Department of Business Administration

 

MASTER OF SCIENCE

ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE

 

Program Policy Statement

 

Proposal Date: April, 2003

 

Part I.      Program History: Statement of purpose and expectation of graduate study in the program.

 

The purpose of the MS in Organizational Effectiveness, Development and Change (OEDC) is to develop the necessary skills to be an effective agent of change in all forms of organizations. The student will learn the theory, methods, techniques and skills to influence change and develop organizations to maximize effectiveness.  The program is grounded in theory and empirical evidence, focused on critical and analytical thinking and methods of planning and implementing strategies in today’s complex, dynamic and global business environment. 

 

Target population 

 

The majority of students are expected to be mid-career professionals in business and corporate functions.  Most students are expected to have had some supervisory experience and be preparing for positions in increasingly responsible middle to upper management and leadership. Additionally, some students may be preparing for Doctoral level studies in business, management, or organizational behavior/development, or preparing for careers as internal or external organizational consultants.  Students preparing for doctoral work should take a research focus with thesis option.

 

Skills developed through the program

 

Middle and upper management focuses on planning and implementing policies and programs to accomplish strategic goals within the firm.  As such our program focuses on translating strategic goals into operational plans and working with and through people to get those plans adopted and implemented.  Personal development focuses on formation of the self as change agent.  The change process depends on working with and through others, thus there is a heavy emphasis on leadership, influence, interpersonal, team and inter-group collaboration skills.

 

Part II.     Admission

Qualified applicants for MS admission must:

  • Hold the equivalent of a 4-year U.S. Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university.
  • Submit a Graduate Admission Application and one official transcript of all previous academic work.
  • Submit official Graduate Records Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).
  • Submit Application Essays and Resumé.
  • Submit two letters of recommendation from faculty and/or employers.

Recommendation letters should be sent directly to:

Office of Graduate Studies

234 Hullihen Hall

University of Delaware.

Newark, Delaware 19716.

 

Pre-admission interviews may be scheduled for qualified applicants on a case-by-case basis.

Students whose native language is not English also must submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This requirement may be waived if the student has earned a degree from an accredited educational institution in which English is the primary instructional language.  Foreign applicants should also see the international student document requirements at the Office of Graduate Studies Web http://www.udel.edu/gradoffice/applicants/foreignappl.html.

Admission decisions are based upon a number of factors, including:

  • Undergraduate grade point index
  • GMAT or GRE scores
  • Previous graduate study
  • Work experience
  • 2 Letters of recommendation
  • Application essays:
    • What are your vocational objectives and how will your proposed plan of graduate study relate to them?
    • Describe a particularly challenging experience, and how you handled that experience.
    • Are there any special circumstances related to your academic record that you think we should consider?
  • Interview

Students may apply and be admitted on a part- or a full-time basis.

Candidates for admission need not have majored in any specific undergraduate field; however, students are assumed to possess basic skills in written and oral communication, mathematics (normally one year of at least pre-calculus at the college level), and computer usage. Students deficient in any of these areas may be advised to enroll in appropriate courses to improve their skills.

Admission to the graduate program is competitive. Those who meet stated requirements are not guaranteed admission, nor are those who fail to meet all of those requirements necessarily precluded from admission if they offer other appropriate strengths.

 

Application Deadlines:

 

Applications from those who wish to be considered for financial aid must be submitted by February 1st. Early application submission is strongly encouraged although MS program admissions occur on a rolling basis. However, for optimal consideration, part-time students should submit applications by May 1 for Fall Semester admission, and by November 1 for Spring Semester admission.

 

Note: Applications can be submitted before taking the GRE or GMAT. Indicate on your application the scheduled date of your GRE or GMAT exam. However, late exam submission will delay application processing and the admission decision.

 

Every Applicant who has accepted admission must submit a $200 non-refundable deposit by the deadline stated in the acceptance letter to secure a place in the MS in OEDC Program.  The tuition rate per credit for courses in the MS in OEDC program is equivalent to the on-campus Professional MBA program.

