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Graduate Programs in Organizational Leadership: A Review of Programs, Faculty, Costs, and Delivery Methods

April 28, 2003 

"Graduate education for working professionals has become one of the most common phenomena in higher education.  Entire universities have thrived on this select niche market.  Furthermore, the non-traditional graduate student is generally better able to understand the complexities of the content they are asked to learn, and are often more dedicated to the classes they take.  To meet these perceived market needs more institutions of higher learning are developing programs that cater to the needs of the non-traditional student - hence the niche market.  Consider some of the changes in educational delivery that the non-traditional professional graduate is likely to look for in graduate education:

• Non-primetime hours for learning (5 pm to 10 pm),
• Expanded use of technology in lieu of driving to campus, for face-to-face classes,
• Less emphasis on research methods, more emphasis on practical professional skills,
• Flexible semesters and condensed semesters and classes.

 Equally important are the changes that the professional graduate student will encounter when returning to the classroom.  These content-substance-based changes are designed to help the non-traditional student learn more in a shorter time span.  Consider some of the following changes:

• Direct application of theory to their practice.
• Class materials presented in a multi-media rich environment.
• Exams designed to provide a culmination of learning, not just testing of knowledge.
• More 'hands-on' learning, less 'book' learning.
• Development of online communities/networks for student support.

 In essence, these professional, non-traditional student focused courses adopt a radically different perspective on graduate education than does the more traditionally focused program.  As the number of these alternative programs increase, there are likely to be implications to the entire graduate education and intellectual community.

Bearing in mind the direction of educational delivery focus and the different types of leadership theory, the purpose of this study was two-fold:

1. Explore graduate organizational leadership programs methods of delivery (traditional vs. non-traditional), and
2. Determine the types of leadership education delivered, attempting to select those programs more focused on 'organizational leadership' rather than other common alternatives.

This study was completed during the first half of 2001.  Data was complied from the use of the Internet.  Specifically, the term 'leadership education' was used as a search descriptor on several search engines in an effort to collect as many unique educational institutions as possible within the United States.  As each site was inspected the elements of basic program characteristics, focus, faculty, cost, and delivery/pedagogy model were analyzed in an effort to affirm the decision to consider the program as organizational leadership, and not some other type of leadership orientation. 

 The second step involved the collection of data by an outside party utilizing the same criteria.  Websites were once again examined in effort to determine the applicability to organizational leadership.  At this point in the process, if the program was deemed of an organizational leadership focus, then the website was printed and retained for further analysis.

 The final step in the research process was the collection and systemization of the date to create a matrix of information.  Standardizing calculations for cost of credit hours was performed.  Program delivery methods (based on the use of technology and media) were also standardized and categorized. 

 The aim of this paper was to study organizational leadership graduate programs by looking for the following elements:

• Characteristics of the offerings,
• Unique focus of the program,
• Faculty members involved,
• Cost of education and materials,
• Delivery models of the courses and degree.

 This study identified 37 institutions of higher education in the United States that had graduate programs (38 programs total, 1 university had 2 Master's degrees in organizational leadership) at the Master's level in organizational leadership.  Of the Master's level programs, analysis was performed looking at the number of credits required to successfully complete the degree.  The range of required credit hours is from a low of 30 credit hours to a maximum of 58 credit hours.  The average number of credit hours required to complete a Master's degree in organizational leadership was 37 credit hours.  Eleven of the 38 degrees required at least a limited research component, and nearly every program required at least some culminating project or research project for program completion.

 The number of faculty employed in graduate organizational leadership programs was also reviewed.  Unfortunately, given the methods involved in this research and the assumed flexibility and mobility of faculty members, there was not sufficient information given on many websites as to the number of graduate faculty that were involved in teaching the Master's courses on a full-time basis.

 In addition to studying the program characteristics and faculty characteristics, program costs, as measured through price per hour of credit, were explored.  In an effort to give equitability to programs charging tiered rates (in-state vs. out-of-state) both alternatives were included in the calculations.  The lowest tuition rate found for Master's credit in organizational leadership programs was $125.33 per credit hour.  The highest rate of tuition found was $1000 per credit hour.  The average cost per credit hour of tuition was calculated at $418.58.

 The final focus of this study consisted of examining the primary delivery model adopted by the program.  A cursory categorical analysis of the delivery method reveals four different types of programs:

1. No mediation, traditional scheduling
2. No mediation, non-traditional scheduling
3. Partial mediation, non-traditional scheduling
4. Total mediation.

 Analysis of the programs reveals that dramatically more programs have adopted a non-mediated approach with non-traditional scheduling.

 From the data collected, we can deduce a profile of the typical graduate program in organizational leadership.  First, the program is grounded in both theory and practice and generally consists of 36 (more or less) credit hours for degree completion.  In many cases, the degree is housed in the College of Business, or alternatively in the College of Arts and Science or College of Education.  Additionally, it appears that classes in theory as well as practical application of that theory always punctuate the Master's level coursework.  In almost every circumstance there is a terminal experience, but the requirement of a thesis is an exception rather than a rule. 

 Furthermore the typical graduate program in organizational leadership is delivered via face-to-face instruction in hours that are more convenient to the non-traditional learner.  This approach is obviously market driven.  Having more than one method of delivery may require more resources than is really necessary.  One could easily speculate that as online providers start to encroach on existing traditional markets that were once safe, more institutions will reconsider their direction as it relates to distance education strategies in organizational leadership (Crawford, Brungardt, Scott & Gould, 2002,  pp.64-74)"

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Reference: Crawford, C.B., Brungardt, C.L., Scott, R.F., Gould, L.V. (2002).  Graduate programs in organizational leadership: a review of programs, faculty, costs and delivery methods. The Journal of Leadership Studies, 8, No 4.

The Journal of Leadership Studies is available on loan from the OSU Leadership Center.  A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu

 FYI: the OSU Leadership Center is funded by OSU Extension.

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Created: 2008-01-09, Updated: 2009-02-17