Realize Your Leadership Potential
Increase your influence and expand your career with an online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) from Saint Mary’s. Our rigorous curriculum and unique online learning structure will build your creative problem-solving skills while empowering you to lead—enabling any team to reach its full potential.
This 36-credit, 24-month online organizational leadership master’s degree program is designed to help you become an adaptable, ethical, and tech-savvy leader who can contribute to real and lasting change in your organization. You will learn how to overcome organizational challenges, manage conflict, and develop those around you.
Through Saint Mary’s organizational leadership master’s degree, you’ll not only cultivate your skills but grow into an ethical, lifelong learner and leader who is capable of creating real, effective change in your current organization and beyond.
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The MAOL Difference
Begin your ascent to leadership with Saint Mary’s online MAOL program. The online coursework prepares you to drive positive change, manage teams, and improve organizational effectiveness. Thanks to the flexible format, you can continue thriving in your current career while developing expertise for your next move.
Program Highlights
- Clustered Curriculum Design Categorized by Subject-Area Features Overlapping and Progressive Course Structure
- Digital Badging and Graduate Certificates Available
- Develop Deep Rapport & Engagement with Peers with the Built-In Cohort Network
- Discover scholarships available through our partnerships with several regional and national employers. See if your employer is part of our Trusted Partnership Program. Learn more.
MAOL Program Accreditation
This program is accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), recognizing our commitment to delivering business education that aligns with the university’s mission of developing confident, competent, and ethical leaders for today’s changing business environment.
This accreditation not only reflects the high quality of our graduates — who possess in-demand skills valued by employees — but also reflects the strong presence of the Lasallian mission in action, as witnessed by the IACBE in every interaction with students, alumni, faculty, staff, leaders, and external business partners. At Saint Mary’s, we deliver on our promises. They go beyond words — they’re a commitment we live by.
Course Requirements
Learn more about the courses required when you get your Master’s in Organizational Leadership at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Specialize with Graduate Certificates
Saint Mary’s offers graduate certificates so you can specialize your Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) degree and accelerate your advancement potential. Choose from the following:
Share Your Success
Saint Mary’s supports your success by providing you with the tools necessary to not only achieve your professional goals but to share them with the world—especially the digital world.
As part of our commitment, Saint Mary’s offers an opportunity for you to be awarded digital badges. Digital badges are a graphic verification representing your achievement after completing a specific online course or program.
Admissions
Our Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) admission requirements give us a deeper understanding of why organizational leadership is important to you. This program is designed to develop you into the in-demand leader companies are looking for. With that in mind, as we consider applications, we want to know more than your GPA. We’re looking to get to know you, your career goals, and your strengths.
- An undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution
- A minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.00 scale (If your overall GPA is below 2.75, you may receive conditional status in the program at the discretion of the MAOL program director)
No prerequisite coursework is required for the online MAOL program other than the general requirements listed above.
A background in leadership is not a prerequisite to joining this program. You don’t need prior work experience or a related bachelor’s degree to be accepted.
GRE and GMAT scores are not required.
Saint Mary’s organizational leadership program requires a total of 36 graduate-level credit hours delivered in six clusters of leadership classes over 24 months. The carefully designed structure of the program means transfer credits are not accepted.
Work experience is not accepted as credit for this program.
Students with transcripts from universities outside the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada (except for the Quebec Province) are required to take and pass English proficiency testing.
Saint Mary’s accepts the:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 72
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum score of 6.0
- Michigan Language Assessment Battery (MELAB) with a minimum score of 74%
- International Test of English Proficiency (ITEP) with a minimum score of 4.0 or Pearson Test of English with a score of 51
- Duolingo with a minimum score of 100
Whether you apply online via hard copy, or in-person with a Saint Mary’s admissions counselor, your application must include the following items:
- Official transcripts: An official transcript issued to Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota from the institution posting the applicant’s completed degree and other relevant transcripts documenting program prerequisites and potential transfer credits must be sent separately and directly from your institution. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota accepts official transcripts electronically from previously attended institutions. Transcripts should be sent to oladmissions@smumn.edu or mailed to:
Transcript Processing Center
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
851 Trafalgar Court, Suite 420
Maitland, FL 32751 - A written statement: Use your written statement to highlight the things that set you apart from other candidates, including your interest in leadership, any previous experiences or personal strengths that contribute to your application, your career goals, and how a master’s in organizational leadership will help you achieve them
- Two references: Please provide the names of two people (including title, organization, email, and phone number) who can serve as professional references, if needed, during the application review process. The best references are those who know you professionally, such as current or former supervisors
- An up-to-date résumé: Include both your educational and professional experience
- Official transcripts: An official transcript issued to Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota from the institution posting the applicant’s completed degree and other relevant transcripts documenting program prerequisites and potential transfer credits must be sent separately and directly from your institution. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota accepts official transcripts electronically from previously attended institutions. Transcripts should be sent to oladmissions@smumn.edu or mailed to:
Upcoming application deadlines for Saint Mary’s online MAOL:
- Spring: December 20, 2024
- Summer: April 21, 2025
- Fall: August 19, 2025
Upcoming start dates for Saint Mary’s online MAOL:
- Spring: January 6, 2025
- Summer: May 5, 2025
- Fall: September 2, 2025
Once you’ve submitted your application, expect to be notified about acceptance approximately two weeks after your submission date.