 

 

Part III.   Academic

 

A.        Degree Requirements

 

The MS program is a 36 credit program with 24 credits of required coursework, 6-credits of required Thesis or Professional Project, and 6 credits of electives.  The curriculum is scheduled to accommodate the working professional with most courses in the evenings and 1 credit skills modules offered in condensed time periods.  Electives provide options among several courses taught either within the college or across campus and may include specialized modules delivered by practitioners on an adjunct basis. Students have the option of completing a traditional research thesis or a professional project.  Students using the program for professional development should conduct the professional project.  Students who may be using our program as a stepping stone toward Ph.D. admissions should take statistics or research methods courses for their electives and should complete the research thesis.  Students must elect the thesis or professional project option prior to selecting their electives and should do so in consultation with the Program Advisor.  Students must follow the prerequisites listed in the university catalogue in planning the order in which to take courses.  BUAD870 is a prerequisite for many of the courses in the program, so it must be taken early in the program.

 

 

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

Credit  

Course (BUAD unless otherwise noted)

3

800

Strategic Thinking for the Executive Leader

1

807

Interpersonal Skills: Team Development (new)

1

808

Interpersonal Skills: Leading Change (new)

1

809

Interpersonal Skills: Negotiation & Conflict Resolution (new)

3

820

Data Analysis & Quality Management

3

840

Ethical Issues in Domestic and Global Environments

3

870

Understanding People in Organizations (new title)

3

872

Organizational Development & Change

3

875

Strategic Human Resources (new title)

3

878

Leadership in International Business Cultures (new title)

24

TOTAL REQUIRED COURSE CREDITS

6

 

Electives (see below)

6

898

or

869

Professional Project Seminar

 

Thesis

36

TOTAL PROGRAM CREDITS

 

Six credits of elective course selection should be made under consultation with the Program Advisor (see sample electives table below).  Students planning to go on for a Ph.D. degree should elect additional research methods or statistics courses. Students in a human resource/management development role may want to elect courses on curriculum design and evaluation in the School of Education.  Students interested in increasing their general business acumen may elect accounting, finance or economics courses.  The Program Advisor will review the student’s academic background and career objectives in considering any variance to the program on an individual case basis.

 

Sample Electives - Select 6 credits

Other courses may be added to meet individual student’s needs.

Credit

Course

3

ACCT 800 Financial Reporting and Analysis

3

BUAD 890 Strategic Management

1

BUAD 851 Creativity for New Ventures

1

BUAD 854 Project Planning and Management

1

BUAD 855 Strategic, Technical and Industry Analysis

3

ECON 503 Economic Analysis for Business Policy

3

EDUC 640 Intro Curriculum Design

3

EDUC 861 Design & Evaluation of Curriculum

3

EDUC 890 Leadership Theory 

3

FINC 850 Financial Management

3

SOCI 606 Qualitative Methods

 

 

Up to nine semester hours of graduate credit earned prior to matriculation into the MS program or at another institution and not previously counted toward another degree may be accepted toward the University of Delaware MS degree. The course(s) must have been completed:

·         with grades of B or better

·         within five years of the effective date of the requested transfer

Normally, those credits will become eligible for transfer only after the candidate has completed at least nine credit hours as a matriculated MS Program student at the University of Delaware. To begin the process, the student must submit to the Program Advisor a written request for credit evaluation with course descriptions and/or syllabi of courses to be considered for transfer. Courses transferred from other universities count for credits but do not affect the program grade point average.

 

A graduate student must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point index to remain a student in good standing and earn a 3.0 average in all required courses to be eligible for the MS degree. No grade below a C- may be counted toward the course requirements for the degree.

 

All examinations, thesis and professional project reports and oral presentations are in English.  Proficiency in both written and oral English is required for progress and completion of the MS program.

 

Normally part-time students will complete 6-7 credits per semester and can complete the program in just over 2 years.  Full time students generally take a minimum of 12 credits per semester.  Students must complete their degree within the five year time limit established by the University. The Office of Graduate Studies provides guidelines governing possible extensions in cases of special or extenuating circumstances.

 

Candidates for advanced degrees are subject to other requirements as set forth in the University of Delaware Graduate Catalog at http://www.udel.edu/catalog/current/contents.html.

