Earning an MBA in Organizational Leadership allows students to focus on their area of interest as they prepare for a future in leadership of a business or organization, or to advance their career opportunities. It is important to understand exactly what organizational leadership is and what the student can do with a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in organizational leadership.
What is an MBA in Organizational Leadership Program?
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Organizational Leadership offers students the opportunity to specialize in their preferred career interest or to enhance their skills and knowledge for career advancement. Individuals that work in organizational leadership work in managerial or leadership roles and are often top executives or training and development managers.
Organizational leadership is a specific management approach where leaders establish strategic goals for the organization. It also requires that the leaders in this role have the skills to bring out the best performance of each individual within the organization or team. Organizational leaders need both top business skills, and exceptional soft skills to achieve optimal success.
Some companies hire outside organizational leaders or organizational consultants to help improve the overall effectiveness and quality within a business or organization. Organizational leaders may work as a private professional, as a partner, or in a large organization.
Earning an MBA in Organizational Leadership or even a Ph.D in Organizational Leadership offers the potential opportunity to earn a good salary or to earn an increase in salary. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists the job growth as faster than average, compared to other professions, for training and development managers. The 2019 median pay for training and development managers was $113,350 per year. Some organizational leaders work as top executives, who made $104,690 as their 2019 median pay.
Please note that the tuition for these accredited MBA in Organizational Leadership programs is for the cost of one credit hour of instruction, and does not include the cost of any required fees or materials.
15 Best MBA in Organizational Leadership
1. University of Sioux Falls
The University of Sioux Falls MBA in Organizational Leadership program trains students to have the skills to influence organizational culture and climate, and to develop people within organizations. The curriculum provides students with the knowledge to diagnose organizational issues, and to develop creative solutions to those issues. Learn about leadership theories, and relationships when managing people in organizations.
- Tuition: $395 per credit hour
- Program length: 36 credit hours
2. University of Saint Mary
The University of Saint Mary offers an online MBA program with a Leadership and Organizational Health concentration. The unique program is designed around organizational health principles, which provides advanced knowledge and understanding of organizational culture, and the leadership skills that are needed for success in today’s ever-changing business world. Gain the skills to build high-performing teams, and to build trust within teams. Students also learn the political and social factors that affects an organizational environment, and the strategies that helps organizational leaders implement decisions that leads to success.
This program is also offered on-campus.
- Tuition: $595 per credit hour
- Program length: 33 credit hours
3. Texas Woman’s University
The MBA in Women in Leadership program at the Texas Woman’s University is one of only a few graduate programs in the country that focuses on providing women with the knowledge and skills to become leaders in today’s organizations. The school explains that the program guides students to effectively deal with challenges and barriers facing women in today’s business world.
Students complete a capstone course that focuses on executive-level decision-making, along with the regular curriculum.
- Tuition: $280.70 per credit hour
- Program length: est. 40 credit hours
4. Brandman University
The Brandman University MBA in Organizational Leadership program helps students develop their personal leadership philosophies, to explore concepts and classic theories, along with contemporary issues in organizational leadership. Some curriculum topics include leading organizational change, corporate responsibility, data analysis and decision making, and leadership and innovation.
The program is offered in either hybrid and online format.
- Tuition: $670 per credit hour
- Program length: est. 36 credit hours
5. Spring Arbor University
Spring Arbor University, with a main campus in Spring Arbor, Michigan, offers an MBA in Organizational Consulting degree. The 100 percent online program is offered in an accelerated format that students can complete in as little as 12 months. Students learn organizational development and leadership strategies, while gaining the expertise to influence individuals and groups.
The program is also offered on-campus for students that do not want to complete the accelerated online program. The on-campus program can be completed in 18 months.
- Tuition: $738 per credit hour
- Program length: 36 credit hours
6. Northcentral University
Northcentral University offers a unique Management of Virtual Organizations, MBA degree. This MBA specialization prepares graduates to meet the demands of today’s teams that work remotely. Students modify their existing skills, and gain new skills that helps build expertise in this growing employment sector.
Students learn to build trust in remote teams and organizations, and to evaluate and address opportunities and challenges in the global business environment. They learn to interpret legal compliance, the health of virtual organizations, and the ethical concerns of organization stakeholders.
