university of arizona phd organizational leadership

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Develop in-depth expertise in organizational behavior, human resource management, strategy and organizational theory and judgment and decision making. In addition to a variety of research and coursework, you’ll have access to facilities like our Organizational Behavior Lab.

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In this pioneering program, you’ll work alongside leading scholars in cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence, business analytics, decision support and knowledge management. Graduates typically go on to work in prestigious universities, foundations and government agencies.

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Build a well-rounded understanding of marketing and all the fields that feed our understanding of it. This cutting-edge curriculum covers psychology, economics, management, sociology and behavioral sciences, with plenty of marketing research opportunities and resources.

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Organizational Leadership & Regional Commerce Degree

Organizational Leadership & Regional Commerce

Real-World Leadership Skills

Earn a future-focused, career-ready organizational leadership and regional commerce degree.

Bachelor's Organizational Leadership Regional Commerce   Certificate Organizational Leadership   Minor Organizational Leadership   Research and Practice AWARDSS Business Simulation

Business leadership and managerial job openings will grow by nearly one million by 2030. The median annual salary for management occupations was $102,450 in May 2021, the highest wage of all the major occupational groups. 1

Employers want tech-savvy staff who understand leadership fundamentals and business management. The Bachelor of Applied Science in Organizational Leadership and Regional Commerce equips you with these valuable, highly marketable skills.

"Real-World Ready" means you'll graduate ready to do a job because you've already done it in your classes. You'll be prepared to jump into virtually any industry and succeed.

Whether your goal is to start your own business, lead at the corporate level, create change through a non-profit, or further your career in the military, the Organizational Leadership and Regional Commerce program will help you get there.

When you apply for our organizational leadership degree or regional commerce degree at the College of Applied Science & Technology, you join the University of Arizona, a top 50 public university with the nation's #7 online bachelor's degree.

Top 50 Public University

U.S. News & World Report, 2023

#10 Online Bachelor's

#4 Online Bachelor's for Veterans

Emphasis Areas

Organizational Leadership

BAS in Organizational Leadership & Regional Commerce

Regional Commerce

1 " Management Occupations ," Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Home › All Programs › Organizational Leadership (UGCERT)

Home › All Programs › Organizational Leadership (UGCERT) ›

Organizational Leadership

Undergraduate certificate.

of All Higher-Ed Institutions

-Center for World University Rankings, 2022

In Best Value Among Arizona's Public Universities

- Payscale, 2022

Quick Facts

College of Applied Science & Technology

Program details.

Do you see yourself as a leader? Do you influence others to excel? Do you desire to promote positive change and drive progress within your organization? Then the Certificate in Organizational Leadership is the perfect opportunity to strengthen and amplify your leadership skills. 

This certificate will prepare you to successfully take on leadership roles such as supervisor, project lead, manager, as well as executive management roles in any industry. The certificate signals to employers that you have the leadership and managerial skills to lead people and projects in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. The certificate is also beneficial if you work in a technical field or earned a technical degree and want to strengthen your communication and decision-making skills.

The program curriculum focuses on project management, staff management, teamwork, collaboration, writing and critical thinking skills. It will prepare you for a variety of leadership roles all while continuing to work within your current career field. Gain the tools to become a goal-oriented leader that solves real-world organizational challenges.

Prepare for a variety of leadership roles solving real-world challenges, all while continuing to work within your current career field.

*Residents of some U.S. Territories may not be eligible. Please see our Eligibility & State Authorization page for more information.

The curriculum for this program consists of five 3-unit classes:

LDRV 302: The Leadership Function

This course will help students focus on the dynamics of the supervisory and leadership function in both private and public organizations. Students will gain an understanding of the cognitive roles that make up the supervisory/leadership process.

LDRV 303: Negotiations

In this course, you will focus on the development of negotiation and conflict resolution skills.

LDRV 305: Organizational Behavior

You will integrate classical and current organizational psychosocial theories and theories of organizations that provide an understanding of the effects that an organizational system has on the behavior choices of human beings in the work environment.

LDRV 400: Managing and Developing Work Teams

Develop the skills needed by supervisors in creating, developing, and maintaining high-performance work teams in the organizational environment.

