Throughout Arizona, professionals with degrees in organizational leadership almost inevitably go on to serve as key members of management and executive teams, establishing organizational culture and heading up initiatives in companies, nonprofits, and other organizations. At nearly every level of business and industry, you’ll find experts whose focus rests solely on driving organizational change through the teams they lead. Whether their job title is department head, operations director, project manager, or CEO, their expertise in conflict management, team building, and managing change helps to ensure organizational objectives are achieved. Whether they’re spearheading new business initiatives or coordinating efforts between departments or across companies, business leaders with the unique skillset that comes with a degree in organizational leadership make things happen.
Take Intel Corporation, for instance, which recently announced plans to expand its Arizona manufacturing capacity by building two factories at a cost of about $20 billion. The result of this massive expansion will be 3,000 more high-tech jobs and more than 3,000 construction jobs. An expansion of operations – and, in turn, growing numbers of employees – naturally relies on effective organizational leadership to coordinate, lead, and rally both new and existing teams around a common mission.
Organizational leadership degrees are a fantastic way for both aspiring and practicing managers and leaders to elevate their skillset and rise through the corporate ranks. Bachelor’s degrees in organizational leadership provide rising HR and management pros with opportunities to achieve senior-level titles, while master’s degrees in organizational leadership (MSOL, MAOL, MMOL, and MBA) position mid-level managers to compete for senior and even executive positions. Operators director, leadership and development specialist, management consultant, president… the sky’s the limit in Arizona with a degree in organizational leadership.
Arizona Political Figures From Both Sides of the Aisle – Resolving Conflicts, Taking Charge, and Changing the World
The ability to lead others to affect change isn’t unique to business. In fact, the qualities of today’s organizational leadership degree program graduates translate into effective leadership in nearly every type of organization, industry, or initiative, to include even politics and social reform. Arizona’s no shrinking violet when it comes to big names in organizational leadership. Leaders, trailblazers, changemakers… whatever you want to call them, these Arizona figures have made names for themselves, not just in the state but throughout the nation, and for good reason:
Jean Fairfax – Best known for her efforts aimed at expanding educational opportunities for minority students in Phoenix, Jean Fairfax was a civil rights advocate and philanthropist who made lasting inroads toward racial equality. During the 1960s-70s, she worked for the ACLU’s legal defense fund, which helped Southern black families integrate into desegregated schools. She worked to affect positive change for more than 50 years in the Phoenix Union High School District, employing the fundamentals of organizational leadership at every turn. Both she and her sister, Betty, also joined forces in establish the Betty H. & Jean E. Fairfax Fund for Educational Equity.
Gabrielle Giffords – Giffords was a politician and trailblazer in her own right, being the youngest woman ever to be elected to the Arizona State Senate. Giffords was tragically shot and permanently injured while attending a political event near Tucson in 2011. Never to be deterred, Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, have since worked tirelessly to improve gun laws through the anti-gun violence organization they formed. In 2019, on the eighth anniversary of the day she was shot, Giffords returned to Capitol Hill to help House Democrats introduce a bill that would require background checks for private gun sales.
John McCain – Vietnam War hero, politician, businessman – John McCain was a major force in the Arizona legislature since 1982. He served Arizona in the U.S. Senate from 1987 until his death in 2018. McCain even became the Republican nominee for president in 2008. Despite being a POW in Vietnam, McCain championed to restore diplomatic relations with the country, which he achieved in 1995. He also became chairman of the Armed Services Committee and sought a bipartisan solution to immigration reform, all of which demonstrated classic organizational leadership skills.
What You Can Do in Arizona With a Master’s or Bachelor’s Degrees in Organizational Leadership
Professionals in organizational leadership lead teams in education, healthcare, politics, nonprofit agencies, government entities, the military, and of course, business and industry. Whether a company or organization is looking to develop strong teams or build new ones; plan new initiatives or improve upon existing ones; or adjust to changing economic conditions to better compete in the global marketplace, experts in organizational leadership lend their talents to drive meaningful organizational change.
This means that opportunities in this field are as wide-ranging and plentiful as you’d imagine. Just some of the new initiatives and programs in Arizona that call for the kind of skills that are best developed through bachelor’s, MAOL, MSOL, and MBA programs in organizational leadership include:
- TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and major supplier to Apple, will construct a second chip factory in Arizona. According to The Wall Street Journal, TSMC’s investment is expected to total about $12 billion.
- EMD Electronics is looking to expand its operations in Chandler with its new semiconductor and display material manufacturing facility. The company’s expansion is projected to total about $28 million and create more than 100 jobs.
- As of FY2023, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council reported it was working with about 61 international businesses who are interested in bringing their operations to the region – that’s an increase of about 85 percent in the last decade.
- Global battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution announced a $1.4 billion investment in its first cylindrical-type battery manufacturing facility in Queen Creek. This expansion will create thousands of new jobs.
Universities in Arizona Offering Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees in Organizational Leadership
A growing number of colleges and universities now offer organizational leadership degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels—and why not? This emerging area of business management/leadership is valued in all industries and sectors. For aspiring business professionals, a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership serves as a solid foundation for mid-management leadership positions.
And for established business and HR professionals in any industry, a Master of Science (MSOL), Master of Arts (MAOL), or MBA in organizational leadership provides an outstanding way to refine effective leadership skills and climb the corporate ladder.
You’ll find many options for graduate degrees in organizational leadership. For example, some programs provide dual majors in business and organizational leadership, while others offer a number of concentrations that allow students to personalize their program to suit their specific professional goals. And many programs are offered in a partially or fully online format to provide a flexible course of study for today’s busy, working professionals.
Arizona State University
College of Integrative Science and Arts
Accreditation: HLC
Public School
Campus, online
BS in Organizational Leadership
- Project Management
MS in Organizational Leadership
Also offers:
AA in Organizational Leadership, BA in Business (Global Leadership)
Doctor of Professional Practice (DPP) in Global Leadership and Management
Ottawa University - Phoenix
Accreditation: HLC
Private School
Campus, online
BA in Leadership and Management
- Economics
- Finance
- HR
MA in Leadership
Pima Medical Institute - Tucson
Accreditation: ABHES (Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools)
Private School
Online
MS in Organizational Leadership
Also offers:Â Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership
University of Phoenix - Arizona
Accreditation: HLC
Private School
Online
