2023 Best Online Master's Degrees in Organizational Leadership

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) is a public institution that offers an online Master of Public Health (MPH) - Leadership degree with 42 credit hours of coursework. This may take three years to complete with a full-time course load.

UNC uses the Sakai digital learning platform to deliver online courses. The curriculum for this MPH focuses on the knowledge and skills required of managers in the public health sphere. Some required courses are Systems and Design Thinking for Public Health Leaders and Community Engagement and Leadership in Health. Each student also completes a 200-hour practicum in which they work in person at an approved facility.

The private Columbia University in the City of New York provides an online Master of Science in Information and Knowledge Strategy degree. This 36-credit-hour program can take anywhere from one-and-a-half to three years to complete depending on a student's preferred pace.

Columbia's online learners use the CourseWorks learning platform to access coursework and submit assignments. Program faculty discuss how leaders can guide their employer's strategy, and the flexible curriculum contains an equal number of required courses and electives. The core requirements include Leading Collaboration and Digital Workplace and Digital Transformation. Three of the core classes include on-campus residencies in New York City that last two to three days each.

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), a public college, features an online Professional Master's in Manufacturing Leadership containing 30 credit hours. This program is designed for students working full time, and it may take as little as two years to complete with a full course load.

Georgia Tech's online students use the Canvas learning system to access their asynchronous courses. This master's degree's curriculum seeks to help students improve operating efficiency for manufacturing employers. All students take a core that includes Additive Manufacturing as a Secondary Process and Automated Systems and Control while also selecting a concentration in discrete manufacturing, forest bioproducts, and chemical manufacturing.

Golden Gate University is a private institution with two online master's degrees in leadership. The first is a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Adaptive Leadership, which has 45-48 required credit hours of coursework. The second is a Master of Science (MS) in Leadership featuring 27 credit hours. Both degrees may take two years to complete at a full-time pace.

The university hosts online courses on its eLearning platform, where students sign in to receive and complete assignments. The MBA's curriculum has a core of business courses, while the concentration includes classes such as Leading Complex Change and Adaptive Decision Making. These two courses are also required for the MS degree, plus others that include Strategic Leadership and Personal Leadership.

Kettering University is a private institution offering an online Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in global leadership. This program contains 40 required credit hours composed of seven core classes and three in the specialization. It may take as little as two years to earn with a full-time schedule.

Kettering's online students use Blackboard to complete coursework. MBA professors try to teach using the university's Learn Today, Use Tomorrow approach to make education practical and applicable to the workforce. The core curriculum covers finance, strategy, and marketing, while the three concentration courses are Leadership, Ethics and Leadership, and Organizational Behavior.

There are three New Jersey locations for Rutgers University (RU). The Newark campus offers an online Master of Science in Health Care Management - Management & Leadership through its School of Health Profession. This program is designed for current and aspiring healthcare supervisors and managers seeking advanced management and administrative skills. Graduating requires 36 credits culminating in a capstone project and generally takes full-time students two years to complete.

RU uses the Canvas learning management system to deliver online course content to distance learners. Those enrolled in the online healthcare management and leadership graduate program take courses such as Legal Aspects of Healthcare Administration, Quality Management in Health Care, Introduction to Long-Term Care Administration, and Human Resources Management.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University — also known as Virginia Tech or VT — is a public institution offering an online Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences - Leadership Studies for professionals seeking career advancement in the food, agricultural, environmental, and human sciences industries. Students complete 30 credits, ending with a final project to graduate. Full-time students typically finish in two years or less.

VT delivers its online coursework and instruction via Canvas. Leadership studies distance learners engage in classes such as Cognition, Problem Solving, and Preferences for Change; Youth Program Management; Community Partnerships and Volunteerism; and Leading Teams Through Change.

James Madison University (JMU) is a public institution in Harrisonburg, Virginia, hosting a Master of Business Administration - Executive Leadership online. With a total of 14 courses, students are required to finish 42 credit hours. It takes 28 consecutive months of work to graduate with this master's degree from JMU.

Importantly, the cohort for this graduate program meets face-to-face on campus every eight weeks. While this still meets OnlineU's cut-off for being considered an "online only" degree, it barely qualifies due to this in-person requirement stretched throughout the program. Online classes are delivered in both synchronous and asynchronous formats. Some examples of courses students can expect to take include Corporate Financial Decision-Making, Managing in an Innovation-Driven Global Environment, and Leading Through Big Data Analytics. Alumni of this program are likely to be well-versed in the latest online technologies, making them prime candidates for pursuing senior leadership positions.

