Doctor of Psychology, Organizational Leadership Specialization

Summary:

Enhance your organizational leadership career potential through advanced coursework without relocating or discontinuing work when you pursue your Doctor of Psychology (PsyD), Organizational Leadership Specialization degree online from University of the Rockies. By integrating the theories and applications of psychology with elements of business and leadership, you will acquire a unique background to enhance your employment options.

Program Emphasis:

Learn the theoretical and practical study of psychology as applied to organizational environments with the objective of understanding human behavior, characteristics, and performance dynamics. Your programmatic goals are to increase your individual leadership potential and enhance organizational effectiveness through the application of knowledge and interventions that raise individual performance, improve process relationships, enhance understandings of culture and equity and promote leadership.

Your PsyD program provides a deeper and broader emphasis in the same areas and for the same career goals as the MA curriculum. This program includes a more extensive research component and broader applications of a more in-depth knowledge through both coursework and required, supervised practica. The Doctor of Psychology further enriches your preparation in research and in the field through the process of proposing, writing, and defending a dissertation.

Degree Completion Requirements:

To be eligible for the PsyD, Organizational Leadership Specialization, you must successfully complete the following:

  • program coursework of 62-68 credits
  • attend in-residence weekends in Colorado Springs (Friday midday to Sunday midday - dates TBD) for courses ORG 7270, ORG 7100, ORG 8522
  • successful defense of your dissertation
  • a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0
  • submission of Petition to Graduate and applicable fees

Program Outline:

Take advantage of the flexible course offerings, as follows:

  • Online courses are offered in an accelerated 6-week format and can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Online courses are taken one at a time.
  • Courses are listed in the recommended sequence

Courses:

ORG 5001 Survey of Psychology I (3 credits)*

This course is a survey course developed to assist students with degrees in areas other than psychology to become prepared for graduate study in psychology. Survey I covers an introduction to research, basic psychotherapeutic concepts, cognitive development, sexual development and issues, child issues, family therapy and other therapies, learning and memory and ethics. This course is the first of two survey courses in this preparation process.

ORG 5002 Survey of Psychology II (3 credits)*

This course is the second of two survey courses. This course covers a brief history of psychology, psychoanalytic theories of personality as well as other personality theories, human motives and social motives, psychological therapies and questions about psychotherapy, intelligence measurement, personality traits and their measurement, social relation in groups, stress, health and illness and mind, self and well being. Prerequisite: ORG 5001.

ORG 7509 History & Systems of Psychology (3 credits)

This course introduces students to the theoretical systems, methods of inquiry, and terminologies associated with the history of psychology. The course is grounded in a broad historical understanding that builds a framework for understanding the contemporary field of psychology. The focus is on the major systems of Associationism, Structuralism, Functionalism, Behaviorism, Gestalt, Psychodynamic, and Existential/Humanistic.

ORG 7510 Biological Bases of Behavior (3 credits)

This course is designed to provide the student with a foundation of human physiology including the nervous, hormonal, reproductive, and sensory systems, and the attendant functions of digestion, sleep, learning and memory, emotion and other human biological functions. The course provides an essential knowledge base for most other offerings in the field of psychology.

ORG 7600 Family Systems (3 credits)

This course is an introduction to the systems approach to intervention with families. It includes a historical perspective on family theory development. The focus is on obtaining knowledge and theory about the nuclear family in traditional and alternative forms. Normal family patterns of interaction, family life cycle, family of origin, family subsystems, and societal influence are explored. Contemporary issues and outcome research literature are reviewed. This course serves as a knowledge base for further study of assessment, treatment, and intervention with families.

ORG 7210 Adult Psychopathology & Treatment I (3 credits)

This course focuses on the etiology and diagnosis of adult psychopathological disorders. Students develop skills in case conceptualization and addressing adult disorders, and differential diagnosis. Benefits and limitations of the diagnostic process are reviewed.

