Organizational Leadership
Master of Arts (MA)
Online Degree Program

The Master of Arts online degree program in Organizational Leadership is committed to helping students gain the information and the education needed to be competitive in a variety of organizational settings.

Designed For You

The California Coast University online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership program was designed for complete flexibility for the student. All courses are self-paced and completed 100% online.

View Program Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:

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Explore The Program

The Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership degree program consists of 13 total courses, followed by a final Comprehensive Examination.
The required courses are comprised of: 13  Core Courses
Once completed, there is a Research Courses .
There are 39 total semester units in this program.

13 Core Courses

For the online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (M.A.) degree program, the following 13 courses must be fulfilled. Click on course title to expand and read more.

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ID Course Name Units
BAM 501 Human Relations  3

Human Relations reviews the basics of human interaction, the organizational framework, organizational activity, and strategies for improving organizational behavior and performance. Business and organizational leaders repeatedly stress the need for increased worker education and preparedness in communication, interpersonal skills, teamwork, leadership, and ethics.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Develop an understanding of human relations and the importance of managing the self.
  • Examine best practices in dealing effectively with other people in relation to communication, managing conflict, leadership, and cross cultural competence.
  • Explain how to develop career thrust by implementing good work habits, and lifelong learning.
  • Discuss the importance of staying emotionally healthy and managing stress.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to human relations.
BAM 510 Human Resource Management  3

Human Resource Management examines the concepts, models, procedures, tools, and techniques of human resource management. Aspects of the individual and how the work environment influences people at work is explored, and the emphasis on recent and relevant findings from the behavioral sciences and other disciplines is discussed to help students apply appropriate human resource management approaches in their organizational settings.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Define and discuss human resource management and its importance in modern organizations, legal issues, strategic planning, and trends related to the field.
  • Examine issues and best practices impacting employee staffing and recruiting.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of employee development and management.
  • Evaluate the key components of compensation including incentive pay and employee benefits.
  • Discuss factors related to protecting and expanding organizational reach such as workplace safety, ethics, diversity, social responsibility, and global issues.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to human resource management.
BAM 511 Marketing Management  3

Marketing Management explores various marketing theories and practices with emphasis on four key dimensions of holistic marketing: internal marketing, integrated marketing, relationship marketing, and performance marketing. We will also discuss today’s economic, environmental, and technological changes in marketing, as well as address the topics of corporate social responsibility, business ethics, sustainability, and the importance of growth to organizations.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Define and understand the scope of marketing management.
  • Examine the process of capturing marketing insights.
  • Discuss forces influencing the field of marketing management including data collection, current trends, customer relationships, best practices, and globalization.
  • Analyze the importance of creating, delivering and communicating value in marketing management.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the key elements of marketing including branding, positioning, identifying segments and targets, and research.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to marketing management.
BAM 515 Organizational Behavior  3

Organizational Behavior provides students with an in-depth review of various theories and research on the behavior, structure, and process of organizations. Formal organizations and their structure will be critically examined, and human motivations and their constructive application to oneself and others will be explored. Applicable behavioral science theories will be analyzed and students will be able to effectively apply the relevant concepts to the management of organizations.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Define organizational behavior and describe the basic functions.
  • Examine key terms, theories and perspectives of organizational behavior.
  • Evaluate issues affecting organizational behavior including global issues, diversity, ethics and corporate social responsibility.
  • Analyze individual behaviors and the various types of processes in organizational behavior including social and group, leadership and influence, and organizational processes.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to organizational behavior.
BAM 530 Business Ethics  3

Business Ethics provides a managerial framework for integrating ethics into strategic business decisions. The framework provides an overview of the concepts, processes, and best practices associated with successful business ethics programs. The course also prepares students for the ethical dilemmas they may face in their business careers.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Define business ethics and examine issues related to stakeholder relationships, corporate governance, and social responsibility.
  • Examine emerging business ethics issues and the institutionalization of business ethics.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the decision making process related to business ethics.
  • Analyze the implementation of business ethics in a global economy.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to business ethics.
BAM 532 Organizational Theory  3

Organizational Theory aims to provide students with a detailed look at ways in which managers attempt to increase organizational effectiveness. This course focuses on organizational theory, organizational design, and organizational change. The origins of organizational culture, stakeholder approach to organizations, and recent developments in organizational structure will also be explored.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Define the term organization and examine the role of organizations in society.
  • Analyze the importance of organizational purpose and structural design in organizations.
  • Examine the various elements of open system design and internal design.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the elements inherent in managing dynamic processes.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to organizational theory.
BAM 540 Project Management  3

