University of San Francisco - School of Education

Master in Organization and Leadership

The Master of Arts in Organization and Leadership (O&L) consists of 30 credits. The program gives students the opportunity to work with a diverse and unique faculty and focus their study.

Program Delivery

To meet the needs of working professionals, the program follows a schedule of alternate weekend classes that convene nine times a semester (Friday evenings and all day Saturdays).

COURSE DETAILS

FOUNDATIONS | 3 CREDITS (REQUIRED)

• O&L 614 - Introduction to Organization and Leadership (3)

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY | 3 CREDITS

• GEDU 603 - Methodology of Educational Research (3)

O&L COURSEWORK - GENERAL OR FOCUS AREA | 15 CREDITS

• O&L 615 - Information Systems in Educational Management (3)
• O&L 621 - Budget and Finance (3)
• O&L 622 - Education Law (3)
• O&L 624 - Human Resources in Educational Management (3)
• O&L 630 - Educational Leadership (3)
• O&L 635 - Anthropology of Education (3)
• O&L 652 - Data-Based Decision Making for School Leaders (3)
• O&L 654 - School, Community, and Society (3)
• O&L 658 - Culture and Work (3)
• O&L 661 - Organization Development and Learning (3)
• O&L 670 - Ethical Organization (3)

ELECTIVES | 6 CREDITS

Choose 2 elective courses drawn from the following based on program adviser approval:

• Organization & Leadership courses
• Special topics courses,
• Directed studies,
• Other School of Education department courses,
• Accepted transfer courses.

MASTER'S FIELD PROJECT OR THESIS | 3 CREDITS

• O&L 655 - Masters Field Project (3)

Course descriptions are available in the catalog.

OPTIONAL FOCUS AREAS

The faculty of the Organization and Leadership Program is pleased to offer the following three focus areas of study. Our programs are designed to train instructional leaders and to address the shortages of credentialed principals, superintendents, directors, and administrative personnel in San Francisco Bay Area schools. The curriculum weaves together current research with direct application to the field with a focus on creating school leaders for social justice. Contact the specific faculty member listed in each area below for additional information about that focus.

K-12 INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES CREDENTIAL PROGRAM

K-12 instructional leadership focuses on the research and practice of leadership development, leadership for social justice, instructional leadership, and program development. Examples of courses include:

• Data-Based Decision Making for School Leaders.
• School, Community, and Society.
• Human Resources in Educational Management.

21ST CENTURY LEADERSHIP

The 21st Century Leadership focus is an opportunity to address practices and issues of concern to 21st-century leaders and their management of a diverse workforce. Students will explore topics that have received attention in recent years, including different leadership styles, organizational change, work teams, global leadership, managing diversity, and ethical leadership. Examples of specific courses include:

• Leadership Theories.
• Leadership in Urban Context.
• Ethical Organization.

HIGHER EDUCATION LEADERSHIP

Higher education leadership prepares aspiring administrators, leaders, and scholars of higher education to work in college and university settings. This emphasis exposes students to the challenges facing higher education in light of rapidly changing social, political, and demographic contexts. Common themes throughout each class are:

• issues of access and equity in post-secondary institutions and the experiences and problems facing under-represented groups.
• complexities involved in transforming organizations and programs to achieve equitable outcomes for all students.

Course offerings include the following:

• Race, Diversity, and Higher Education.
• Campus Environments and Cultures.
• American Institutions of Higher Education.

The Organization and Leadership Program Learning Outcomes:

• The program brings before students a continuum of new knowledge and understanding that reflects current theories, research, and innovative practices.
• The program equips students to apply the principles of leadership theory in a broad range of settings to effectively lead individuals and organizations to success.
• The program equips students to select, implement, and manage appropriate leadership methodologies to meet individual, group, and organizational needs in K-12 through higher education, for-profit, and nonprofit settings.
• The program equips students to utilize and conduct research to evaluate and improve organizational processes.
• Create leaders who are able to critically examine organizations in order to promote equitable outcomes.
• Foster advocacy for social justice with a consciousness around the experiences and challenges facing historically underrepresented groups.
• Understand and apply research to problems of practice.
• Develop leaders who are self-reflective of their practice and its implications for social justice and equity.

THE ORGANIZATIONAL AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Graduates will have acquired the knowledge, understanding, tools, and skills necessary to assume leadership roles in organizations at the local, state, national and international levels.
• Graduates will have an understanding of research methods and demonstrate competencies to engage in rigorous scholarship.
• Graduates will be able to relate theory to practice and demonstrate synthesis of advanced knowledge by improving organizations.
• Graduates will have adopted habits of personal and scholarly reflections that examine professional practice and lead to systemic renewal.

Careers

Graduates of the Organization and Leadership master's program are educators who work in the fields of education, business, health, government, consulting, and profit and non-profit settings in roles of leadership, management, research and all levels of teaching.

Examples of career options

• Local, International NGO Educational Management.
• Higher Education Administration.
• Management Consultant.
• Principal.
• Assistant Principal.

GRADUATES OF THE ORGANIZATION & LEADERSHIP PROGRAM INCLUDE

• Interim Superintendent, Hayward Unified School District.
• Assistant Superintendent, San Mateo School District.
• President, Y Motion.