 

B.        Professional Project or Thesis Options

 

Students should choose the professional project or thesis option by the time they complete 15 credits in the program.  Because the thesis option should be combined with research methods and/or statistics electives, it is unlikely that students would switch to the thesis option late in the program.  Students may switch from the thesis to professional project option, however credits taken in the thesis cannot count toward the professional project and professional project credits cannot count toward the thesis.  Students will declare their option with the program advisor and should discuss any changes in advance with the program advisor.

 

B.1 Professional Project Option

 

The professional project is intended to demonstrate proficiency in implementing organizational change through design, conduct and evaluation of an organizational change project in an organizational setting.  Students electing the professional project option must identify their own site in which to conduct the professional project.  Faculty will work with the student to identify and specify the professional project, but it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to identify the site for the professional project.  Students conducting the professional project will register for 6 credits of Professional Project Seminar (3-credits each semester the project is in progress).  The culmination of the project will be a written and oral presentation to the class, faculty and project sponsors in the Professional Project Seminar.  The grade for the Professional Project Seminar is assigned in the semester the project is completed.

 

B.2 Thesis Option

 

Students who elect to write a research thesis must identify a faculty member who is willing to supervise the thesis.  A second reader will be selected in collaboration with the thesis supervisor.  The research thesis will be a scientific study of a topic related to the degree.  The grade will be assigned in the semester in which the thesis is completed.  The thesis must be presented in a departmental research colloquium and a version of the thesis appropriate for publication in an appropriate research journal must be prepared.  The dates for completion of the thesis follow the University of Delaware guidelines for graduation.

 

C.        Continuous Enrollment

 

Students must maintain continuous enrollment in every regular semester (fall and spring) throughout their program.  This can be accomplished by registering for thesis or professional project credit during the time the thesis or project is underway, or by registering for sustaining status.  See the university policy on sustaining status at http://www.udel.edu/gradoffice/current/policysustaining.html

 

Part IV.           Financial Assistance

In general, graduate students receiving financial assistance are required to take 12 hours of course work each semester, and to work a minimum of 10 hours per week on assigned instructional, administrative or research duties. A variety of packages are available to highly qualified MS students who choose to attend on a full-time basis. All awards are competitive, with first year's aid based upon previous academic performance and that of the second year being based upon the prior year's performance in the MS program. Awards include Graduate Assistantships, Corporate Associateships and Fellowships. It is important for students who wish to be considered for a financial aid to apply as early as possible. For example, the Fall semester application deadline is May 1. Students seeking financial aid through the MS in OEDC Program must submit their applications by February 1. See links below for information on external funding opportunities.

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate Assistantships typically feature a minimum 10 hour work obligation for a halftime stipend per academic year, and covers half of the student's tuition expense. Full tuition coverage with full stipends may be awarded to some of the most qualified applicants on a very limited basis.

Students funded on graduate assistantships will be evaluated by their faculty manager on a standard performance appraisal form each semester and continuance on the assistantship will be dependent on a positive evaluation and on maintaining good standing in the program (i.e. 3.0 GPA)

To apply for a financial aid package, simply check the appropriate box(es) on the graduate application.

Other Financial Aid Opportunities

Other Fellowships and Internship opportunities are available through the University and occasionally form other sources.  Interested students should check the Office of Graduate Studies website at http://www.udel.edu/gradoffice/applicants and the Lerner College Graduate and Executive Programs website http://www.gep.udel.edu/ for the most current opportunities.

Residence Hall Directorships

In addition, the University hires Residence Hall Directors from among the ranks of its graduate students. Candidates are chosen for their superior leadership and communication skills, as well as the capability to provide guidance to undergraduates. Hall Directors are eligible for room and board, and full tuition waivers. Contact the Office of Housing and Residence Life at (302) 831-8423 for additional information as soon as possible. Applicants are usually interviewed around mid-April.

 

Part V.     Departmental Operations

 

Occasionally student’s graduate assistantship or other assignments may require the use of departmental laboratories or other facilities.  Keys to laboratories, etc., are maintained in the Department office and will be issued based on faculty and Department Chair approval.

 

Any assignments that require the expenditure of departmental funds (e.g. data collection activities) require departmental approval in advance and are processed through the Department of Business Administration Administrative Assistant located in 236 MBNA America Hall.