Courses

This course prepares learners for the program by studying essential research-based theories on administration and management leading up to contemporary ones. Emphasis is on reviewing current and emerging organizational theories and concepts, business ethics, organizational change, talent development, and social responsibility, and developing and articulating a personal philosophy related to managing change in new era organizations. The theories and concepts reviewed will serve as a foundation for scholarly thought within the program. (4 units; Online)

This course investigates strategies for promoting sustainable organizations by studying individual and group behavior within organizational settings. Key course concepts focus on organizational infrastructure, motivational strategies, ethical strategies, and leading change. Theories and frameworks studied are foundational principles of the program. This course also examines principles for leveraging conflict management strategies to promote positive organizational relationships and ethical outcomes. Prerequisite: ORG 710. (4 units; Online)

This course examines effective principles of communication critical for effectiveness within diverse organizations. Principles focus on opportunities for administrators to reflect on their own communication style and examine the components of effective communication strategies. Students will address the challenges inherent to effective communication present in today's multicultural, multilingual work environments. Students will apply strategies for addressing routine and unexpected organizational communication challenges and situations. Prerequisite: ORG 715. (4 units; Online)

This course examines the processes an organization uses to attract, retain, motivate and develop the best people for their jobs. Concepts of study include organizational recruitment, retention, engagement, evaluation, identification and development of high potential employees, succession planning, and employee development from the perspective of the organization's innovators and talent management professionals. Prerequisite: ORG 720. (4 units; Online)

This course prepares administrators for gaining insight into identifying the barriers that exist within organizations that mitigate opportunities for diversity and inclusion. Students will survey the effects of culture on administrative strategies and actions, and policies and procedures. They will analyze strategies for leveraging diversity to promote greater organizational inclusivity and productivity. Ethical considerations and motivation for diversity are emphasized. Prerequisite: ORG 725. (4 units; Online)

This course focuses on the development of knowledge and skills needed to maintain competitive advantage and sustainability in today's dynamic organizations. Special attention will be on the analysis and application of strategic approaches to overcoming barriers for organizational optimization, as well as methods for planning and driving support needed for implementation of change objectives that support the organization's mission. Prerequisite: ORG 730. (4 units; Online)

In this course students will examine techniques and strategies that promote strategic data-driven decision making for effective administration and fostering innovative behaviors. Models for collecting, analyzing, and using organizational data effectively will be evaluated, and tactics for enhancing both collective and individualistic decision-making will be examined. Students will survey and assess models utilizing data to support innovation strategies, as well as develop strategies for presenting data to promote innovative-driven decision making at all levels of the organization. The course will develop students' skills in three areas: acquiring data, analyzing data to make predictions, and presenting the results of analysis to diverse stakeholder populations. Prerequisite: ORG 740. (4 units; Online)

The Comprehensive Experience will assess the student's knowledge of the theoretical foundations in organizational administration. Students will identify and answer research questions by integrating and synthesizing knowledge from a broad range of content areas covered in the first two years of study. The emphasis of this course is to demonstrate fundamental knowledge of the field of study ensuring that all students advancing to candidacy have internalized the central knowledge, critical thinking, and ethical skills necessary to be effective practitioners, leaders, executives, scholars, and professors. Successful completion of a defense experience must be completed prior to advancing to candidacy. Prerequisite: RCH 720. (4 units; Online)

Students will be guided through the research process after completing the dissertation proposal. This will include the development and completion of the dissertation. Students will work with their dissertation advisors both individually and in small groups. During the final iteration students will defend their dissertation in a public oral examination open to all members of the University community. Although the defense is concerned primarily with the dissertation research and its interpretation, the examining committee may explore the student's knowledge of areas relevant to the core of the dissertation problem. Students will finalize their dissertation manuscript for publication. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: ORG 785. (4 units; Online)

Students who have successfully completed the final oral defense of their dissertation but were unable to complete required modifications to the dissertation manuscript within ORG 790 Dissertation Experience are required to enroll in this course until a professional editor and the committee chair confirm their dissertation manuscript is complete and submitted for publication. May be repeated for a maximum of four (4) units. Pass/Fail. Prerequisite: ORG 790. (1 unit; Online)

The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the practice of research and research design. The course develops an understanding of the principles, processes and techniques used in social science research. Topics will include reading and evaluating dissertations, identification of quality research design criteria, and development of quality hypothesis statements and research questions. Students will use this information to evaluate their own thinking about research questions and develop potential research design descriptions. Prerequisite: BUS765 or DPA765 or ORG750. (4 units; Online)

The purpose of this course is to introduce the principles and methods for descriptive and inferential statistics. The course will focus on understanding how descriptive and inferential statistics can be applied to effectively interpret data. Students will be required to utilize statistical software to select basic statistical tests and interpret results. Prerequisite: RCH705. (4 units; Online)

The purpose of this course is to present an examination of quantitative methods and designs that are utilized in social science research. Areas of focus include measurement, sampling, and design issues in generating and testing research questions. Students will be required to utilize statistical software to select complex statistical tests and interpret results. Prerequisite: RCH710. (4 units; Online)

This course examines the theoretical foundations of qualitative research methods and techniques applied in social science research. Students will be exposed to a wide array of research methods, design, measurement, analysis, and interpretation techniques that are crucial in descriptive research. Students will learn how to analyze human behavior, perceptions, and reactions as well as the meanings people give to their experiences. Prerequisite: RCH715. (4 units; Online)