Prepare for Advancement with an Online Bachelor's in Organizational Leadership
A rapidly growing global environment creates demand for professionals who are schooled in leadership. Employers look for individuals who exhibit strengths in problem-solving, teamwork, critical thinking, sound judgment and decision-making, listening, and conflict management.
Penn State's Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership focuses on contemporary labor management and supervisory leadership issues. This fully online program draws on the disciplines of the liberal arts, business, and sciences so that you can bring a broad and global perspective to the exercise of leadership. As a student, you can:
- explore a leader's role and function within contemporary organizations
- study the supervisory and managerial behaviors of successful leaders
- learn how an organization's internal structure impacts employee performance
- identify strategies for overcoming conflict and obstacles in the workplace
- understand how leaders exercise influence in social groups and teams
Why Study Leadership Online at Penn State?
100% Online for Maximum Flexibility — Online courses are designed for working adults and provide you with the flexibility and convenience to study around your schedule. You have the option to study part-time or full-time, and you can even set your own pace by creating a customized path to completion.
Nationally Recognized — This top-ranked program is taught by highly regarded faculty from Penn State's College of the Liberal Arts, one of the premier institutions in the world to study and work in the liberal arts disciplines.
Practical Skills and Social Intelligence — Develop career-ready skills as you learn to manage and nurture business and professional relationships through motivational strategies, conflict management, and other forms of interpersonal and social influence.
Military-Friendly — The program may grant credit for military training courses, so you can get a head start on your degree.
A Degree to Meet Your Needs: B.A. or B.S.
While both degree programs include most of the same required leadership courses, the Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership takes a more humanistic approach by integrating additional course work in the social sciences, humanities, and language. Additionally, the curriculum's enhanced flexibility is ideal for students who hope to leverage previously earned college credit to complete their degree faster and/or individuals who already possess some leadership experience.
If you have a more quantitative mindset, appreciate research and analysis, and/or have no leadership (or supervisory) experience, you might prefer the social-scientific approach and additional leadership course work required in our Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership.
Who Should Apply?
This 100% online degree program is appealing to professionals and students with a variety of backgrounds, particularly if you:
- occupy a managerial/leadership position but must obtain a degree for further professional advancement
- have faced challenges starting or completing your college education due to life circumstances or geographical constraints
- are an active-duty soldier or veteran looking to advance in the military ranks or transition into civilian life
What Can You Do with a Leadership Degree?
A Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership can prepare you to work in a range of relationship-focused careers in which your leadership skills can contribute positively to the overall business climate and interpersonal interactions, including:
- manufacturing
- service industries
- government
- communications
- charitable and nonprofit organizations
- multinational organizations
