Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership

On this page:

• Why Choose Organizational Leadership?
• Careers
• Real-World Experience
• Success Stories
• Academics and Curriculum
• Minor and Certificate
• Combined OL and Graduate Degree Programs
• Admission
• Frequently Asked Questions

Why Choose Organizational Leadership?

Careers

Real-World Experience

Which organizational leadership experiential learning opportunity is best for me?

Success Stories

Academics and Curriculum

View Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership program information, degree requirements, and graduation planning strategies in the Academic Catalog.

Related Links

• ePortfolio Handbook (PDF)
• StrengthsFinder website

Honors Scholar Designation 

The Organizational Leadership Departmental Honors Scholar designation is awarded through the University Honors program. If you have achieved excellence in their academic program, you will have the opportunity to expand and enhance your knowledge and/or skills in leadership. Engage in a guided research project or paper under the guidance of a faculty honors advisor. 

Eligibility

• Must be admitted to the organizational leadership major
• Must have completed OL 2010, 3020, 3030, 3040 courses prior to beginning the project
• Must have a university cumulative GPA of 3.25
• Must have an OL cumulative GPA of 3.85

Two semesters are needed to complete the Honors Project and you must apply the semester prior to starting the project. For example, to complete an Honors Project in the Fall and Spring semesters of your senior year, you would need to apply by March 1 of your junior year—six months prior to the start of the project.

You must contact the honors coordinator during the semester prior to the anticipated project, typically prior to the last semester of your junior year. The honors project must be completed in the course of two consecutive semesters any time prior to graduation.

Selection Criteria

• By March 1 for a Summer or Fall semester start and October 1 for a Spring start: 
• Fill out the application and submit by email to Corey Seemiller, Ph.D., the Honors coordinator.
• If you meet the eligibility for participation, you will be contacted to set up a 30-minute timed in-person writing evaluation.

Honors Handbook (PDF)

Minor and Certificate

• Organizational Leadership Minor
• Organizational Leadership Certificate

Combined OL and Graduate Degree Programs

If you are a Wright State undergraduate student enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership degree program, and in your final year of undergraduate studies, you can enroll in up to 9 hours of “overlap” courses that count toward both your bachelor’s and master’s degree.You must be exceptionally well-prepared to be admitted to the combined program.

Combined Master’s Degrees Available 

These are the combined master’s degrees available for organizational leadership students:  

• Master of Education degree in Instructional Design and Learning Technologies (IDL)
  Prepare to become a highly trained instructional designer, armed with the tools you need to bring innovative teaching and training practices into education, corporate, and governmental settings. 
• Master of Science in Leadership Development (MSLD)
  Your coursework will combine leadership theory, interpersonal skills, talent development, and organizational social responsibility to prepare you for challenges across a wide variety of career fields.  

Program Requirements 

When admitted to combined programs, you must complete all requirements for both programs. You can apply three graduate-level M.Ed. Instructional Design and Learning Technologies courses toward both degree requirements. 

Grades and Transcripts 

You will have both a graduate and an undergraduate transcript. Any courses taken for both degrees will appear on both transcripts. This allows for the calculation of separate GPAs. All relevant rules about GPAs and continued eligibility, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, use these calculations. 

Requirements 

At the end of your junior year, you should apply to the Wright State Graduate School. The admission requirements for the combined program are more rigorous than the master’s degree.

Admission requirements for the combined degree include: 

• Must be a major in the undergraduate degree
• Senior-level status
• 3.2 cumulative GPA in all undergraduate work, including undergraduate credits earned at other institutions and transferred to Wright State
• Undergraduate advisor's approval for admission to the combined-degree program, and mandatory advising during each semester you are taking graduate credit toward the bachelor's degree
• Complete the admission application
• Formal admission to combined-degree status

Tuition and Financial Aid 

Contact the Wright State Office of Financial Aid for questions. Here is tuition and financial aid information about the combined degree program.  