The University of Oklahoma - Norman Campus (UO) is one of three campuses in the UO system. It offers an online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) that helps students develop deep self-awareness and improve individual, team, and organizational performance. Additional tracks include Organizational Leadership, Nonprofit and Volunteer Leadership, and Government and Military Leadership. Graduating requires completing 30 credits, which typically takes full-time students two years.

UO uses Canvas for online curriculum delivery. Courses are completed in four phases, starting with introductory classes. Depending on the track, courses throughout the remaining phases may include Financial Leadership, Building High-Performance Teams, Fundraising and Budgeting, and Leadership in History. Program completion options include a thesis, comprehensive exam, or Experiential Leadership Completion Program enrollment.

East Lansing's Michigan State University (MSU) is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Management, Strategy, and Leadership to help students understand the critical issues impacting organizations and develop forward-thinking solutions. This 30-credit program is structured in an accelerated five-week course format, which may enable some students to finish in less than two years.

MSU uses Brightspace so distance learners can access online course content and instruction. Course information is delivered through video-based lectures, an interactive online classroom environment, and one-on-one meetings with instructors. Online strategy and leadership students enroll in classes such as Managing Diversity in the Workplace, Talent Management and Development, Developing Reward and Compensation Systems, and Leading Strategic Change.

The University of Georgia (UG) is a public institution in Athens offering an online Master of Education in Learning, Leadership, and Organization Development (LLOD). This program is designed for mid-career adult education professionals interested in leading learning and change to help others maximize their potential. Earning the LLOD degree requires completing 33 credits, which generally takes two years of full-time attendance while completing courses in a specific sequence.

UG delivers online coursework and instruction via the eLearning Commons (eLC) learning management system. LLOD distance learners take courses such as Career Development for Adults, Equity Inclusion Organizations, Adult Learning and Instruction, and Advanced Topics in LLOD. Graduating also requires completing an applied project, a portfolio, and a final oral exam.

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville (UTK) is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Social Work - Organizational Leadership (Advanced Standing Program) for graduate candidates with either a BSW BSWW from a CSWE-accredited school of social work and a minimum undergraduate 3.0 GPA. Graduating requires completing 36 credits and a 600-hour field placement, taking full-time students approximately one year.

UTK uses Canvas to deliver online course content to distance learners. The online advanced-standing organizational leadership program courses are taught through a social justice lens and include Advanced Change Management and Policy Practice, Motivational Interviewing, Social Justice and Anti-oppressive Practices, and Advanced Organizational Theory and Practice.

Malibu, California's Pepperdine University (PU) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning focusing on organizational design and culture, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and innovation. This 30-credit program in a cohort format is designed to be completed in a little over a year if attending full-time. An online Master of Science in Management and Leadership is also available.

PU delivers its online programming to distance learners via Sakai. They use Sakai to participate in courses in the online organizational leadership and learning master's program, such as Managing Teams and Collaboration, Organizational Management and Stewardship, Program Design and Evaluation, and Entrepreneurial Leadership for Innovation and Change. The program culminates in a capstone integration experience.

Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in Baltimore is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Organizational Leadership to help students develop advanced strategic planning, conflict resolution, change management, and performance evaluation skills. Ten courses are required to complete this 30-credit program, culminating in a capstone. Full-time students can generally finish in two years.

JHU uses Canvas for online program delivery. Online organizational leadership graduate students take courses such as Managerial Economics, Leadership: A Development Process, Team Building: Individual and Group Dynamics, and Project Management: Leading Projects to Successful Outcomes.

Popular over the years for its online programming, Arizona State University (ASU) is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Organizational Leadership focusing on the complex challenges of managing public, private, and nonprofit organizations. Students choose between completing a master's thesis or an applied project. Graduating requires completing 33 credits, which can take full-time students less than two years due to accelerated 7.5-week terms.

ASU delivers its online coursework and instruction via Canvas. Online organizational leadership courses include Organizational Leadership: Social Psychological Perspectives, Resource Development in Organizations: A Multiple Capitals Approach, Leading Beyond Conflict, and Developing Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence.

DePaul University (DPU) is a Roman Catholic institution in Chicago offering an online Master of Science in Software Engineering - Entrepreneurship & Technology Leadership for students with a software development background who want to become business leaders or entrepreneurs. Students complete approximately 34 credits to graduate, culminating in a capstone project. DPU also offers an online Master of Arts in Applied Professional Studies - Organizational Leadership.

