Graduate Arts and Sciences 

Program Objectives
The Organization Dynamics and Leadership Concentration is designed to enhance the capability of project
managers, educational leaders, government officials, supervisors, military officers, HR administrators and
middle management in cultivating their ability to lead. Concentration is structured in an innovative, adult-oriented format that recognizes the multiple demands on working adults. Your valuable experience is maximized and combined with academic depth and reflection so models and concepts are connected to real world practice.

Learning objectives for the Master’s Degree Concentration in Organization
Dynamics and Leadership are to:

• Emphasize the leader as teacher by developing your ability to learn and value others knowledge and experience.
• Enhance your knowledge to successfully initiate / execute / implement strategic and operational goals by creating an environment that gets people energized and committed.
• Learn skills and knowledge to translate your vision, both professional and personal, into reality by broadening your comfort zone through self-assessment.
  

Curriculum
The Master of Science in Organizational Development and Training with a Concentration in Organization
Dynamics and Leadership consists of twelve 3-credit courses. The thirty-six credits are distributed as follow:

Foundation Courses
The Foundation Courses are designed to ensure that all students in the program have a common body of
knowledge in performance consulting, strategic leadership and specific organizational psychology concepts. All
seven Foundation Courses are required.

TOD 4165 Organization Change, Culture and Learning
TOD 4175 Facilitative Leadership and Organization Development
TOD 4155 Strategic Leadership

Elective Courses
Elective courses explore in depth some of the most important forces that shape organizations today and help
students develop expertise in specific areas of interest. Students select nine electives. Substitution is permissible
under certain circumstances and advisor approval.

EDU 4315 Interpersonal Relations
TOD 4825 Leadership Principles
HED 4855 Stress and Crisis Management
ORG 7025 Career Development
ORG 7035 Laboratory in Leadership Psychology and Team Development
TOD 4135 Performance Consulting
TOD 5205 Conflict and Negotiation
TOD 5215 Creative Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills
TOD 5245 Coaching and Mentoring Skills
TOD 5295 Implementing Change
TOD 5255 Working with Groups

Course Descriptions for Organization Dynamics and Leadership (ODL)

Three Required Core Courses (ODL)

TOD 4165 Organization Change, Culture and Learning 3 Credits
This foundation course provides the conceptual framework for all the other courses in the concentration. Course focuses in understanding the critical leadership characteristics and competencies required for guiding organizations through strategic and operational change initiatives. Relationship between cultural issues and successful change implementation is explored. Students learn how to close the gap between knowing and doing through specific teaching and learning strategies.

TOD 4175 Facilitative Leadership and Organization Development  3 Credits
Course presents an overview of the fundamental competencies of facilitative leadership and their relationship to guiding organizational change. Practical skills and approaches are studied such as individual behavior change techniques and strategies, influence methods in dealing with people and teaching approaches. Integrated approach is emphasized that connects the critical leadership characteristics with facilitative leadership competencies.

TOD 4155 Strategic Leadership 3 Credits
Course emphasizes the integration of leadership thinking and behavior with strategic planning process. Students have an opportunity to review work projects and understand how internal as well as external communications impacts their ability to implement projects as they were planned. Students attend a skill weekend were they reflect on the assumptions underlying their leadership actions. Specific strategies are considered and students begin to consider new ways of looking at leadership and their behavior in order to successfully implement strategies.

Choose Nine Specialized Electives (ODL)

EDU 4315 Interpersonal Relations 3 Credits
A study of the dynamics of interpersonal, intragroup, and intergroup relations. Emphasis will be placed on the teaching / learning process as well as the counselor / client relationship. A variety of instructional approaches, including lectures, discussions, and group activities will be utilized to develop interpersonal skills.

HED 4825 Leadership Principles 3 Credits
An introductory course to acquaint the learner with needs and roles in supervisor activity. Management styles, functions, and analysis, as well as behavioral theory, are evaluated. Planning and decision making, dealing with change process, motivation, coaching and counseling techniques, performance appraisal, and control are a few of the topics covered.

HED 4855 Stress and Crisis Management  3 Credits
Study of health problems related to stress and exploration of methods to reduce the impact of stressors to improve bio-psychosocial health. Demonstrates how to identify, isolate, and mange a crisis and how to foresee future crisis, as well as how to develop contingency plans. Physiology of stress, relaxation, biofeedback, fear control, and cognitive reacting are skills studied in relation to stress management.

ORG 7025 Career Development 3 Credits
Course provides students with a basic understanding of the career development field. A general overview of theories, practice and research will be conducted. In addition, topics such as assessment, gender, choice, interventions and career management are discussed.

ORG 7035 Laboratory in Leadership Psychology and Team Development 3 Credits
Course focuses on theories and practices required in leading and developing teams. Issues of leadership behavior, interpersonal relations, group roles and stages of development are examined in an experiential laboratory.

TOD 4135 Performance Consulting  3 Credits
Course presents the practical tools necessary to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of change programs. A specific technology is presented in a step-by-step approach, which links the collaborative consulting process with performance assessment. The course focuses on increasing the student’s ability to communicate and work with leaders in their organization.

TOD 5205 Conflict and Negotiation 3 Credits
The course involves students in a process that includes research, conflict analysis and communication. Modeled in part upon the Harvard Negotiation Project’s Getting to Yes methodology, the course also involves newly emerging practices that challenge the notion of argument and encourages exchange between disputing parties. The focus of the course is to help students hear and understand one another’s stories who are embroiled in a conflict.

TOD 5215 Creative Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills  3 Credits
Critical thinking – reflecting on the assumptions underlying our actions and considering new ways of looking at the world and living in it – is an essential skill for adults in complex times. Critical thinkers do not passively accept what they read; rather reflect to see new alternatives. Course is a comprehensive guide for helping adults learns how to make worthwhile contributions at work and influence those around them. Students have an opportunity to identify and overcome personal and organizational barriers.

TOD 5245 Coaching and Mentoring Skills  3 Credits
Interactive course focuses on increasing the student’s ability to communicate and influence leaders, peers, participants and clients. Specific topic areas include giving and receiving feedback, identifying and understanding communication style preferences, learning how to listen for the “real issues,” coaching and influencing skills and corporate mentoring programs.

Course aids students in designing and effectively implementing change programs and projects while achieving and sustaining performance. Students have an opportunity to create change models and processes form both experience and research. Major issues impacting change will be discussed. One major aspect of the course is to understand resistance and learn techniques to overcome resistance to change. Models, processes and issues focus on corporate, group and the individual level.

TOD 5255 Working with Groups 3 Credits
Course focuses on working within groups to explain the major concepts in group dynamics and learning skills / techniques to work more effectively with groups. Areas of discussion include advantages and disadvantages of problem solving in groups, identifying constructive and destructive group behavior, mechanics of participation, function of group norms in group process, influence and power in groups, stages of group maturity and roles taken by group members.

TOD 5275 Project Management Essentials (Internet Course) 3 Credits

TOD 5290 Effective Meetings (Internet Course) 3 Credits