- Tuition: $1,069 per credit hour
- Program length: 30 credit hours
7. University of South Florida
The evening MBA program with a specialization in Leadership Concepts & Organization Theory at the University of South Florida guides students through learning to refine their leadership skills in real life situations. Students perform research, conduct case studies, and gain advanced skills in leadership, organizational development and teamwork.
Students can complete the program in as little as 12 to 18 months at either the Tampa or the Sarasota-Manatee location.
- Tuition: est. $438.83 per credit hour
- Program length: est. 45 credit hours
8. Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University allows students to personalize their MBA program by offering concentrations such as the MBA in Organizational Science. The program is designed for professionals that have specific career goals that align with their career interests in organizational science and leadership. Working professionals learn the important analytical and relational skills and concepts to become successful, ethical leaders that are capable of adapting to a rapidly changing business environment.
- Tuition: $672 per credit hour
- Program length: est. 42 credit hours
9. Lynn University
Lynn University offers an MBA in Leadership and Management for students that wish to become organizational leaders, whether they are seasoned professionals or just starting their career. Students learn to articulate a vision, improve effectiveness and teamwork within organizations, and to develop values-based leadership, along with ethical decision-making skills.
The program is offered both on-campus and online.
- Tuition: $740 per credit hour
- Program length: 37 credit hours
10. Johnson & Wales University
Enjoy the eight-week course length and the 100 percent online format of the Johnson & Wales MBA in Organizational Leadership program. Learn to gather, interpret and analyze research, to analyze problems within organizations and to propose and apply effective solutions. Students focus on gaining advanced business and communication skills, to apply theories, and contemporary leadership models to support the effectiveness of organizations in a global business environment.
Some topics covered in the coursework that students complete at their own pace include effective leadership, women and leadership, and legal, ethical, and social responsibility.
- Tuition: $786 per credit hour
- Program length: est. 36 credit hours
11. Florida International University
Florida International University offers an online Professional MBA with a Leadership specialization. This specialization allows students to discover how leadership contributes to the management of people and organizations within the global business environment. Sample courses in the program include Leadership in a Global Environment, and Negotiations.
Students complete a two-day residency in Miami, Florida.
- Tuition: $1,000 per credit hour
- Program length: 42 credit hours
12. Oregon State University
The Oregon State University MBA in Organizational Leadership program offers students the opportunity to choose between completing the program entirely online, or in a hybrid format. Students gain knowledge of classic and modern theories in leadership, techniques for facilitating executive level organizational decisions, and negotiation techniques necessary for attainment of organizational objectives.
Students complete a capstone project, in addition to coursework.
- Tuition: $863 per credit hour
- Program length: 60 credit hours
13. Golden Gate University
The MBA in Adaptive Leadership at Golden Gate University provides students with a deep understanding of contemporary leadership and management theories. The program places emphasis on application, and skills development. Graduates have the required skills to lead today’s organizations, and produce results in the changing, complex global environment.
Course examples include Leadership and the Development of Managerial Excellence, and Negotiating in Business.
- Tuition: $1,090 per credit hour
- Program length: 54 credit hours
14. Santa Clara University
Students that enroll in the evening MBA program at Santa Clara University have the option to choose the Leading Innovative Organizations concentration. Students follow the MBA program curriculum, and then focus on intensive study of coursework within the concentration.
The program prepares students to demonstrate competence when leading complex systems, and rapidly changing environments. Students also gain an awareness of the social and moral dimensions of specific decisions through classroom and hands-on experiences.
- Tuition: $1,193 per credit hour
- Program length: 70 credit hours
15. Ohio State University
Students enrolled at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University have the opportunity to complete an MBA in Leadership pathway program. The university explains that the program provides the skills that graduates will need to become effective managers and leaders in organizations. Examples of the experientially-based courses include Negotiations, Developing High Performance Teams, and Advanced Topics in Leadership: Building Your Leadership Legacy.
Students receive guidance from coaches to personalize their education.
- Tuition: $1,574 per credit hour
- Program length: 60 credit hours
Methodology
We searched for the best MBA in Organizational Leadership programs, and narrowed our list to the top 15 schools. We assigned a unique score to each school in the categories of tuition and program length, and then ranked each school in ascending order. When there was a tie, the higher score was awarded to the school with the lower tuition.
If you would like to have your school included in our rankings, or if you need to update the information for your school, feel free to contact us.
Need help finding the right online college or university? We can help you, based on your selected program. Sources