Tuition & Fees
A college education is invaluable. You can take it wherever you want to go or as far as you want to go. The cost of quality education should not get in the way of reaching your goals. Here at Saint Mary’s, we are committed to providing an accessible, quality education that is focused on enhancing your personal and professional growth.
Explore cost breakdowns for tuition and other fees of the online Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) program.
Careers & Salary
Aspiring leaders can gain a professional edge by learning to make a positive impact on their teams and organizations. With an organizational leadership master's degree, you'll be ready to take on senior-level challenges with corporate, nonprofit, or governmental organizations.
Top Executive
$100,0901Training and Development Manager
$120,0001Social and Community Service Manager
$74,2401Human Resources Manager
$130,0001Administrative Services and Facilities Manager
$101,8701Medical and Health Services Manager
$104,8301growth is projected for medical and health services managers, much faster than the average for all occupations2
growth is expected for training and development managers from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations3
What You'll Learn
As a graduate of this program, you will be able to:
- Interpret the contexts and environments in which organizations operate
- Apply analytical principles and skills to make complex strategic decisions
- Develop individual awareness, style, and communication skills that influence outcomes
- Collaborate in complex work teams using effective communication techniques
- Develop creative, adaptive strategies that promote positive change and innovation
- Evaluate the ethical and legal implications of one’s actions
- Conduct research and communicate results successfully
- Create a diverse and inclusive organizational culture
- Activate self-directed strategies for continued personal and professional learning
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there set times when I can start the program?
You may apply for admission to Saint Mary's online MA in Organizational Leadership at any time. After you are admitted, you may begin taking a cluster of classes at the start of any semester — spring, summer, or fall. Because the program follows a sequential, semester model, you will study with a cohort — a group of students who move through the program together, from start to finish. This cohort model allows you to develop real bonds with your classmates, as you will study and learn with them for 24 months.
Is this program accredited?
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.
Can I transfer credits from another university and graduate program?
Saint Mary's Organizational Leadership Program is designed for five semesters of 10 classes with specific student learning objectives toward the program outcomes. Transfer credits are not accepted into this program.
Will I be required to attend online classes during set times?
No, courses are entirely asynchronous. As long as you submit your assignments by the time they are due, you can work on them when it is most convenient.
How long will it take me to graduate?
To earn your degree, you will complete 10 graduate-level classes equaling 36 credit hours of program work. At two courses per consecutive semester, you will complete your course work in less than two years, or 24 months.
What makes this program unique?
The issues and tasks of organizational leadership are interconnected and multifaceted. To simulate this environment, the program delivers two thematically related Organizational Leadership classes each semester. This integrated content is designed to resemble the interconnectedness and complexity of the work you will encounter as a managerial leader.
What will my classmates be like?
Most students attending Saint Mary's Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs are working adults balancing the demands of career, family, and civic responsibilities. Within the schools, 63.5 percent of students are female, 36.5 percent male. The median age is 33, with an age range of 18 to 72. Most students in the organizational leadership master's degree program are either seeking a career change or a pay increase. Approximately 50 percent hail from industry, 25 percent from the non-profit sector, and 25 percent from the government.4
Is there a campus residency requirement, or is the program entirely online?
No, courses are entirely asynchronous. As long as you submit your assignments by the time they are due, you can work on them when it is most convenient.
How much time should I expect to spend on classwork each week?
On a typical week, we recommend students spend between 15 and 20 hours on studies. This time can be worked into your weekly schedule whenever it is convenient, and there are no specific log-in time requirements to complicate things. It is designed to fit into your life.
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Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Management Occupations.” Retrieved September 6, 2023, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/home.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Medical and Health Services Managers.” Retrieved September 26, 2023, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/medical-and-health-services-managers.htm.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Training and Development Managers.” Retrieved September 6, 2023, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/training-and-development-managers.htm.
- Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Student Handbook: Admission Policies Page 7.