• While in the combined degree program, you will pay tuition at the undergraduate rate until you complete your bachelor’s degree. After you earn your bachelor’s degree, you will pay graduate-level tuition. 
• Financial aid is based on enrollment status. You will be eligible for undergraduate financial aid while completing your bachelor's degree. When you become an admitted graduate student, you can then apply for graduate forms of financial aid. These include Graduate Tuition Scholarships and GRAs/GTAs/GAs. 

Program Withdrawal 

You may withdraw from the combined program and continue as a traditional undergraduate student at any time. If you withdraw, you are not able to transfer completed graduate credits to a future graduate degree. 

Program Dismissal 

You will be dismissed from the combined program and continue as a traditional undergraduate student if: 

• You do not complete all the bachelor’s program requirements within three years of admission 
• Your cumulative GPA in the courses falls below 3.0 

Questions

If you have questions about the combined degree, contact  

• Master’s Instructional Design and Learning Technologies: Sheri Stover, Ph.D.
• Master’s Leadership Studies: Mindy McNutt, Ph.D.
• Undergraduate B.S. Organizational Leadership, Dan Noel, Ph.D.

Admission

Admission Requirements

Either:

• Completion of an associate degree from an accredited college or university

Or:

• Completion of:
  • 60+ semester credit hours
  • Cumulative minimum GPA of 2.0
  • Completion of OL 2010 and OL 3020

Admission Process

New Students

Current Wright State Students in Other Colleges

Frequently Asked Questions

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OL 4020: Community-Based Learning

• Contact, partner, and serve within a local non-profit organization
• Work with a partnering organization to clarify service role and/or specific project
• Explore, identify, and research leadership and organizational issues with student peers and a course instructor
• Complete service hours, journal writing, and a final report and presentation

This course provides you with the opportunity to directly engage a non-profit community group and assist with addressing organizational or leadership issues. Challenges for this partner will be identified and researched through course reading, reflective writing, and the development of a final project. A minimum of 24 service hours is required.

Finding a Service Opportunity

The first few weeks of OL4020 are designed to help you understand the fundamentals of service-learning as well as create a profile to match with specific partnering organizations. Once you have a profile, you are responsible for identifying and securing a service opportunity with a local non-profit. The director of community-based learning must approve service plans prior to you beginning service hours.

OL 4025: Community-Based Internships

The internship course is designed to give you the opportunity to gain experiential learning through the professional undertakings and/or observations of leadership in organizations. You and other student interns will interact with employees and clients of the host organization in a manner that will permit you to witness and experience theory in practice. Internships offer a valuable learning experience for both personal and professional growth that will ultimately enhance your marketability as you graduate from the program.

• OL 4025 Community-Based Internship Policies and Procedures (PDF)
• Prior Learning Assessment Handbook (PDF)

Benefits to the Internship Experience

1. Gain valuable work experience.
   An internship provides you with opportunity to gain hands-on work experience that is not reproducible in a classroom setting.
2. Have an edge in the job market.
   Many employers prefer applicants who have relevant work experience or at a minimum, have done an internship.  In competitive job markets, an internship can be the essential element that sets you apart from your competition.
3. Transition into a job.
   Some employers see interns as prospective employees. Internships are like a long job interview where you can demonstrate your capability, dependability, work ethic, and how you get a job done. 
4. Decide if this is the right career for you.
   Internships provide the opportunity to explore career interests on a trial basis. You can test future career interests without a long-term commitment.
5. Take advantage of networking opportunities.
   Internships provide an excellent opportunity to meet others who work in your field of interest. The people you meet may have connections internally or with others outside of your internship site who may be able to offer support as you pursue job opportunities. The connections you make during your internship can serve as recent and relevant references for applications to graduate school or full-time employment.
6. Apply your classroom knowledge.
   Internships provide you the opportunity to apply to the real world the knowledge and skills you have gained through your coursework. The online classroom component of your internship course encourages you to reflect on how you have applied what you have learned during your internship experience and how it will benefit you in the future.
7. Gain confidence through experience.
   Getting experience builds your confidence. It provides you with examples to share with interviewers and allows you to share how what you learned in the classroom has contributed to the workplace.

