Concentration in Organizational Psychology and Development
Program Objectives
The Organizational Psychology and Development Concentration strengthens the ability of Organization Development Practitioners, Human Resource Professionals, Project Leaders, Managers, Change Agents, Internal and External Consultants, Mental Health Professionals and individuals in career transition to develop assessment, planning, facilitation and consulting skills in guiding and implementing change in self, groups and organizations. Learning objectives for the Master’s Degree Concentration in Organizational Psychology and Development are to:
- Collaborate with sponsors/clients by helping to assess their needs
- Collect and act on quantitative and qualitative data that identifies organization and individual strengths and weaknesses.
- Learn new skills to create strategies that align individual and departmental goals with organizational objectives
- Leverage internal/external resources to deliver excellent client services by concentrating on the work issues and problems that matter
- Develop measurements that help clients focus their behaviors on achieving specific outcomes.
Curriculum
The Master of Science in Organization Development and Leadership with a Concentration in Organizational Psychology and Development consists of twelve 3-credit courses. The thirty-six credits are distributed as follows:
Foundation Courses |
6 Courses/18 Credits |
Electives |
2 Courses/6 Credits |
Advanced Courses |
4 Courses/12 Credits |
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 six Foundation Courses are required.
Performance Consulting |
|
Strategic Leadership |
|
Psychological Assessments |
|
Psychology of Executive Coaching |
|
Leadership Psychology and Team Development |
|
Seminar in Organizational Psychology Issues |
Elective Courses
The courses below are a sample of electives that can be taken. Substitution is permissible with
permission of your advisor. Foundation courses from the Adult Learning and Training Concentration
can be taken as electives.
ODL 645 |
Leadership Principles |
ODL 675 |
Implementing Change |
Career Development: Theory and Practice |
|
Facilitating Adult Learning |
|
ODL 647 |
Appreciative Inquiry |
ODL 600 |
Adult Learning: Theory and Application |
ODL 615 |
Learning Design and Implementation |
ODL 640 |
Training and OD in Modern Organizations |
ODL 644 |
Leadership Development Methods for Training |
ODL 688 |
Social Media and Learning |
ODL 690 |
Creative Problem Solving and Critical Thinking Skills |
ODL 695 |
Organization Consulting: A Gestalt Approach |
Advanced Courses
The Advanced Courses are designed to provide students with advanced facilitation, influence, consulting and intervention skills. All four Advanced Courses are required.
Organization Development: Theory and Application |
|
Intervention Skills: Strategy and Design |
|
ODL 790 |
Research Design and Evaluation |
Advanced Seminar |
Order of Taking Courses
Students should take the six Foundation Courses before taking the Advanced Courses. Refer to course descriptions for specific course requirements/prerequisites. Advanced courses are taken as the last series of courses.
Degree Requirements
To earn the Master of Science in Organization Development and Leadership with a concentration in Organizational Psychology and Development, students must satisfactorily complete 12 courses/36 credits. Two courses (six credits) may be transferred as long as they are in accord with program requirements and university standards. Transcripts must be submitted prior to matriculation.
Admission Requirements
Students seeking admission to the Organization Development and Leadership Graduate Program with a concentration in Organizational Psychology and Development must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. In addition, applicants must have four or more years of professional work experience in organizations. Applicants with an undergraduate GPA below 2.7 have to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) scores and request provisional status for admission.
Applicants should submit or have sent to the Office of Graduate Operations the following:
- a completed Saint Joseph’s University graduate application.
- official sealed transcript(s) of undergraduate/graduate coursework. If you are a SJU graduate the Office of Graduate Operations will obtain your SJU transcripts for you.
- a current resumé
- two letters of recommendation from at least two faculty appraising the candidate’s promise and capacity for graduate study, reflecting, from a professional’s point of view, the candidate’s ability to pursue a rigorous, independent course of study at the graduate level.
- a personal statement outlining the candidate’s professional goals and educational objectives for the program, including the applicant’s rationale for program choice and professional study.
- $35 application fee – waived if attended an Open House or an SJU graduate.