LDRV 401: Leadership in Diverse Work Environments

Develop basic management skills to motivate and lead employees, improve organizational performance and succeed amid diversity within the organization.

Earning your Undergraduate Certificate in Organizational Leadership will build core skills, including:

• Collaboration
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking
• Decision making
• Organizational skills
• Problem solving

Graduates of the Undergraduate Certificate in Organizational Leadership program will be prepared to pursue careers in the following fields:

• Human Resources
• Administration
• Sales and Management
• Public Relations

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Faculty members honored with Awards of Distinction

Sherri Silverberg, lecturer in the Dhaliwal-Reidy School of Accountancy, holds a bouquet of flowers after being announced as the winner of the Margaret M. Briehl and Dennis T. Ray Five Star Faculty Award.

The University has named the winners of the 2024 Awards of Distinction , presented to faculty members to honor excellence in areas including teaching, leadership, innovation and mentoring.

"The awardees' remarkable work positively impacts the lives of students, colleagues and communities locally, nationally and internationally," wrote Ronald Marx , interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, and Andrea Romero , vice provost for faculty affairs, in a  May 8 announcement of the awards . "At the same time, it pushes the frontiers of knowledge on a global scale."

The awards are presented by the Office of the Provost, the W.A. Franke Honors College, the Graduate College, the Postdoctoral Affairs office and the GIFT Center at the University of Arizona Foundation.

A recognition event is planned for next spring.

This year's honorees are listed below.

University Distinguished Awards

University Distinguished Professor Award Robert Fleischman | Professor, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering and Mechanics

The University Distinguished Professor Award was created in 1995 by President Manuel Pacheco to recognize faculty members who have a long-term commitment to undergraduate education and have made outstanding contributions at the University of Arizona. In addition to the title of University Distinguished Professor, the award carries a $5,000 increase to base salary.

University Distinguished Outreach Faculty Award Marcela Vásquez-León | Director, Center for Latin American Studies, and Professor, School of Anthropology

The University Distinguished Outreach Faculty awards recognize outstanding faculty members whose scholarship-based outreach to the state, nation and world has demonstrated sustained excellence in the University's outreach mission. In addition to the title of University Distinguished Outreach Faculty, the award carries a $5,000 increase to base salary.

Distinguished Head/Director's Award Buell Jannuzi | Department Head and Professor, Department of Astronomy, and Director, Steward Observatory Chris Castro | Interim Department Head and Professor, Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences

The Distinguished Head/Director's Award recognizes outstanding performance by an academic department head or director. Honorees receive a citation from the president and provost as well as a $1,000 prize.

University Distinguished Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award Joseph Valacich | Muzzy Endowed Chair and Professor, Department of Management Information Systems

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award recognizes an individual who has made exceptional contributions at the University by demonstrating significant impact in any aspect of research, commercialization or education through innovation and/or entrepreneurship. The distinguished award comes with a $5,000 prize.

University Faculty Service Award Laura Hollengreen | Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, and Associate Professor, School of Architecture Leila Hudson | Associate Professor, School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies

This award, created in 2022, recognizes faculty members who have made exceptional contributions to the University's service mission within their department or college, across campus or in their scholarly community. The award includes a $7,500 prize.

Henry and Phyllis Koffler Prize (Teaching) Lisa Elfring | Vice Provost for Assessment, Teaching and Technology, and Biology Education Specialist, University Center for Assessment, Teaching and Technology

This award, made possible by donations from late President Emeritus Henry Koffler and his wife, Phyllis, recognizes outstanding accomplishments in three categories: teaching; research, scholarship and creative activity; and public service and outreach. The award is given in only one category each year. This year's award is for teaching. The award comes with a $10,000 prize, a medallion and a certificate.

Mid-career and Early Career Distinguished Faculty Awards

Distinguished Scholar Award Elise Gornish | Associate Restoration Ecology Specialist, School of Natural Resources and the Environment

This award recognizes outstanding mid-career faculty members for innovations in their disciplines and contributions to teaching, research and outreach at the University. The award includes a $10,000 prize.

Early Career Scholar Award Harris Kornstein | Assistant Professor, Department of Public and Applied Humanities Michelle Berry | Assistant Professor, Department of History

This award recognizes early-career faculty members at the forefront of their disciplines for highly valued contributions to teaching, creative activity and service. The award includes a $5,000 prize.