DPU uses the Desire2Learn (D2L) learning management system in order to deliver its online curriculum to distance learners. Those enrolled in the online entrepreneurship and technology leadership program take courses such as Change Management and Consulting, Leading Effective and Ethical Organizations, Managing Change for Digital Transformation, and Management Accounting for Decision-Making.

The University of Wisconsin - Platteville (UW Platteville) is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Organizational Change Leadership that can help students move from front-line positions in the field to advanced administrative functions. Emphasis areas include Healthcare, Human Resources, Project Management, and Safety Risk Control. This program generally takes full-time students two years to complete, and it ranges from 30 to 36 credit hours. To finish the degree, they can choose between a capstone, seminar research paper, or thesis research.

UW Platteville delivers its online program curriculum via Canvas. Depending on the emphasis, organizational change leadership distance learners enroll in courses such as Change Leadership in Safety, Current Issues in Human Resources, Consulting for Organizational Change, and Conflict Resolution and Negotiation.

New Jersey's Rider University (RU) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership with four concentrations: (1) Talent and Organizational Development, (2) Life and Career Coaching, (3) Higher Education Leadership, and (4) Counseling-Related Services. Graduating requires completing 30 credits and a capstone experience culminating in either a leadership project or a master's thesis.

RU uses Canvas to deliver online programming to distance learners. Depending on the concentration, online organizational leadership students engage in courses such as Facilitating Culture and Process Change in Organizations; Leading Operations, Change, and Assessment in Higher Education; Vocational/Career Development; and Program Design for Training and Development in Organizations.

Jacksonville University (JU) is a private, nonprofit institution in Florida offering an online Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL), blending business, communication, and social sciences with management and leadership. JU considers this program as a "business degree for non-business majors." Graduating requires completing 30 credit hours through eight-week courses. Full-time students can generally finish in less than two years.

JU delivers its online program content via Blackboard. MSOL distance learners take courses such as Leading People and Organizations, Strategic Human Resources Management, Teamwork and Organizational Change, and Competing Through Innovation and Information.

Located near the Rocky Mountains, the University of Colorado Boulder (UCB) is a public institution offering an online Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) in five tracks: (1) Strategic Leadership, (2) Human Resources, (3) Leading Innovation, (4) Organizational Communication, and (5) General Organizational Leadership. This program is accelerated with seven-week terms, allowing full-time students to complete 30 credits in less than two years.

UCB provides distance learners access to Canvas to complete coursework and receive instruction. Depending on the track, online MSOL students enroll in courses such as Training and Development, Competitive Analysis and Positioning, Leadership and Intrapreneurship, and Diversity and Organizational Communication.

As another branch of the University of Colorado system, the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) offers an online Master of Science in Management and Organization (MIM) designed to teach students how to motivate people, develop organizational strategies, and navigate change at various management levels. Specializations include Business Strategy and Innovation, Managing for Sustainability, and Leadership and Change Management. Students can also build a self-directed degree plan that incorporates six electives of their choosing. Graduating requires 30 credits, which full-time students may complete in two years.

UCD uses Canvas to deliver online program content. Depending on the specialization, online MIM students engage through courses such as Bargaining and Negotiation, Visionary Leadership, Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, and Business Model Development and Planning.

Located in the heart of New England, Vermont's Champlain College (CC) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Business Administration - Leadership designed to help MBA students develop the specific skills necessary to become effective leaders, promote organizational change, and collaborate with diverse groups to achieve common goals. Graduating with an MBA and a Leadership certificate requires completing 36 credits, which generally takes full-time students at least two years.

CC's distance learners access online instruction and coursework via Canvas. Those enrolled in the MBA Leadership program choose from courses such as The Leadership Ecosystem, Communication in an Environment of Open Organizations, Leading for Transformation Through Relationships, and Shared Leadership and the Strengths Advantage.

Another option in Vermont is Norwich University (NU), a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Leadership - Organizational Leadership designed to help professionals develop their leadership styles and the skills needed to inspire positive organizational changes. This 36-credit program can take full-time students as few as 18 months to complete. They complete one 11-week course at a time to effectively build skills for future coursework. An online Master of Business Administration - Organizational Leadership is also available for students who want to earn an MBA.

