Organizational Behavior

Academic Director: Harold G. Kaufman
Administrative Director: Vivek Veeraiah

Goals and Objectives

The graduate program in Organizational Behavior is a unique and pioneering curriculum which prepares professionals and managers to address critical human problems in rapidly changing organizations in today’s technology-driven climate. The program provides the knowledge, skills and technologies to deal effectively with human resource issues in order to achieve high quality innovation and productivity as well as job satisfaction in turbulent organizational settings. The changing nature of work and shifting professional needs are addressed by the continuous updating of the curriculum and addition of cutting-edge courses that focus on the effective management of people and organizations within the context of technological and other types of change.

Graduate Program

The course of study for the Master of Science in Organizational Behavior is for individuals with a wide variety of experiences. These range from human resource practitioners who need to update and broaden their qualifications to those with diverse backgrounds who wish to acquire the expertise to enter a field related to one of the following concentrations:

Human Resource Management
Management of Change
Training and Development
Human Resource Information Systems

In addition, those pursuing careers as managers in a variety of functions benefit greatly from this program. The courses provide the knowledge, skills and technologies needed to effectively manage people, which is essential to being a successful manager.

Some of the unique aspects of the program focus on topics that address rapidly changing organizational environments, such as:

Managing the impact of changing technology on employees and organizations;
Motivating knowledge workers to stay up-to-date with developments in their field;
Conflict resolution in turbulent and uncertain environments;
Designing new organizational structures that are more responsive to rapid change;
Improving utilization of knowledge workers through talent management and coaching;
Training and development innovations to cope with changing job requirements;
Utilizing job and workplace design to improve motivation and performance;
Applying career management to knowledgeworkers in restructuring firms;
Addressing human resource issues in organizationsaffected by globalization;
Developing effective leadership and teamworkin dealing with change;
Outsourcing as a human capital strategy toaddress changing organizational needs; and
Enhancing organizational effectiveness through human resource information systems and web-based human resource technologies.

Because most Polytechnic students are working professionals, many with managerial responsibilities, class schedules are offered in the evenings after normal office hours. Seminar-style classes, emphasizing participation and discussion, enable Organizational Behavior students to receive individual attention from faculty and to work closely with classmates, often in teams. The degree can be completed in one to two years, depending on the course load.

Professional Recognition and Career Development

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has assessed the Organizational Behavior HR curriculum as being aligned with the guidelines of SHRM. Moreover, the Organizational Behavior Program sponsors an active, award-winning student chapter of the SHRM that was selected as one of the top ten in the country. The chapter provides extracurricular opportunities for professional seminars, workshops, networking and mentoring to enhance individual career development.

With the unique knowledge and skills acquired from the Organizational Behavior Program, combined with professional development activities, graduates have been able to pursue successful careers in prestigious firms, ranging from high-tech to financial institutions as well as in the public sector, or as private consultants.

Admission and Degree Requirements

Criteria for admission include a bachelor’s degree with at least a B average from an accredited college or university and demonstrated evidence of motivation, maturity and the ability to benefit from and contribute to professional graduate studies in Organizational Behavior. Applicants who do not meet all the criteria may be admitted as nondegree students with the opportunity, subsequently, to become a degree candidate. Satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) may be used as additional support for admission to degree studies.

Students who have not completed an undergraduate course in statistics must enroll in MG-GY 5050 Probability and Managerial Statistics or its equivalent. Students without an adequate background in computers may be required to enroll in one or more of the preparatory courses offered by the Department of Computer and Information Sciences. These courses are in addition to the degree requirements of 12 courses or 36 credits, which must be completed with an average of B or better.

A maximum of 9 transfer credits may be granted for graduate courses completed elsewhere, as evaluated by the Academic Director.

The most current information on the Master of Science program in Organizational Behavior can be found on the program’s website.

Advanced Certificate Programs

Graduate certificate programs, designed primarily for professionals and managers with work experience, are offered in the two following fields:

Individualized programs enable specialists and generalists to improve and update their knowledge and skills in critical areas ranging from talent management to the redesign of jobs and organizations to human resource information systems.

Applicants for certificate programs must hold a bachelor’s degree. A certificate program requires five courses. In consultation with the Academic Director, students may design a custom-made certificate program with relevant courses to meet their professional development requirements.

Those who choose to apply for a Master of Science in Organizational Behavior are able, upon admission, to apply all courses completed for a certificate toward fulfillment of the graduate degree requirements. Additional information may be obtained from the Academic Director of the Organizational Behavior Program.

Programs for Distance Learning Students

The Master of Science in Organizational Behavior as well as the advanced certificate programs may be completed partly or completely via distance learning. The program offers fully accredited graduate courses, which are blended in a unique format to allow students the opportunity to actually participate in classroom lectures and discussions. This format has proven to be effective for students who cannot physically attend the class because of work demands, home/child care responsibilities or medical disabilities. Permission to participate as a distance learning student must be obtained from the Academic Director.

Programs

Graduate Certificate

Master of Science