Organizational Strategy and Leadership (ORGS)
Program Guidelines and Mission Statement
The Organizational Strategy and Leadership (ORGS) Minor examines how organizations develop, evolve, are led, and make decisions, including the ways that individuals contribute to and shape these dynamics. Drawing substantially from theories and scholarship in the social sciences, the program empowers students with the skills to analyze organizational structures, leadership dynamics, and strategic decision-making; it provides a foundation for them to consider the ethical implications of various organizational structures and decisions.
Through inquiry-driven learning and key experiential opportunities, students will develop critical thinking, intellectual flexibility, problem-solving abilities, and effective communication skills essential for contributing to and navigating a range of organizational environments (e.g., for-profit, nonprofit, political, social, and educational institutions). Grounded in the liberal arts tradition, the program fosters students’ intellectual curiosity and prepares them for informed engagement with a broad range of organizations in our complex and changing world, equipping them to be thoughtful and impactful future leaders and engaged contributors to their organizations.
Requirements
To fulfill the requirements for the Organizational Strategy & Leadership minor, a student must complete the following seven courses and two applied experiences:
1.) Five Core Courses
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| PSYC 100 | Introduction to Psychology |
| PSYC 230 | Organizational Psychology |
| GC 260 | Organizational Leadership |
| PSYC 230 or GC 260 must be taken in advance of participating in the Immersive Experience ORGS 030 | |
| ORGS 330 | Organizational Decision Making |
| ORGS 400 | Senior Capstone: Navigating Complexity in Organizations and Leadership |
2.) Two Additional Electives from an approved list: One course focusing on each of the following areas must be taken. Both elective courses cannot be taken from the same department.
Note: Students may petition for other courses (i.e., a special topics course or an off-campus study course) or an academic project (a 4-credit Senior Research/Independent Study project) to fulfill one of their two elective courses. Courses or academic projects that meet this option must be designed to focus on an aspect of organizational behavior or leadership studies that is particularly appropriate to the integrity of the ORGS Minor as well as the student's major and/or professional aspirations.
Area A: The Individual Within Organizations
Courses in this area examine the role and development of individuals as essential contributors within organizations and teams. They emphasize the intra- and interpersonal knowledge and skills that support both individual success and organizational effectiveness, including understanding sociocultural behavior, applying organizational knowledge, communicating effectively in diverse social contexts, and using analytical tools to support problem-solving and decision-making. A representative list of approved courses appears below:
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| COMM 101 | Public Address |
| COMM 221 | Theories of Group Communication |
| COMM 224 | Theories of Interpersonal Communication |
| COMM 244 | Theories of Intercultural Communication |
| PHIL 121 | Ethics: Philosophical Considerations of Morality |
| PSYC 206 | 200-level Special Topics courses (Psychology of Consumer Behavior or Psychology of Leadership) |
| PSYC 240 | Theories of Personality |
| PSYC 290 | Psychology of Thinking |
| PSYC 380 | Nonverbal Behavior in Human Interactions |
Area B: Organizational Processes and Systems in Society
Courses in this area focus on the systems, processes, and external forces that shape how organizations and institutions operate within broader social, cultural, and economic contexts. They might examine organizational models, inter-organizational relationships, or specific functions such as communication networks, policy development, or strategic adaptation. These courses equip students with frameworks for analyzing both internal operations and external dynamics across diverse organizational settings, including businesses, nonprofits, educational institutions, government agencies, and arts and cultural organizations. A representative list of approved courses appears below, though offerings will be reviewed and updated regularly.
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| ANTH 101 | Being Human: Introduction to Anthropology |
| BLST/WGST 265 | Black Women and Organizational Leadership |
| COMM 306 | Organizational Culture |
| COMM 320 | Language, Culture, and Communication |
| COMM 403 | Culture and Communication |
| DPR 190 | |
| DPR 311 | Political Organizations in the U.S |
| ECON 201 | Economic Justice |
| ECON 422 | Industrial Organization and Antitrust Economics |
| ECON 423 | International Trade |
| ECON 426 | Behavioral Economics |
| ECON 464 | Labor Economics |
| EDUC 213 | The U.S. Education System |
| GC 101 | Commerce and Society |
| GH 100 | Introduction to Global Health |
| HESS 200 | |
| HESS 401 | |
| HESS 406 | Leadership Theory and Development Through Sport |
| HIST/HESS/BLST 393 | Race, Identity, & Power in U.S. Sports |
| PHIL 126 | Social and Political Philosophy |
| PPA 307 | The Politics of Congress |
| PPA 314 | Foreign Policy Formulation |
| PPA 344 | The United Nations and World Problems |
| PPA 346 | The European Union |
| REL 102 | Ethics, Society and the Moral Self |
| SES 217 | Sustainable Development Goals |
| SES 220 | Sustainable Global Finance |
| SPAN 330 | Cultures of Spain |
| SPAN 335 | Cultures of Latin America |
| THTR 100 | Introduction to Theatre-making |
ORGS students are also required to complete:
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| ORGS 030 | Immersion Experience |
| ORGS 050 | Internship |
Courses
ORGS 030 - Immersion Experience (0 Credit Hours)
This course is a multi-week, off-campus ORGS Immersion Experience, designed to bridge liberal arts education with practical organizational understanding. Through a hands-on US design consulting project with a local company, students apply classroom knowledge before traveling to major U.S. cities.
ORGS 050 - Internship (0 Credit Hours)
All students completing the concentration in Organizations and Leadership Studies must complete an appropriate internship or experience (160 hours minimum). This experience must be approved by the ORGS Program Committee and is normally undertaken during the summer before the senior year.
ORGS 330 - Organizational Decision Making (4 Credit Hours)
This course provides an in-depth examination of how individuals and organizations structure and leverage information to inform decision-making processes, ultimately enhancing problem-solving capabilities across diverse and complex scenarios. The curriculum integrates evidence-based frameworks from behavioral economics, psychology, statistics, and accounting, offering a multidisciplinary understanding of decision science. This aims to familiarize students with diverse decision-making frameworks and their applicability to the complex and evolving decision landscape they will face.
Prerequisite(s): ORGS 230 or ORGS 250.
ORGS 400 - Senior Capstone: Navigating Complexity in Organizations and Leadership (4 Credit Hours)
This culminating capstone course empowers students who complete the concentration to synthesize their interdisciplinary understanding of organizations, leadership, and decision-making, with a specific focus on their intersection with their primary academic major. Through critical analysis of complex organizational challenges using diverse theoretical lenses from organizational psychology, leadership theory, and decision science, students will intentionally bridge academic knowledge with real-world application. A key component of this course is a team-based, collaborative capstone consulting project, offering a valuable opportunity to partner with a client organization to address a pressing issue.