Master of Science in Organizational Development and Leadership

ODL Program Mission and Description
ODL Program Benefits
ODL Courses and Requirements
ODL Course Schedule for 2007-08
ODL Courses
Admissions and Financial Aid
What ODL Practitioners Do
ODL Students
 

ODL Program Mission and Description

The mission of the MS ODL program is to prepare leaders in the art and science of leading organizational change.  The program focuses on creating graduates who possess essential competencies and skill sets for improving organization performance and realizing human potential. Leaders with this perspective are more successful at achieving their organizational and personal goals, more effective at leading and influencing successful change, and more satisfied with their careers.

The ODL program uses a unique combination of organizational theory and individual self-discovery to provide an essential leadership perspective.  The program prepares students to better understand business and organizations as dynamic systems. This focus on the leader?s own development and an understanding of the organization as a system, happens with the application of theory and models to the student's every-day work experience.  The focus is on the application and usefulness of theory in expanding the student's natural leadership approach.

The ODL program applies strategic organizational models and methods to understand and improve workplace culture and productivity.  Using assessments, planned interventions, action research and project management, the skills of the ODL graduate can help large and small organizations or departments to demonstrate improvements in leadership, decision-making, planning, conflict resolution, control and productivity.

Unlike the finance orientation of MBA programs, the MS ODL focus is on the student?s skill development, human relations and field theory.  Students learn how people become instruments of change and how strategic plans become effective when their own development and how they use themselves as a leader of change are incorporated.

ODL Program Benefits

Why enroll in this program?  What's in it for me?

1. The MS ODL program draws on your daily work experiences.  Students bring to class the unique particulars of their work settings.  You are encouraged to apply theory presented in class to your work situation.  You will learn from your own practical application as well as strategies developed by classmates.  On a daily basis, you will apply to your job the competencies learned in your courses.
   
2. The MS ODL program supports your personal life.  We understand that this is a 3rd part of your life (after work and personal life).  Classes meet in the evenings and, when appropriate, on weekends.  A term is completed in 12 weeks.
    
3. The MS ODL program supports your needs.  Our beautiful and modern campus is conveniently located within one mile of the City Avenue exit of Route 76.  Our parking structure is directly next to the classroom buildings.
    
4. The MS ODL program supports your academic expectations.  The ODL program has all the expected and appropriate facilities of a world class teaching institution.  Our library, computer and educational resources are state-of-the-art.  Our teaching faculty holds superior academic and practitioner qualifications.
    
5. The MS ODL program supports and promotes individual attention and growth.  We purposely keep classes small.  This ensures that each student receives the necessary attention and resources from the faculty.  It also promotes collaborative attention and interaction among the students.
    
6. The MS ODL program operates within the practitioner system.  Similar to PCOM's doctoral degrees in medicine and psychology, we have a practitioner orientation within the ODL program.  Our educational model enables students to master competencies used to assess and diagnose organizational illness and promote workplace health.
    
7. The MS ODL program has partnered with PRODN.  The ODL program has formed an academic-professional partnership with the Philadelphia Region Organizational Development Network (www.prodn.org), the Delaware Valley's association for OD practitioners.  Many PRODN meetings and workshops are held at PCOM.
    
8. The MS ODL program has an open start.  You may begin the program in any of 4 terms (fall, winter, spring, or summer) and then move at your own pace.  You can complete the MS ODL degree in as little as 18 months or take up to a maximum of 5 years to complete the program.

ODL Courses and Requirements

The MS degree requires completion of 36 graduate credits (12 courses) and a capstone project.  On a case-by-case basis, up to 6 credits (2 courses) may be waived for previously completed graduate courses or for work experiences that have met program competency requirements. 

Classes, conducted in 12-week terms, are held in the evenings and on weekends to accommodate a full-time work schedule.  Each course has defined objectives and competencies in organizational development and leadership.

ODL Course Schedule for Winter Term 2007-08
Nov. 26, 2007 - Feb. 22, 2008

ODL 505: Team Dynamics
Instructor: Marc Hanlan
Day/Time: Friday/Saturday 12/7, 12/8, 1/18, 1/19, 9am-5pm

ODL 506: Social Factors & Cultural Diversity
Instructor: Eileen Shanahan
Day/Time: Wednesdays 6:15-9:15pm

ODL 514: Managing Emotional Systems in the Workplace
Instructor: Bill Clinton & Andrew Zmuda
Day/Time: Tuesdays 6-9pm & Saturday 2/9, 9am-5pm

ODL Course Schedule for Spring Term 2008
March 3 - May 23, 2008

ODL 504-02: Personal and Professional Development
Instructor: Cindy Howes
Day/Time: Thursdays 6-9pm & Saturday 4/19, 9am-5pm

ODL 516: Developing Systems Literacy: The Organizational Workshop
Instructor: Nancy Aronson & Jane Mack
Day/Time: Friday/Saturday 3/28, 3/29, 4/4, 4/5, 9am-5pm

ODL Courses

501        Foundations and Systems of Organizational Development
502        Understanding the Business of Organizations
503        Coaching, Consulting and Behavioral Interviewing
504        Personal and Professional Development
505        Team Dynamics: Real and Virtual
506        Social Factors and Cultural Diversity
508        Leadership Theory and Practitioner Models
512        Small & Large Systems Diagnosis and Change
513        Business and Professional Communications
514        Managing Emotional Systems in the Workplace
515        Project Management and Strategic Thinking
516        Developing Systems Literacy: the Organizational Workshop
518        Ethical Effectiveness
519        Strategic Change: Planning for Organizational Success
520        Appreciative Inquiry
521        Basics of Business

Click here for Course Descriptions.

Admissions and Financial Aid

We have a rolling admissions policy.  Students may enter in any of four terms that begin in March, May, August and November.  Students establish the space in which they will complete the program.  Those fully committed to taking two courses a term can complete the program in 18 months.

Applicants must possess a bachelor's degree in any field from an accredited institution.  The PCOM Admissions Office provides application forms as well as information on fees and financial aid.  Applicants are interviewed by the program director, Bill Clinton.

Click here for more information on the admissions process.


What ODL Practitioners Do

Here is a list of the top 10 "interests" of those who complete ODL training:

1.   Leading Organizational Change and Performance
2.   Teams and Team building
3.   Large Group Interventions
4.   OD Trends
5.   Organizational Design and Development
6.   Leadership Skills and Competencies
7.   OD Competencies
8.   Business Strategic Planning
9.   Process Consultation Skills
10. Competency Models

ODL Students

Here is a summary of characteristics of enrolled students.

Gender
Female 70%
Male 30%

Age Range
23 - 60

Academic Majors
Biology
Business Administration
Communications
Economics
Education
English
MIS
Math
Nursing
Psychology
Sociology

Current Employment
Abacus Consulting
Astrazeneca
Bard Business Systems
Carpenter Technology
Cendant Mortgage
Children Crisis Treatment Center
City of Philadelphia Police Department
Devereux
Einstein Hospital
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Glaxo Smith Kline
Independence Blue Cross
Johnson & Johnson
Kelly Electrical Contractors
Local 1199C - Hospital Workers
Novartis Pharmaceutical
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Peirce College
Prudential Financial
Quakertown Elementary School
Verizon
YMCA - Germantown

 

For more information please contact
Bill Clinton, MA
Director, Organizational Development and Leadership Program
Phone: (215) 871-6472
Fax: (215) 871-6458
billcl@pcom.edu

Click here to be linked to the ODL Program Director's page.