Leadership and organization development

Who is a typical Leadership and Organization Development student at U of I? This degree attracts professionals from a wide range of fields who want to strengthen their leadership skills. Examples include a firefighter turned fire ecology instructor improving training and communication in fire management, a nurse manager building stronger leadership to guide teams through organizational change, a higher education professional in student services creating more effective student success initiatives and a mid-level professional seeking to enhance skills and develop new competencies to advance their career.

If you’re someone who wants to train, lead, and make a difference within your organization, this program is designed for you. You’ll master the skills to inspire learning, lead with impact and facilitate meaningful organizational change. You’ll gain specialized knowledge that will prepare you to step into influential positions requiring organizational insight, strategic thinking and team management. Graduates typically experience faster promotions compared to their peers without advanced degrees. This credential signals to employers that you are ready for greater responsibility and possess the skills necessary for a leadership role in today’s competitive marketplace.

Learn from faculty who are both scholars and practitioners with leadership roles in organization development, higher education and related fields. Along the way, you’ll advance your awareness, knowledge and skills by leading meaningful organizational change and development. You’ll be able to customize your degree in areas such as leading healthy organizations, human resource development, higher education leadership and organizational systems innovation and change.

Our online course delivery model addresses the practical needs of working professionals who are unable to pause their careers for education.  

Key benefits include:  

• Flexibility and accessibility: allowing you to balance full-time work, family responsibilities and education.  
• Cost effectiveness: lower tuition costs, eliminating expenses related to commuting, parking and campus fees.  
• Maintained professional momentum: You can immediately apply concepts you learn in class to your current role while you earn your degree, creating a practical learning laboratory.