Organizational Development and Change Degrees
Though confusion may exist among the proliferation of graduate programs over the skills that a competent OD&C professional should possess, these degrees all teach students how to evaluate organizational design in the context of a strategic plan and challenge them to design systems- intervention strategy.
Educational options are as follows:
- Certificate - This program may entail one-to-two semesters of coursework or even one week-long intensive training session for an undergraduate with background in business or other related specialties. It may cover team development, change management, and managing organizational change in diverse environments. Many certificate courses are conducted as part of a larger graduate school.
- Bachelor’s – Joining organizational development and business courses, this degree prepares students for challenges in the workplace related to improving organizational effectiveness and efficiency. The curriculum serves future OD practitioners plus others who desire to introduce new methods/practices in the workplace. It also develops important skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, technology, and business communication.
- Master’s – A two-to-three year program, this degree includes an overview of graduate-level research, data collection and management strategies. Preparing students to assume a leadership role in the transformation of an organization, it targets those who haven’t yet entered the human-resources workforce or gained OD management roles. A capstone project–applying the fundamentals of organizational development to real-world scenarios–may be incorporated.
- Doctoral – Organizational Development and Change can be a concentration in a Doctor of Management degree program. In such a program, the professional development of managers would be encouraged through mentoring, action research, and practical projects. Some of the outcomes include attaining familiarity with current management theory, becoming a subject-matter expert in a specialized area of management, and predicting future trends through effective research and qualitative methods.
Another route is to pursue an exclusive OD&C PhD. This path would explore public policy and academia and potentially result in a career as a college/university professor, organizational development trainer or researcher.