Management and Organizational Leadership Major: What It Includes, Classes and Careers

A Management and Organizational Leadership major focuses on leading people, teams and organizations. Management and organizational leadership majors study leadership, organizational behavior, strategy, change management and ethics.

A Management and Organizational Leadership major includes coursework in organizational behavior, leadership theory and practice, strategic management, change management, and business ethics and more. You build skills such as team leadership, decision-making, conflict resolution, and planning and delegation. Typical degrees: associate and bachelor's degrees.

Typical courses include organizational behavior, leadership theory and practice, strategic management, change management, business ethics, and operations management. Exact course names and requirements vary by college, and most degrees also include general education courses.

It depends on the level. Management and Organizational Leadership is offered as certificate, associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards at U.S. colleges; certificates take from a few months to about two years, an associate degree usually takes about two years of full-time study, a bachelor’s degree usually takes about four years of full-time study, a master’s degree usually takes one to two years after a bachelor’s, and a doctoral or professional degree takes several more years beyond that. Part-time study takes longer.

Associate and bachelor's degrees. In the latest federal data, 315 colleges reported certificate awards, 171 colleges reported associate awards, 263 colleges reported bachelor’s awards, 300 colleges reported master’s awards, and 68 colleges reported doctoral awards.

Career paths connected to management and organizational leadership include general and operations manager, administrative services manager, office manager, facilities manager, retail store manager, project manager, and training and development manager. Some roles need additional training, experience, certification or a license.

Examples include general and operations manager (typical training: 5+ years of experience), administrative services manager (typical training: Several years of experience), office manager (typical training: 3–5 years of administrative experience), facilities manager (typical training: Several years of experience), retail store manager (typical training: 2–5 years of retail experience), and project manager (typical training: 1–4+ years).

Management and Organizational Leadership majors build skills such as team leadership, decision-making, conflict resolution, planning and delegation, and communication.

Good pairings include Human Resources (helps you hire, develop and keep good people), Project Management (gives you tools for planning and delivering work), Psychology (explains motivation and team dynamics), and Communications (strengthens the communication leaders rely on).

It can be a good fit if you are interested in the work it leads to, such as general and operations manager, administrative services manager, and office manager, and enjoy subjects like organizational behavior and leadership theory and practice. No major guarantees a job, so compare the coursework, the careers and the education each career requires before deciding.

How hard it feels depends on your strengths. Core coursework includes organizational behavior, leadership theory and practice, and strategic management; if those subjects interest you, the major is likely to feel more manageable. Reviewing a college’s course list and talking to current students helps you judge.

757 U.S. colleges reported awarding degrees or certificates in this field in the latest federal (IPEDS) data. Programs can have different names at different schools.

California (76), North Carolina (52), Pennsylvania (48), Ohio (34), and Texas (32), based on the colleges that reported awards in this field.

697 of the colleges that offer management and organizational leadership also report offering at least one program entirely online, though not necessarily this one. Use the college search with this major and “Offers fully online programs”, then confirm with the school.

Management and Organizational Leadership focuses on leading people, teams and organizations. Business Administration is a broad business major that covers management, finance, marketing and operations. Management and Organizational Leadership leads to careers such as general and operations manager and administrative services manager, while Business Administration leads to careers such as general and operations manager and administrative services manager.

Management and Organizational Leadership focuses on leading people, teams and organizations. Marketing studies how organizations understand customers and promote products and services. Management and Organizational Leadership leads to careers such as general and operations manager and administrative services manager, while Marketing leads to careers such as marketing manager and digital marketing specialist.

Yes. Short online career training can help you understand a specific job and build practical knowledge alongside your classes. It does not replace your degree or any required license.

No. Career Education Institute is not a college and does not award degrees. It offers short, non-credit online trainings about jobs connected to management and organizational leadership, such as General and Operations Manager Training.