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Organizational Leadership

Types of Degrees Organizational Leadership Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Organizational Leadership have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	59
Associate’s Degree	349
Bachelor’s Degree	4,663
Master’s Degree	9,281
Doctor’s Degree	1,198

What Organizational Leadership Majors Need to Know

Programs in Organizational Leadership develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Organizational Leadership graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Organizational Leadership emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Organizational Leadership program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Organizational Leadership careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Organizational Leadership graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Organizational Leadership professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
IBM Notes	Electronic mail software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Organizational Leadership graduates include:

• Development Director
• Program Manager
• Compliance Director
• Plant Protection Superintendent
• Newspaper Publisher
• Extension Service Specialist-in-Charge
• Dog Races Manager
• Branch Office Manager
• Art Coordinator
• Area Supervisor
• Director of in Service Education
• Pool Manager
• Cable Supervisor
• Management Trainee
• Winter Sports Manager

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Organizational Leadership graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	62.5%
Master’s degree	12.9%
Some college courses	5.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.0%
Doctoral degree	4.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.8%
Postsecondary certificate	2.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Organizational Leadership?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 53.6% women and 46.4% men among Organizational Leadership graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	8,405	53.6%
Men	7,269	46.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Organizational Leadership graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	8,205	52.3%
Asian	431	2.7%
Hispanic or Latino	2,023	12.9%
Black or African American	2,683	17.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	134	0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	72	0.5%
Two or More Races	475	3.0%
Race Unknown	1,204	7.7%
International Students	447	2.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Organizational Leadership Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Organizational Leadership graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$62,537
4 years	$63,883
5 years	$71,749

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $71,749 — roughly 15% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Organizational Leadership Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Organizational Leadership. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	18	2
Bachelor’s	106	58
Master’s	198	55
Doctoral (Research)	32	10

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Organizational Leadership Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Organizational Leadership graduates earn a median of $63,883 four years after completion — roughly 68% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Business Administration, Management and Operations	402,942
Business Administration and Management, General	336,590
Business/Commerce, General	57,976
Human Resources Management/Personnel Administration, General	17,602
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other	12,497
Operations Management and Supervision	12,273
Logistics, Materials, and Supply Chain Management	10,865
Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies	10,661
Project Management	4,784
Organizational Behavior Studies	3,447
Office Management and Supervision	3,126
Non-Profit/Public/Organizational Management	2,454

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.