Organization Development

Career opportunities

Strong leaders spur society forward. The BGSU curriculum for the Executive Master of Organization Development degree is designed to propel your organization – and career – to the next level. 

Continuing education is an increasing imperative in today’s competitive global business environment. A master’s degree is practically a must-have for executive positions. Advanced skills gained in organization development elevate professionals to expanded job options, faster promotions and higher compensation.

Prospective students in the program hold a variety of roles in their professional lives. They include managers, executive directors, consultants, educators and human resources professionals. They come from a variety of industries in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. The common ingredient is their desire to make a difference in their organizations and communities. 

Curriculum

The EMOD curriculum emphasizes the “human side of organizations.” We teach our students to Innovate, Collaborate, Lead and Transform. We rely on evidence-based practice to help create effective, human-centered organizational systems.

Learning goals are based on a holistic approach to organization development – the head, heart and hands of the work.

By blending practical relevance with academic rigor, the Executive Master of Organization Development degree prepares professionals to lead the charge for strategic change and sustainable growth.

Students will master:

• Organization development and change management methods. Change is growth. Dive deep into the theories, practices and processes of organizational development and change. Learn time-tested frameworks and methodologies to launch, lead and sustain compelling change initiatives. 
• Resilience and adaptive leadership. Dynamic markets mean change is inevitable. The BGSU EMOD program teaches leaders how to maximize personal and organizational resilience.  
• Innovative problem-solving skills. Advanced problem-solving skills are pivotal to the science of executive leadership. EMOD students learn how to collect and analyze organizational data to make informed, evidence-based decisions. 
• Cross-cultural leadership skills. Successful ventures foster collaboration, diversity and innovation. Gain skills needed to spearhead these initiatives in a 10-day, international field study experience. 

BGSU strives to empower the next generation of executives, managers and community leaders with the insights, skills and connections necessary to navigate the complexities of a changing world. 

Capstone project

The Executive MOD program culminates in an applied field experience during the capstone class on Mastering Change. 

Client projects are chosen from nonprofit, community and civic organizations. Experienced executive student consulting teams work to resolve a variety of issues related to organization development and change. These include:

• Organizational diagnosis
• Strategic planning
• Organization design and structure
• Leadership development
• Organizational climate/culture scans
• Talent development strategies 
• Workflow/job redesign
• Integration of policies, procedures and work activities
• Team dynamics and team building

The learning and the opportunity to give back to the community is inspiring and a great source of pride in meaningful work. Feedback from capstone client organizations has been overwhelmingly positive: 

“I am so grateful that our organization was selected and that the staff, board, partners and myself will be able to mature and improve as an agency with your wonderful and huge donation of expertise. It has been a very unusual and wonderful boost to me and the organization that will have long-term positive outcomes for the quality and sustainability of our services for those we serve.” – Executive director 

“First, I was astonished by the amount of work you did in such a short period of time. With only one semester, I was expecting a 12-page consulting report providing a list of six generic recommendations. Thankfully, we had different expectations; your standards were much higher than mine. I want to sincerely thank you for all the hours you dedicated in an effort to assist us in improving our practices that will in turn operationalize our strategic plan throughout the entire organization. I was looking for a quick fix, and as so often happens, true success will only occur after hard work. Thank you for that reminder.”  – Executive director

Required courses