Teaching Awards

Gerald J. Swanson Prize for Teaching Excellence Afrooz Jalilzadeh | Assistant Professor, Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering Carrie Langley | Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Sociology Teresa Rosano | Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Architecture Hal Tharp | Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

This award, which recognizes excellence in undergraduate teaching, was created through a gift from the Thomas R. Brown Foundation in honor of Gerald J. Sawnson, professor emeritus of economics. The award includes a $5,000 prize.

University of Arizona Foundation Leicester and Kathryn Sherrill Creative Teaching Award Robert Stephan | Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Religious Studies and Classics

This award, presented by the University of Arizona Foundation, recognizes excellence in the art of teaching at all levels, with particular emphasis on the undergraduate level. The award includes a $2,500 prize and a plaque placed in the Donna Swaim Honors Lounge in the Student Union Memorial Center.

Distinguished Mentor Award Daniela Triadan | Professor, School of Anthropology

This award recognizes outstanding tenured or continuing-status faculty members at the full professor rank who have mentored early-career faculty members and made highly valued contributions to the mentoring of graduate students. The award comes with a $5,000 prize.

Graduate Student Peer Mentors Award University of Arizona History Graduate Association (Andrew Wishersham, president; Liliana Toledo Guzan, vice president; Johanne Harrigan, secretary; Zelin Pei, treasurer; Samantha Goodrich, marketing)

This award recognizes outstanding graduate students who provide peer mentoring to other graduate students to help them persist toward their degree, progress in their program or engage in scholarly activities in order to achieve success within their program. The award includes a $1,000 prize.

Mentoring Future Scholars Award Hayriye Kayi-Aydar | Associate Professor, Department of English Jessica Rainbow | Associate Professor, Advanced Nursing Practice and Science Division

This award recognizes faculty mentors who are extraordinary in their mentoring of graduate students toward becoming future scholars. The award includes a $2,000 prize.

The award below was presented by the W.A. Franke Honors College on April 30.

The Margaret M. Briehl and Dennis T. Ray Five Star Faculty Award Sherri Silverberg , Lecturer, Dhaliwal-Reidy School of Accountancy

The Five Star Faculty Award, established in 1983, is the only Universitywide teaching award whose honoree is chosen by undergraduates. Each year, a committee of students reviews nominations and interviews finalists before selecting a winner. The award includes a $2,000 prize. Silverberg was recognized May 9 at the W.A. Franke Honors College convocation.

Read about this year's staff Awards for Excellence winners and the  2023 Awards of Distinction honorees in previous Lo Que Pasa stories.

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What Can You Do With a Master’s in Organizational Leadership?

What is organizational leadership? Organizational leadership uses an understanding of building meaningful relationships to better facilitate common goals, conflict resolution and engaging communication to bring together people of different perspectives, backgrounds and talents.

But how do you get people to trust and follow you? Whether you’re a business manager, sports coach, leading a volunteer group or something in between, a degree in organizational leadership is one way to develop those skills

We spoke with Gretchen Oltman, JD, PhD , Master of Science in Organizational Leadership program chair at Creighton University, to find out what makes a good organizational leader and what you can do with this degree.

What makes a good organizational leader?

“When people think of the word leader, they often think of someone who is just an expert in their field,” says Oltman. People may assume a leader in information technology, for example, is in that position solely due to their knowledge of and expertise in the software and applications applicable to their role. But being a great organizational leader is more than that.

“There’s a balance between being a technical expert and understanding the human element,” she says. “If you’re a technical expert but can’t raise others to follow you toward achieving a goal, it can be very difficult to succeed as a leader.”

That balance requires soft skills, which many employers are looking for, according to an article in the journal Heliyon . Those soft skills include:

• Ethical thinking and behavior
• Critical and analytical thinking
• Flexibility
• Problem solving

The Center for Creative Leadership takes this even further, listing the 12 essential leadership qualities as being:

• Self-awareness
• Communication
• Learning agility
• Collaboration

“Compassion is really important and something we teach here at Creighton,” says Oltman. “To be a good leader, you have to be caring and compassionate.”

