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Master of Professional Studies in
Organization Development and Change
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Courses

Penn State's 30-credit online Master of Professional Studies in Organization Development and Change program can help you prepare to implement quality and continuous improvement initiatives in an organization. Throughout the program's curriculum, you will have the opportunity to:

  • obtain a critical knowledge base in organization development, appreciative inquiry, collaborative engagement, evaluation, and change
  • strategically lead both small group and large group change initiatives
  • cultivate and demonstrate your competence in using various resources for developing, implementing, evaluating, and marketing organization development programs and initiatives
  • learn about addressing ethical issues when performing development activities
  • grow your competence in observing group dynamics and facilitating change
  • become confident of your skills and effectiveness as an organization development practitioner through practical hands-on experience

The curriculum includes five required courses (15 credits), four elective courses (12 credits), and one required field-based project course (3 credits).

The Master of Professional Studies in Organization Development and Change (MPS–OD&C) will be conferred upon students who earn a minimum of 30 credits while maintaining a grade-point average of 3.0 or better in all course work and complete a quality culminating field-based project in consultation with a graduate adviser.

Required Courses (15 credits)

  • 3
    credits

    Development of major concepts, skills, and techniques required by workplace learning professionals to support and facilitate organization change.

  • 3
    credits

    This course provides a foundation in process consultation. Process refers to how groups interact and how people get along.

  • 3
    credits

    This course familiarizes students with approaches to assessing and feeding back data in organization development (OD) and consulting services.

  • 3
    credits

    This course provides students with necessary skills to facilitate small groups and teams.

  • 3
    credits

    This course provides a foundation in the theories, principles, and techniques of Appreciative Inquiry (AI).

Concentration Areas and General Electives (select 12 credits)

Select 12 credits of additional courses from concentration areas that align with your career interests or from the list of general electives. The purpose is to develop skills tailored to your professional goals.

Four concentrations are currently available. The following lists of concentration areas and electives may expand or change over time in response to market demand.

Analytics

  • 3
    credits

    Explains the use of labor supply models to evaluate investments in workforce education and development.

  • 3
    credits

    Describes skills required to identify training and development needs, distinguish management issues versus training problems, develop and evaluate training solutions.

  • 3
    credits

    Describes approaches to evaluating organization development and consulting services.

Consulting

  • 3
    credits

    Describes approaches to evaluating organization development and consulting services.

  • 3
    credits

    Reviews standard approaches and then examines the processes associated with planning, developing, and implementing training and development programs in the whole organization.

  • 3
    credits

    This course familiarizes students with the unique issues in marketing organization development (OD) and OD consulting services.

Operational Excellence

  • 3
    credits

    Covers the essential concepts and skills needed to make effective contributions on projects, on time and within budget. This course has been reviewed and approved by the ​PMI® Authorized Training Partner Program.

  • 3
    credits

    The course focuses on essential lean- and six-sigma concepts to improve processes in any industry.

  • 3
    credits

    Describes skills required to identify training and development needs, distinguish management issues versus training problems, develop and evaluate training solutions.

Technology-Leveraged Organization Development

  • 3
    credits

    Reviews contemporary workplace technologies, tools, and platforms and how to make informed decisions for using them. Provides opportunities to share experiences.

    • 3
      credits

      Covers the essential concepts and skills needed to make effective contributions on projects, on time and within budget. This course has been reviewed and approved by the ​PMI® Authorized Training Partner Program.

    • 3
      credits

      Covers the essential concepts and skills needed to make effective contributions on projects, on time and within budget.

  • 3
    credits

    Equips OD/HRD professionals with the technological acumen necessary for consulting and working efficiently.

General Electives

  • 3
    credits

    Traditional and contemporary leadership theory is analyzed to determine effective strategies for leading projects and innovation within an engineering context.

  • 3
    credits

    Explores cultural differences and impact on business practices and team dynamics working on virtual project teams with global partner universities.

  • 3
    credits

    Develop competencies for leading new product/process development or participating in corporate spinouts using entrepreneurial skills within a corporation.

  • 3
    credits

    Discusses leadership competencies for workforce professionals who do not currently have supervisory responsibilities.

  • 3
    credits

    Describes how to develop and maintain workplaces and educational environments free of occupational health hazards.

  • 3
    credits

    Examines advanced learning laboratory organization and management processes to facilitate learning and skill development in a safe environment.

  • 3
    credits

    Reviews standard approaches and then examines the processes associated with planning, developing, and implementing training and development programs in the whole organization.

Culminating Experience (3 credits)

  • 3
    credits

    Provides students with the opportunity to conduct a supervised, professional, and off-campus capstone project.

Course Availability

If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.

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