Project Management takes a decision-making, business-oriented approach to the management of projects, which is reinforced with current examples of project management in action. The course presents the concepts and methodologies that are most useful for managing complex projects and provides an understanding of when, why, and how these methodologies can and should be used to maximize the likelihood of project success. The course emphasizes not only individual project execution, but also provides a strategic perspective to manage projects at portfolio levels.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Identify what defines a project and examine the various types of risks and considerations associated with project management.
  • Analyze how organizations go about evaluating, selecting, planning, scheduling, and implementing projects.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of managing project resources and teams.
  • Explain the various factors and best practices associated with managing projects in multi-project environments.
  • Examine best practices and emerging trends in the field of project management.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to project management.
BAM 547 Conflict Management  3

Conflict Management examines the dynamics of everyday conflicts across a variety of settings, from personal relationships to the workplace. Both theory and application will be reviewed, with an emphasis on their interrelation. This course aims to enhance and strengthen skills in managing conflict.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the origins, perspectives, and theories of conflict.
  • Discuss the impact that gender and culture have on conflict perceptions.
  • Examine the various types of conflict styles.
  • Evaluate issues related to conflict including goals, power, emotions, negotiation, intervention, and reconciliation.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to the study of interpersonal conflict.
BAM 550 Leadership  3

Leadership focuses on leadership theories that seek to explain how traits, behaviors, or situational factors influence leadership style and effectiveness. Students will develop the competencies and skills to immediately start using these principles in their personal and professional lives. The course also explores the critical question of how well a leader is able to influence followers to achieve group objectives—this is what distinguishes effective from ineffective leaders.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Identify and define leadership, and examine the importance of developing leadership skills.
  • Trace the evolution of leadership and discuss historical approaches to leadership.
  • Examine research perspectives, theories, and best practices related to leadership.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the personal side of leadership, the leader as a relationship builder and social architect.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to leadership.
BAM 554 Employee Training and Development  3

Employee Training and Development provides students with insight into the different methods of training and development for company—as well as personal—success. The course addresses new technologies, such as virtual learning and big data, that allow for greater accessibility to various training content and revision of traditional training and development techniques. The course emphasizes that there are effective and relevant training and development methods for every stage of an employee’s career.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the context of training and development.
  • Identify and describe the fundamentals and best practices of training design.
  • Evaluate different training and development methods available.
  • Examine issues related to social responsibility, and analyze future trends and implications for training.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to employee development and training.
BAM 560 Strategic Management  3

Strategic Management explores strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation concepts and techniques in business organizations. Topics covered include the concept of a business model, the strategic significance of a company’s scope of operations, competing in international markets, and the role of corporate culture and leadership in reaching strategic objectives, as well as ethics, corporate social responsibility, and environmental sustainability as they pertain to strategy.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Identify and define the study of strategic management including commonly used terms and key principles.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of processes related to strategic management including strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategy evaluation.
  • Evaluate key issues in strategic management including business ethics, social responsibility, global applications, the environment, competition, and technology.
  • Examine best practices for strategic management case analysis.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to strategic management.
BAM 562 Modern Management  3

Modern Management provides insight into current management trends. Today, managers have more responsibility than ever. Meeting the needs of a growing customer base, a diverse workforce, and production challenges all pose unique problems for managers. This course covers the four aspects of the strategic management process—planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Evidencebased management (EBM), critical thinking, ethics, and analytics are themes that run throughout the course.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Define management and the management process and examine the history of management theory.
  • Analyze the challenges related to modern management including decision-making, ethics and social responsibility, diversity, strategic management, and global applications.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of organizational issues in modern management related to organizational design, communication, and human resource systems.
  • Examine best practices for leading in organizations including increasing motivation, team management, diversity management, and management in a global environment.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of budget control, management control systems, and the role of technology in modern management.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to modern management.
GRM 597 The Research Process  3

The Research Process is a required course for all of the master’s degree programs offered at the University. This course provides an overview of the various research methods, research design, guidance in planning research strategy, and documentation of research data. It also explores and analyzes examples of research from many different disciplines, the development and use of computer-aided research, writing skills, and logical argumentation techniques required in the research field.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Define research methods, analyze its importance, and examine how it informs policy and practice.
  • Discuss the various research strategies for description.
  • Examine the statistical tools and interpretations used in quantitative research.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the various strategies for causation in research.
  • Evaluate the role of research as it relates to political and ethical issues.
  • Demonstrate proficiency with academic writing related to the research process.
BAM 595 Final Comprehensive Examination  0

Students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership degree program will complete a Final Comprehensive Examination. The final examination is a combination of essay, short answer and multiple choice examination questions, requiring students to integrate knowledge acquired across the educational program. The Final Comprehensive Examination is graded on a pass/no pass basis. Students may repeat any portion until they receive a passing score.

Prerequisites to Admission:

An applicant must have earned a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration, Leadership, and/or Management; or a Bachelor Degree in another field may be considered if the Admission Committee evaluation indicates that the applicant has the necessary foundation to succeed in the program.

FAQ About Coursework

Required units may be satisfied in the following ways: