This program is available at the following locations:

• Corvallis
• Ecampus

Options available:

• Dean's Academy
• International Business

The Organizational Leadership curriculum helps prepare students for careers related to leading teams, projects, processes, and products It provides students evidence-based instruction in the areas of organizational behavior, negotiations, team management, job design, evaluation and motivation of employees, human resource management, conflict management, employee stress, and work-life balance. In the core management coursework, students gain strategic communication and leadership skills, learn to run dynamic projects, and acquire the knowledge and skills that prepare them for finding, motivating, and leading talented employees.  

As part of the major, students also engage in an experiential learning opportunity from a set of options. These opportunities include a professional internship, research project, international experience, mentoring course, and a project management practicum. The OL major also combines foundational coursework with a range of focused electives that allow students the ability to customize their major to meet their specific career interests. 

Students interested in careers in Talent or Human Resource Management are encouraged to take MGMT 448  and MGMT 449. These courses, along with the core major coursework, are recognized by the Society of HR Management and help students prepare to take the SHRM-CP exam and become a SHRM Certified Professional.  

The integrative focus of the organizational leadership program also provides excellent preparation for graduate-level studies in business, law, urban and regional planning, public services administration, and health care administration.

Major Code: A018

Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:

• Describe and utilize conceptual frameworks from management research and practice to diagnose and improve individual performance and group dynamics within diverse organizations.
• Recognize, discuss, and demonstrate concepts, techniques, and decision tools available to manage projects.
• Identify, describe and apply classical and modern theories and practices of leadership.
• Explain the role of human resource management practices in shaping employee attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes.
• Discuss, analyze and apply influence and negotiation skills and methods.

The lower-division business core involves completion of courses within the first and second year that build a solid foundation for the upper-division management and business curricula. The lower-division business core course work may be completed at OSU or any accredited college or university that offers equivalent courses transferable to OSU.

¹

Some courses in the Business Core also satisfy Bacc Core requirements. Check with advisors for best course selections to overlap and complete requirements in both groups

²

Options and minors are available to provide specializations and fulfill unrestricted elective credits

Business Administration Core Curriculum

The business administration core curriculum provides students with a broad overview of business; basic skills in accounting and quantitative methods; an understanding of the legal and social environment of business; a background in management and organizational behavior, marketing, finance, and operations management; an understanding of the entrepreneurial process; and the opportunity to integrate course work and further develop decision-making skills through the analysis of business cases.

*

Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC)

^

Writing Intensive Course (WIC)

+

Core Education course. Applies only to students admitted to an OSU undergraduate degree from Summer 2025 onwards

¹

The COMM, ECON, MTH and WR courses listed meet the university's Baccalaureate Core requirements for Speech, Social Processes & Institutions, Mathematics, and Writing II. All students must meet the other Baccalaureate Core requirements and the other requirements for baccalaureate degrees

²

Course requires a grade of C or higher

Organizational Leadership Curriculum

Organizational Leadership students must complete 28-32 credits: 16 credits in required courses, 12 credits in elective courses, and 0-4 credits of experiential learning.

¹

A maximum of 120 hours of work (the equivalent of 4 academic credits) from an internship course can be applied to the Organizational Leadership major requirements (experiential learning and electives). Extra credits from internship courses can be applied to unrestricted electives

²

Every Organizational Leadership major is required to have a PRIME experiential learning component in their curriculum that may or may not be met by taking a scheduled academic course. The internship experience can be taken for course credit or for zero credit. If the student chooses to meet the PRIME requirement through an internship, the internship must involve a minimum of 120 hours of work (the equivalent of 4 academic credits) and must have a substantial educational objective that is related to the Organizational Leadership degree

Major Code: A018

Degree plans are subject to change and the following is only an example of how students may complete their degree in four years. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best degree plan for them. Contact details for advisors can be found on the Academic Advising page.