital media and leadership communication in the context of networks, groups and teams, addressing internal and external audiences, as well as in conducting meetings and presentations. Prerequisite: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior.
In this course, students will investigate concepts of worldview as it relates to personal identity, cultural assumptions, interpersonal communication, individual decision-making, and faith. Students will explore the roots of the Christian faith and the influence of Christianity on society, seeking to construct a personal worldview that informs their understanding of the meaning of life.
Topics covered will enable students to analyze and interpret both historical and estimated financial data used by management to conduct daily operations, plan future operations and develop overall business strategies. Prerequisites: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior, MGOL 403 Organizational Theory.
This course will instruct students in ethical dilemmas in the workplace. Students will learn to identify and transform workplace behaviors that cause ambiguity and destructive environments within organizations and will learn how to apply managerial decision making based on ethical principles, processes, and formats. Prerequisite: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior.
This course provides students with a pragmatic approach that will guide the formulation and implementation of organizational and functional strategies. It focuses on modern analytical methods and on enduring successful strategic practices. Intentionally designed as a capstone course, students will apply management and leadership concepts they have learned throughout their degree program. Prerequisites: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior, MGOL 404 Leadership Communication, MGOL 410 Financial Decision Making, MGOL 413 Ethics for Managers, MGOL 431 Operations Management, MGOL 442 Dynamics of Leadership.

Complete the following:

MGOL 475 is optional and not required for Management and Organizational Leadership majors.
This course provides students with processes and techniques for conducting applied research in the workplace, evaluating various programs and initiatives at work, and acquiring data to create informed decisions. It helps students become familiar with the research process and with a variety of business research tools and techniques. Students learn how to define a problem and write good research questions, determine what tools and techniques are appropriate for different kinds of problems, find supportive information sources, assess their reliability, and critically analyze and summarize such information. Prerequisites: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior, MGOL 403 Organizational Theory.
This research course focuses on using data as a tool to enhance decision making in organizations. It is designed for managers as users of statistical information to summarize and interpret data. The course covers descriptive statistics, associated decision-making, and the purposes of inferential statistical methods. Prerequisite: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior.
This course introduces concepts and techniques for design, planning, and control of service and manufacturing operations. It provides basic definitions of operations management terms, tools and techniques for analyzing operations, and strategic context for making operational decisions. Prerequisites: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior, MGOL 410 Financial Decision Making, MGOL 415 Data Informed Decision Making, MGOL 440 Human Resource Management.
In this course students examine policies and practices regarding employee planning, recruitment, selection, compensation, training, and development. Attention is given to current regulatory employment issues. Prerequisite: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior.
This course explores leadership theories, models, and styles through an examination of current leadership literature and discussions of effective leadership practice. Prerequisites: MGOL 401 Organizational Behavior, MGOL 403 Organizational Theory, MGOL 404 Organizational Communication.
Supervised experiences in businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public agencies.