What Careers are Available for those with an Online Business Degree Specializing in Organizational Leadership?

Students interested in the field of human resources (HR) often inquire about the careers available to those earning an online degree in organizational leadership. While the degree name indicates a broad skill set, the available careers for those degree holders are very select. Since the job outlook is competitive, only the most talented and prepared graduates gain entry into this niche career category. Here is an overview of the organizational leadership online degree, the specialized career options available and the projected job outlook for those with the degree.

Earning An Online Organizational Leadership Degree

Online Organizational Leadership degree programs are offered by many schools at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The degree typically focuses on work place relations between management and employees, the governmental regulations that influence organizational policies and understanding organizational behavior. Students earning an undergraduate degree in Organization Leadership expect to take a core set of required courses about economics, communications, and psychology. Other courses that students take to customize the course for their particular career goals include ones that relate to criminal justice, labor relations, and conflict resolution. Typically, the graduate degree in Organizational Leadership assumes that students have a solid business foundation while instructors present more advance concepts in analytical thinking and research methods that apply to a multitude of possible organizational issues.

These degree programs ideally produce business leaders who understand the big picture of how work place dynamics must align with an organization’s strategy. These valuable professionals are taught the skills needed to influence organizational behavior to become aligned with the organization’s strategic goals. This often involves recognizing deficiencies in job functions, consulting with corporate officers to find long-term solutions and working within the legal environment to correct the deficiencies.

Typical Organizational Leadership Career Options

Most business professionals agree that many issues in the work place are human related and not technology problems. Additionally, the nation’s employment outlook has shifted from production based jobs to more service oriented ones that need an even more advanced approach to human resources management. Most of these service organizations want to develop and retain the best talent, and they need knowledgeable managers with leadership skills to help them. Those possessing these demonstrated leadership skills and credentials primarily fit within the role of training and workforce development. Other positions include management consultants for organizational behavior and HR labor relations specialists.

Projected Job Outlook

Graduates face a moderately high competition for jobs relating to training and development according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS projects a job growth rate of 11% through 2022 which is about average for all occupations, but this job category starts off the reporting cycle with relatively few available positions from the start. According to the BLS, those possessing graduate degrees in this area impress employers the most and have the best chances of capturing their dream jobs.

Conclusion

Jobs that are associated specifically with the online Organizational Leadership degree generally materialize under the specialty function of Training which belongs to the broader HR management discipline. However, the skills that students hone while participating in an online Organizational Leadership degree program are used by good managers throughout a company’s organizational structure.