ORG 7260 Adult Psychopathology & Treatment II (3 credits)

This course examines the methods and techniques employed to assist adult clients in the change process with specific reference to problem diagnosis, case conceptualization, and construction of a systematic treatment plan, emerging treatment revision, assessment of outcome, termination, and ethical issues in the treatment process. While placing treatment within a theoretical context, the real emphasis in this course is on treatment techniques aimed at symptom and problem reduction. Prerequisite: ORG 7210 or equivalent.

ORG 7270 Theories & Techniques of Group Counseling & Psychotherapy (3 credits)+

This course is a study of the history, theory, and practice of group counseling and psychotherapy. Several major contemporary models of group counseling are examined. Instructional methods include both didactic presentations and experiential methods. Students are afforded the opportunity to participate in a training group as a group member and as a leader. A strong emphasis is placed on ethical standards and self-assessment of personal strengths and weaknesses that affect group leadership. Prerequisites: ORG 7210 and ORG 7260, or equivalent.

ORG 7300 Advanced Seminar: Statistics and Psychometrics in Organizations (3 credits)

This course emphasizes the application of statistical concepts related to distributions and methods applicable in organizational leadership. The approach emphasizes quantitative approaches, and analysis and synthesis of research findings based upon statistical inference. Topics include sampling theory applied to organizational research, univariate and multivariate analysis of data sets collected within and about organizations. Various statistical tools and methods include analysis of variance, covariance, linear regression, multiple regression, and meta analysis. Emphasis is placed upon critique and analysis of data collected in organizations, including published articles and the methods applied in those publications.

ORG 7400 Research Design & Methods - Quantitative (3 credits)

This course extends a student's knowledge of the principles and procedures involved in complex behavioral sciences research. The goal is to provide the student with an educational experience that allows him or her to become an informed consumer of scholarly psychological research. The course also prepares the student to conduct advanced research. Topics include philosophy of science, advanced research methods, and analysis of variance. Prerequisite: ORG 7300.

ORG 7410 Research Design and Methods - Qualitative (3 credits)

Readings and exercises in this course emphasize design, analysis, and research concepts most appropriate to investigating intangibles and common data in psychological modeling. Techniques of methodological design related to observational, evaluative, systemic, psycho-historical, phenomenological, heuristic, mythic, and case methods are emphasized. Other course topics include data collection, reliability, validity, data summary and analysis, data reporting, influences on response rate, techniques of survey sampling (mail, questionnaire, and telephone surveys), and semi-structured interview schedules. Research issues of protection of human subjects, privacy, and confidentiality are also addressed. Students are supervised and share experiences gained while preparing to develop, administer, and analyze qualitative research projects. Emphasis is placed on the role that qualitative methodologies play in the world of research.

ORG 7100 Assessment - Objective Personality (3 credits)+

This course involves the study of the theory and practice of objective personality assessment. The course focuses on how objective personality assessment is used to provide information in educational, psychiatric, industrial, and medical practice. Primary emphasis is on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - 2nd Edition, and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory - 3rd Edition. Secondary emphasis is on the Personality Assessment Inventory and tests of normal personality functioning. In addition, the student gains familiarity with numerous scales and inventories used to measure functioning in educational, industrial, and psychiatric practice.

ORG 8966-8970 Organizational Practicum I-V (6 credits)

Students obtain direct organizational experience during one or more organizational consulting opportunities. Each student has a University of the Rockies practicum supervisor as well as an on-site supervisor. Students have the opportunity to serve in a variety of roles related to their chosen specialization. They also have the opportunity to work with a variety of leadership styles and organizational cultures as part of their practicum experience. Students locate practicum sites based on their particular interests with the support of the OL faculty and Dean. Students must complete each term or practicum before registering for the subsequent term.

ORG 8530 Influence, Motivation and Persuasion in the Workplace (3 credits)

This advanced graduate seminar explores theories of motivating adult performance in the workplace. The exploration includes theories and application of methods for leaders to influence and persuade others in ways that motivate and engage them in their work and their organization's mission. Prerequisite: 30 semester hours of graduate work in organizational leadership, clinical or counseling psychology, or the equivalent.