Being a compassionate leader can help reduce your team’s stress as well as help them develop self-compassion, according to an article in Frontiers in Psychology . The authors describe self-compassion as involving “a loving, non-judgmental understanding of one’s own shortcomings, placing the perception of one’s suffering and difficulties into a larger perspective of what it means to be human.” Helping your team develop self-compassion can have a positive impact on job performance and satisfaction as well as improving team communication, according to the article.

“The more that we recognize that employees are people who have their own lives and goals, the more valued they feel and the more invested they are in the organization,” says Oltman.

Besides these soft skills, a good organizational leader also needs to believe in the idea of developing others. This means helping your team see the potential in themselves and giving them the tools and opportunities to excel in their role. It may lead to some team members either getting promoted out of their roles or leaving the company for new opportunities, but that just means you’ve done your job right.

“Sometimes we see leaders who want to keep people where they are because it's comforting, and it allows us to maintain our stability in our own lives,” Oltman says. “A good leader sees what other people are trying to do—what their hopes and dreams are, what their talents are—and really focuses on helping them hone those talents and achieve those dreams.”

>>>How to Succeed in Graduate School: 5 Actionable Tips

What you can do with a master’s in organizational leadership

Earning a master’s degree in organizational leadership won’t necessarily lead to a specific career. It is for individuals who wish to lead positive change in their workplace and community. This includes responsibilities such as inspiring and motivating employees or team members; anticipating and responding to internal and external challenges; and handling challenges quickly and assuredly.

“The skills that you leave with won't necessarily bucket you into one role,” says Oltman. “They can, however, open the door to opportunities beyond what you imagine.”

Earning this degree could help you move into leadership roles in a variety of organizations and businesses, including:

• Higher education
• Training and development
• Athletic departments
• Public health

“Many graduates stay in their current roles—whether that’s a public or private entity—and are promoted due to leadership capacity and a demonstrated understanding of others,” says Oltman. “Other students have found a new purpose.”

For example, one graduate worked in the trucking industry but found a passion for teaching while in the degree program. While he is still in trucking, he has started teaching as well. In another example, a graduate who worked in higher education started her own consulting firm to help communities in need. There were also former college athletes who graduated from the program and went on to become assistant coaches for college sports teams.

The bottom line: No matter what career path you’re on, a master’s in organizational leadership could help you move up or move on to new horizons.

Earn your master’s in organizational leadership

If you’re a lifelong learner, willing to be introspective and committed to professional and personal growth, you could be a great fit for a master’s in organizational leadership.

“Our students come from backgrounds of having grown up on a family farm, serving in the military or working in a variety of fields like marketing, insurance or education,” says Oltman. “Our students see a bigger purpose to their lives and that their identity is not all about a title and role. They know they can make a difference wherever they are, and they spend time in our courses learning and practicing how to do just that.”

If you’re interested in growing your leadership skills, learn more about Creighton’s online master’s in organizational leadership or reach out for more information .

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Chicago girl Dorothy Jean Tillman earns PhD at just 17 years old, runs her own STEAM program

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Most 17-year-olds are busy starting their college applications, but at the same age South Side Chicagoan Dorothy Tillman has just earned a PhD.

Tillman recently completed and defended her dissertation to receive a PhD in Integrated Behavioral Health from Arizona State University. She already has her high school diploma, her bachelor's, a double master's and now her doctoral degree. But the teen said the goal is not to collect degrees but instead create a space for future generations to dream big.

Tilllman started the Dorothy Jeanius STEAM Leadership Institute . "STEAM" is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

"I felt like I had to be in either an arts program or a STEM program. I never felt like I got both at the same time. And so integrating those and making it so they know, like, the right brain can't work without the left brain, I feel like is what makes it different," she said. "I think the quality is a lot better than the quantity, and so making sure I harp on curriculum."

While there are programs, initiatives and events year-round, the centerpiece of the institute is a summer camp program. Some of Dr. Tillman's campers have gone on to start their own businesses.

Tridia Davis, 14, is just getting her dream started.

"They show us, you know, how to make the music and the beats. They show us the process of writing and all types of different things and it's just really helpful," Davis said.

And her mentor, even with all she's achieved so far, will never stop dreaming big.

"Being sure of yourself to the point where nobody can shake ... the way you think about yourself and your goals."

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