Undergraduate Major in Organization Behavior: Business Leadership
The accelerated Business Leadership program gives busy professionals the opportunity to complete their undergraduate education at Northwestern University in as little as two years. Students complete an interdisciplinary major in organization behavior with a focus on business and leadership. Students learn not only about organizations but also how to maximize performance within organizations as they develop communication, teamwork, analytical and problem-solving skills.
Business Leadership program courses are offered in an accelerated cohort – in two years, students complete a prescribed schedule of courses that meet Saturday mornings and afternoons combined with instructor-facilitated online sessions and collaborative work with their classmates. In the second year, online courses are added to accelerate progress toward the degree. Students will earn three milestones during their Business Leadership program coursework.
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About Organization Behavior: Business Leadership
Business Leadership Program Features & Goals
Program Features
A high achieving community of learners
Students who enter the program have significant work experience and take courses together in a cohort, creating a community of professionals who bring commitment and drive to their education.
Leadership focus for professional advancement
Providing a strong focus on leadership, the program emphasizes the strategies and problem-solving skills students need to move ahead in their professions.
Innovative, interactive courses
Courses in the program are based on a best-practice model for adult education. Both classroom experiences and online components stress interactive learning, teamwork and project-based curricula. Instructors function as facilitators, mentors and learning coaches, ensuring a high degree of interaction with students.
Program Goals
Graduates will be prepared to:
- Integrate principles of leadership and organizational behavior with other social sciences, communication studies, and the fundamentals of business for application to real-world scenarios
- Demonstrate analytic, communication, collaborative and problem-solving leadership skills
- Lead, communicate, and work effectively with diverse individuals and teams across organizations
- Analyze the effects of behavior at individual, team and organizational levels within an organization
- Demonstrate the ability to make the crucial decisions required of leaders of complex organizations
- Use technology to enhance organizational and individual productivity
- Leverage their strengths to become reflective, efficient and effective leaders through one-on-one leadership coaching
Business Leadership Program Curriculum
The Business Leadership major curriculum is completed by students who move through a two-year schedule of on-campus and online courses in a cohort. View an outline of the courses and schedule for each year at Business Leadership Curriculum.Business Leadership Admission & Transfer Policy
Application to Northwestern University School of Professional Studies bachelor's degree programs is completed online. Once admitted, many students create a shorter path to degree completion by applying transfer credit. View detailed application instructions and transfer credit policies on the Admission & Transfer Policy page.
Business Leadership Tuition & Financial Aid
The School of Professional Studies offers competitive tuition rates for undergraduate courses. The Tuition & Financial Aid page lists current per-course tuition rates in addition to financial aid and scholarship opportunities.
Registration for Business Leadership
Registration for courses opens 8 to 10 weeks before each quarter and is accessed CAESAR, Northwestern's online student records system. View course registration timelines and instructions on the Registration Information page.
Career Options for Business Leadership
Business Leadership, a specialized program within the organization behavior major, emphasizes leadership principles and practices for management, while integrating insights from the social sciences and building communication skills, as well as financial literacy. See the Business Leadership Career Options page for details.
Business Leadership Program FAQs
Read frequently asked questions about academic, program and admission information on the Business Leadership FAQs page.Find out more about Organization Behavior: Business Leadership