OL Internship Testimonials

Recent interns were asked, “What skills, abilities or special knowledge do you believe you developed over the course of your internship?” A sample of responses include the following:

“I stepped out of my comfort zone and learned sales techniques. I am also able to say that I have done something that contributed to my learning on how to be an effective leader of a team in the future.”  – Brittany Redd (sales organization)

“I feel as though I have become a more professional person and enhanced my communication and overall people skills from this internship.” – Chester Raleigh

“Even as a senior in college, this internship has shown me how to better manage my time and priorities. I've gained a lot of knowledge about Wright State University and how to be an educator in higher education. Because of my internship as a Peer Mentor, I feel like I can adapt quicker and think faster on my feet when things in the classroom change. At the beginning of my internship, I had so much passion for working in higher education and now that it's almost over, that passion has tripled itself. Working with students as an academic adviser or working in student affairs at a university is where I'm meant to be.” — Shannon Miller

“I had expected that interning at my current employer would have challenges, but I was able to learn from being able to observe a different department and my site supervisor.”  — Amy Dempe (interning with a current employer, in a different role)

“I have developed a strong working knowledge of the MRX record-keeping software, as well as a familiarity with the Montessori materials we used in class on a daily basis. I have also gained experience working with QuickBooks and have a greater understanding of the licensing process for a small private school. This was thoroughly enjoyable and engaging, and I met all of my learning objectives!” — Edward Ricart

“(I developed) the ability to stay calm under pressure. I figured out what aspect of leadership I want to pursue. I hope to work one-on-one with children in a behavioral development role. The organization where I interned is a positive, fun, passionate, and innovative organization! Everyone was willing to teach me and work with me.  I felt very supported and I learned so much.” — Jordan Beall

“My internship far exceeded my expectations. I would even be willing to go out on a limb and say that mine was like none other. I was just one of the team with my own goals, conducting my own meetings with high-level managers and directors. My site supervisor has always allowed me to speak up in meetings and share my thoughts. I was treated as an equal and given the freedom to express my thoughts and views. I have now developed a story I can tell through my internship from start to finish as to what I did and what I can offer another company.”  — Justin Mals (Healthcare organization)

OL 4030: Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship (TA)

The Organizational Leadership Teaching Assistant Program provides an experiential learning opportunity if you are interested in teaching and/or training. Completion of this course fulfills the experiential requirement for the organizational leadership program in lieu of Community-Based Learning or the Internship. Teaching assistants in the organizational leadership program are unpaid, but may earn 3 credit hours for enrollment in OL 4030: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant. TAs will be matched with courses only at the Dayton campus.

Eligibility

• Must have completed OL 2010, 3020, 3030, and 3040 by the semester or term the TA position begins
• Must have completed and earned an A or B in the OL class you are applying to TA for (if you are currently enrolled in the class of interest, acceptance will be contingent upon the final course grade)
• Must have taken the OL course you are applying to TA for at the Dayton campus
• Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and OL GPA of 3.5 at the time of application

Selection Process

• Applications are due March 1 to TA for a Fall Semester course, October 1 for Spring, and March 1 for Summer. Applications will be accepted after the due dates on a rolling basis until all slots are filled.
  • Complete and email the teaching assistant application to Corey Seemiller, Ph.D.
  • Have your faculty recommender complete and email the faculty recommendation form directly to Corey Seemiller, Ph.D. The recommendation must be from the faculty member from whom you took the class (or are taking the class) you would like to be a TA. 
• Applicants meeting minimum eligibility who have been selected to move to the second round of selection will be contacted for an interview.

View the TA Application (PDF) for more information.