Course Catalog
Students begin the program with core courses that pave the way for more complex learning. They then progress into the concentration courses that delve further into their specific area of interest and expand their scope of learning. After successfully completing both the core and concentration courses, students use the skills learned within the program in a practical problem-solving Capstone Project.
Select a course below for more details:
- Core Courses
- Concentration Courses
- Capstone Project
Organization Management and Leadership – 4 credits
This course combines theory and practice by encouraging students to learn traditional and contemporary leadership theories and apply them in analyzing the behavior of leaders, colleagues, and subordinates. Through a variety of readings, cases, and exercises, students will examine effective leadership models. Topics include the evolution of leadership; the roles of strategy and vision in transformational change; the development of leaders; the leadership responsibilities of creating effective teams, organizations, and cultures; the exploration of different leadership styles; and current popular approaches to leadership theory. Specific attention is paid during the course to managing the diverse workforce; mission critical leadership skills for success in a global economy; public accountability and transparency; appraising and developing human capital; and proactive management of expectations related to socially responsible business.
Managing Projects in Organizations – 4 credits
This course defines the terminology of project management, and describes the stages of the project life cycle. Students are introduced to the underlying principles and various techniques for managing new programs and projects. This course presents an overview of managing a project from start to finish. Students will examine project organizational structure, work breakdown, scheduling, budgeting, costing, resource allocation, and human resource considerations throughout the project process. Topics include the management of human resources and team building; planning and control; scope management; time and cost management; quality and risk management; and technical tools, including GANTT and PERT charting. Specific attention is paid during the course to assessing and managing impact on project stakeholders; contingency planning; the role of strategic partnerships; and managing the impact of external stakeholders.
Professional and Organizational Ethics: A Global Perspective – 4 credits
This course explores and analyzes the relationships among stakeholders in business and the global economy. The moral implications of the organization and its decisions are explored. Included are their social effects, and the tension that exists between achieving desirable outcomes and attending to the means by which they are achieved. Topics include theories of morality; analysis of ethical decision-making; interaction and conflicts among personal, professional, and organizational values; the effect of cultural diversity on individual and group values; current issues related to the "flattening" of the business environment; and the impact of ethical considerations on the responsible achievement of business goals. Individual and collective choice, and how they figure in the management of competitive environments and the organization's position on contemporary moral issues are the focus of the course.
Managerial Accounting and Finance for Leadership – 4 credits
This course equips students to more effectively and ethically lead and influence in situations where financial issues play a key role, with particular attention to public fiscal management. This course serves as an introduction to the concepts and principles of financial management and managerial accounting, focusing on the development and use of budgets for planning and control, demonstrating accountability, and establishing priorities within an organization. Students will explore the tools and techniques available to maximize the use of scarce resources, and the implications of public funding and cost accounting for programs and initiatives within the organization. Special attention is paid to strategies for managing scarcity; the role and implications of financial disclosure; and maximizing the effectiveness of financial managers in interdepartmental decision-making and on cross-functional teams.
Strategic Planning and Policy – 4 credits
This course will examine the process of strategic planning. Organizations are undergoing a series of revolutionary changes, including vertical integration, horizontal consolidation, strategic alliances and joint ventures, entrepreneurial startups, and development of specialized niche networks. This course will critically examine these changes, and discuss the various strategic decisions and managerial skills needed to confront them in a variety of forms in organizations. The primary focus of the course is on the strategy of the business unit, which is the foundational level for competitive analysis, and an analysis of the issues central to the firm's short-term and long-term competitive success. Using a combination of case studies and industry field research, students will assume the roles of key decision-makers and/or advisors in analyzing these issues and offering recommendations for strategic change.
Organizational Development and Leading Change - 4 credits
This course examines change as a focused leadership activity designed to bring about specific conditions, to redirect action or to implement a particular process, product or system. Topics address purposeful, planned and consciously directed change and transition within an organization. Through case studies, individual and group exercises, students will be introduced to tools and techniques for engaging people at all levels of the organization in successful and lasting transition and transformation. Special attention is paid during the course to the role of organizational culture during times of change; the dynamics of power imbalance; accurately assessing stakeholder interests, blocs, and coalitions; overcoming resistance to change; and the source, purpose, and adoption of best practices.
Organizational Communication, Conflict Resolution and Negotiation - 4 credits
This course explores the psychological contract between leader and follower that take many forms between two people or between the leader and small groups. Students study group formation and group development as well as the intricacies of coaching, mentoring, conflict resolution and mentoring. Students study organizational behavior and explore how these concepts affect leadership effectiveness. Students will examine organizational communication including formal and informal communication, as well as the relationship of communication to organizational satisfaction and effectiveness. Topics include: preparing for a negotiation, understanding individual preferences, identifying ethical and cross-cultural issues that might arise when and what kind of outside resources may be and assess the importance of coaching and open communication when inspiring individuals to overcome barriers to peak performance. Special attention is paid during the course to exercising leadership in "getting to yes"; special issues related to communication technology; the role of social networking in organizational culture; and leading development of an organizational communication plan.
Economics of Leadership – 4 credits
This course is an analysis of economics from the perspectives of business leaders and the decisions that they make. Topics identify the role that economic analysis plays in strategic planning and decision-making, as a vital part of the environment in which organizations operate and plan their futures. Topics covered will include the interaction between governments, markets, and the organization; assessing the effects and limitations of organizational control of factors of production and market dynamics; and careful analysis of the meaning of "the global economy." Special attention is paid during the course to the implications of economic inequities internationally; the impact of economic policy on operations management; and the role of leadership in interpreting economic conditions and crafting responsive strategy.
Master's Capstone Project - 4 credits
In this summative course in the program, each student will undertake a major investigation of a significant leadership and management challenge. Students propose either a public policy initiative or an organizational change or innovation that is responsive to the problem they have identified. In the process of researching the problem and proposing an evidence-based solution or improvement, students integrate principles, theories, and methods learned in required program courses.
Students may enroll in a non-credit self-study Proposal Development course, whenever and as often as they wish. The Proposal Development course guides them in writing an approvable proposal. Once the proposal is approved and students have completed all other courses in their program, they may enroll in the Capstone course. During this final course in the program, students will gather and analyze their research, and create a viable strategic plan for implementing their project.
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The OnlineNEC Experience
New England College (NEC) has a rich tradition of academic excellence. Our online programs are designed for professionals who have already achieved success in their careers and who want to enrich their knowledge with advanced study.
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