NU uses Nuoodle (Open LMS) as its learning management system for distance learners. Online organizational leadership students take courses such as Leading Change in Organizations, Strategic Organizational Behavior, and Strategic Operational Leadership and Developing a Learning Organization.

Concordia University - Saint Paul (CSP) is a Christ-centered, private school offering an online Master of Arts in Leadership and Management through CSP Global in a cohort format. Students complete 36 credits to graduate, generally taking two years of full-time study. They can also choose an optional international study abroad course and a capstone course to complete an integrative project while working with expert faculty. Lutheran principles guide all CSP education.

CSP delivers online coursework and instruction via Blackboard. The online leadership and management program courses include Organizational Culture Management, Legal Issues for Today's Leaders, Financial Management for Leaders, and Applied Moral and Ethical Leadership.

Maryland's University of Baltimore (UBalt) is a public institution offering an online Master of Business Administration in Leadership and Management Development focusing on leadership, global leadership, human resource management, and organizational behavior. This 36-credit program MBA program with a specialization culminates in a capstone project.

UBalt's online coursework and instruction are delivered via Canvas. Leadership and management distance learners participate in courses such as Leading Across Cultures; Collaboration, Negotiation, and Conflict Management; Motivation, Satisfaction, and Leadership; and Strategic Human Resource Management. Flexible core courses enable students to choose between topics impacting corporations or entrepreneurs.

Cincinnati's Union Institute & University (UIU) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Science in Organizational Leadership that includes coaching sessions with faculty to help address personal programmatic or real-world work issues to prepare for career advancement. This program, designed for current and emerging managers, requires completing 36 credits broken down into three themed modules. Full-time students typically earn this online graduate degree in as little as a year.

UIU uses Brightspace for the delivery of its online coursework and instruction. The online organizational leadership curriculum courses include Strategic Analysis and Operations in the Global Economy, Responsible Digital Governance, Managing Talent: Engaging a Diverse Distributed Workforce, and Leading Knowledge Workers: Establishing Organizational Knowledge Sharing Cultures and Systems.

Saint Louis University (SLU) in Missouri is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Arts in Leadership & Organizational Development through its School for Professional Studies to help enable students to become self-aware and reflective change leaders. Students complete 33 credits, culminating in either an internship experience or a master's research project, in order to graduate.

SLU delivers its online curriculum via Canvas. Leadership and organizational development distance learners engage in courses such as Consulting and Facilitation Skills, Future-Focused Leadership, Advanced Evidence-Based Decision Making, and Leading a Healthy Organization.

The University of Idaho (UI) is a public institution in Moscow offering an online Master of Science in Adult Organizational Learning & Leadership (AOLL) to help cultivate the skills necessary to lead and teach professional development and training programs. Students can customize this degree to suit their interests. They can choose between completing a 30-credit, non-thesis degree or a 39-credit option that includes a thesis. It generally takes full-time students approximately two years to finish the AOLL program.

UI uses Canvas to deliver its online coursework and instruction to distance learners. Students enrolled in the online AOLL program take classes such as Adult and Transformational Learning, Career Development in Organizations, Foundations of Human Resource Development, and Future of Education and Work.

North Carolina's Queens University of Charlotte (Queens) is a private, nonprofit institution offering an online Master of Business Administration - Leadership & Change to help students develop a deeper self-awareness and understanding of their leadership strengths and weaknesses while examining the human dynamics of organizational change. Presbyterian church values help shape Queen’s programming. Graduating requires 36 credits, which may take full-time students as little as a year. Queen’s also offers networking opportunities, mentorship, coaching, and an international travel opportunity to its online MBA students.

Queen's distance learners access online coursework and instruction via Canvas. Online MBA students choosing the leadership and change concentration engage in classes such as Contemporary Leadership: Theory & Application, Transformational Change, Managing in a Global Context, and Strategic Planning & Implementation.

The University of Denver (DU) is a private, nonprofit institution hosting a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership online. It has six concentration options within the graduate degree: Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Organizations; Strategic Innovation and Change; and Human Capital in Organizations. Students can graduate with their master's in organizational leadership from DU in as little as six months if they maintain a full-time pace.

At DU, all the coursework is 100% online, with flexible schedules to suit the needs of its distance learners. One of the main goals of this master's program is to help students learn how they can contextualize the myriad of economic, cultural, and technological environments influencing organizations. In addition to completing a capstone seminar or project, online students are expected to take the following core courses: Building the 21st-Century Organization, Principles of Financing for Organizations, and Graduate Social Research Methods.