ORG 8512 Leadership and Organizational Cultures (3 credits)

This course addresses the key relationships among organizational culture, executing business strategy, structuring organizations into teams and workgroups, and aligning these with culture. The role of leaders in creating, maintaining, and changing culture gets special emphasis. The course includes current theories on the role of culture in organizational success and the role of leadership in guiding the organization and its culture toward successful outcomes.

ORG 8520 Coaching for High Performance (3 credits)

Students in this course are familiarized with the current literature and ethics of executive coaching. In addition, the course trains students in effective methods of organizational coaching: helping managers and other executives transform themselves in areas where they are ineffective, reshape their values, communicate more effectively in the workplace, and challenge them to achieve higher levels of performance. Because this is a two tiered process, students also learn to train leaders in organizations to coach direct reports, peers, and superiors to enhance their growth and development and thus impact the entire organization in a positive way.

ORG 8534 Advanced Seminar: Human Resources Business Strategy (3 credits)

This advanced graduate seminar explores issues and models for leveraging human resources to execute business strategy. Topics include succession planning, leadership development models, workforce staffing models, compensation models, and training and development strategies. Prerequisite: 30 semester hours of graduate work in organizational leadership, clinical or counseling psychology, or the equivalent.

ORG 8522 Transformational Leadership, Coaching Top Level Executives (3 credits)+

Many major companies have made coaching and leadership development a core part of executive development. This course takes the next step in examining the theories of leadership with emphasis on linking theory and practice to create effective organizational leaders.

ORG 8500 Advanced Topics in Organizational Consulting (3 credits)

This course focuses on the application of psychological principles to the workplace and how psychologists can facilitate the improvement of work environments, conditions, employee performance, and interpersonal/team functioning. In addition, the course provides a review of the basic theory, research, and practice in organizational training, development, and behavior. Topics covered include job performance and attitudes, work motivation, personnel selection and classification, group influence, and training and development. There is an emphasis on the contribution of specific psychological skills in organizational consultation.

ORG 8535 Organizational Consulting as a Business (3 credits)

Organizational consulting is a partnership between the consultant, the organization and its leadership, in which all involved agree on the specific goals and parameters of the contract. Topics include establishing and marketing the consultant's unique skills as well as basic business management. Also emphasized are the ethical, legal, and business obligations of the person engaged in the consulting profession.

ORG 8990 Dissertation (5 credits)++

Students writing a dissertation must complete a total of 5 credits by registering for five consecutive terms of dissertation credit, one credit per term. Students may not register for dissertation credit until they have completed all other course work including their practicum. Dissertations are written per the policies, practices and procedures in the Dissertation Handbook.

Total credits 62-68


* Students entering the program without a Bachelor's or Master's degree in psychology or a related field are required to successfully complete ORG 5001 Survey of Psychology I (3 credits) and ORG 5002 Survey of Psychology II (3 credits) as part of the program. These two courses are designed to prepare students for the remainder of the program.

+ Contains a weekend in-residence requirement in Colorado Springs (Friday midday to Sunday midday). Dates will be published in advance. Travel and related expenses are your responsibility.

++ The oral defense of the Dissertation is required for graduation with a PsyD from University of the Rockies. The purpose of the Dissertation is to ensure that the student has mastered the ability to pursue a systematic investigation, which examines significant issues or problems in applied psychology. The Dissertation requirement is also designed to contribute to the student's knowledge, skills, and research expertise in psychology. Students choose a topic that addresses carefully chosen research questions that the student then investigates with quantitative or qualitative research, with a meta-analysis, or with a program design or program evaluation with human, as opposed to animal subjects. Time lines for completion of the Dissertation as well as a detailed explanation of each step and requirements in the process are described in the University of the Rockies Dissertation Handbook.