Most of us can agree on one thing- change is constant. Change across many industries and markets is leading to a surge of career opportunities in organizational leadership. Dominick Peruso, Chair of the Department of Accounting, Business, and Economics, states, “COVID-19 ushered in an era of need for systemic change and innovation within organizations. It has impacted everything from working remotely to employee recruitment. When you couple that with emerging issues in diversity, technology, and ethics, you can see why organizations are quick to hire experts in this area.”
Before COVID, many publications shared that organizational leadership careers would remain in demand across the corporate, education, government, and healthcare sectors through 2026. As a result of COVID, this outlook has grown – with many professionals citing a decade-long upward trend. The reason? We have fundamentally changed the way we do business. Everything has changed; how we communicate with our employees, where they work, how we develop them for career growth, and how we deal with disciplinary action situations. So many of our leaders are specialized. Leaders focusing on organizational leadership (OL) are trained to develop frameworks for an organization’s success.
So what does that mean in real life?
Instead of limited siloed training, organizational leadership combines knowledge in human resource management with data analytics and even change direction, leading the needs behind this accelerated trend.
Young professionals across the United States have an opportunity to take advantage of this timing. While many students are considering developing a pathway that allows them to transition into an OL Master’s program, those already working in corporate, education, government, and healthcare sectors, should consider the potential ROI of this investment in their future. Professionals who are taking the time to invest in their education as it applies to current demand almost always see an ROI. Many of these individuals end up as CEOs, COOs, mayors, governors, and even college and university presidents. Depending on the industry, incomes can escalate well over $100,000.
For those looking into this pathway, be prepared to acquire the technical expertise needed to develop strategy, gain knowledge of organizational behavior, improve your ability to communicate effectively with individuals and teams, learn to make ethical decisions, plan strategically, and motivate members of your organization.
What makes Juniata’s OL program special?
The Juniata College OL program is interdisciplinary in nature and includes business, math, communication, peace and conflict studies, ethics, and psychology. Our interdisciplinary approach enhances creative approaches to problem-solving, analytic and critical thinking, and collaboration. Our peace and conflict studies are known for innovative and practical curriculum, as administered by the Baker Institute. Those skills are used daily by leaders in a wide variety of organizations and prove especially useful for those who hope to rise above conflict to inspire change and innovation. This program is also an excellent master’s program for businesses to encourage their employees to explore.
Nicole Bopp, Assistant Director of Admission, shares, “It’s encouraging to see an upward trend in interest in this program. However, we know this remains a hidden gem of a program. With the new ease and high-quality outcomes of online graduate programs, we expect our enrollment to surge along with the trends.”
If you have questions about the program, please contact us directly.
