Best Online Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership Degree Programs 2025

Badge for BEST ONLINE BACHELOR'S IN ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Chloe Dembski

Published: Jul 6, 2021
Updated: Oct 23, 2024

Find top-ranked online bachelor’s in organizational leadership degree programs for students wanting to enter the workforce in a variety of upper-level positions, including project manager, human resources manager, financial manager, and community service manager.

Key Takeaways

Organizational leadership professionals help businesses in practically every industry successfully thrive in their goals.
The program is set to help students master their skills in developing strategic visions for a business, and find helpful methods to enhance efficiency in the industry.
A bachelor’s in organizational leadership will prepare aspiring professionals in this industry by cultivating skills and instilling high-level management knowledge, leadership, and communication.

Table of Contents

Top 10 Bachelor's in Organizational Leadership Degrees in 2025

University of Arizona
University of South Carolina
+1
University of Louisville
+1
Saint Louis University
+1
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
–3
Florida International University
University of Memphis
Duquesne University
University of Akron
+2
University of Idaho
+2

2025 Ranking Update

Our Influence Ranking Engine™ leverages machine learning to track the real-world influence of colleges and universities over time. Below you’ll see which schools gained or lost ground for the 2025 school year.

In 2025, the top ten schools in our ranking of the best bachelor’s degrees in organizational leadership degrees saw a fair amount of movement. The University of South Carolina rose to the second ranking position as the school now offers more specialized courses in change management, strategic leadership, and diversity and inclusion, reflecting current industry needs.

Additionally, USC has enhanced its leadership development programs by partnering with local businesses and organizations, providing students with real-world leadership experiences through internships and community projects. The university has also integrated more hands-on learning opportunities, including leadership simulations and case studies, to better prepare students for leadership roles in various sectors.

Featured Programs

25 Best Online Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Students with Organizational Leadership Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

Organizational Leadership

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $9,242
Avg. Expenses*: $16,576
Avg. Starting Salary*: $46,283
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $55,330
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 10 years
Job Growth: 7.70%
Number of Jobs: 2,696,000
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.52%	$165,370
Natural Sciences Managers	7.49%	$157,740
Financial Managers	16.51%	$156,100
Human Resources Managers	6.51%	$136,350
Managers, All Other	5.75%	$133,560
Training and Development Managers	7.41%	$125,040
Actuaries	21.85%	$120,000
Fundraising Managers	6.02%	$119,200
Industrial Production Managers	2.87%	$116,970
Medical and Health Services Managers	28.54%	$110,680

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Architectural and Engineering Managers	$165,370
Natural Sciences Managers	$157,740
Financial Managers	$156,100
Human Resources Managers	$136,350
Managers, All Other	$133,560
Training and Development Managers	$125,040
Actuaries	$120,000
Fundraising Managers	$119,200
Industrial Production Managers	$116,970
Medical and Health Services Managers	$110,680

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

All About the Online Bachelor in Organizational Leadership

Earning a bachelor’s in online organizational leadership degree will help shape you into becoming an effective leader, with the ultimate goal of influencing other people. You will build the necessary skills that will help businesses set goals, navigate administrative concerns, and inspire staff. Communication, strategic planning, and management styles are also emphasized.

In light of the pandemic, many companies have heavily relied on organizational leadership professionals to reimagine a work culture that is both versatile and adaptable. This is why the need for professionals in this field is constantly growing.

Prospective students can either enroll in a stand-alone bachelor’s in an organizational leadership program or go for a business degree with a specialization in organizational leadership. Typically, the program runs for four years (full-time) and requires general education, elective credits, and a major.

Core classes include critical thinking and communication strategies for leaders, organizational development and change, social conflict management and negotiation, and assessment in organizations.

Online Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership Career Paths

Training and Development Managers: These professionals manage training and development programs specifically designed for an organization’s employees. Some of their tasks include creating programs, developing budgets, managing staff, and assessing the efficiency of the training and development program.

These managers usually work with instructors, instructional designers, and program developers.

Management Analysts: Also called management consultants, management analysts evaluate organizations and look for ways to increase efficiency and profitability. Although management analysts only need a bachelor’s degree, some companies and organizations prefer to hire those with a master’s degree in organizational leadership.

It’s also an advantage if you earn the Institute of Management Consultants’ certified management consultant credential for better career opportunities.

Human Resources Managers: You can see HR managers in practically every industry. They manage all the administrative activities of an organization. They plan, coordinate, and help implement employee benefit programs, as well as mediate employee disputes, or advise managers on any human resources-related issues.

HR managers also handle recruitment—from interviews through the hiring process for their organization.

Sales Managers: Sales managers run sales activities and teams. Usual tasks include making budgets, studying sales statistics, projecting sales, and developing and planning training workshops for sales staff.

Sales managers are usually required to have a bachelor’s degree and have at least 1-5 years of sales experience. They should also have strong leadership and communication skills, customer service, and analytical skills to excel in the field.

Industrial Production Managers: They administer regular activities at manufacturing plants. They hire and train new employees, improve production processes, solve production problems, and ensure that all their workers strictly adhere to safety rules.

While an organizational leadership degree is a good fit for this job, some companies require their industrial production managers to have a degree in industrial or business production. It also helps to earn an additional professional certification from the Association of Supply Chain Management to help improve your career in this role.

Online Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership Program Courses

Organization Development and Change: Students develop the foundational knowledge related to creating, implementing, and studying interventions for developing organizations. You will learn the different strategies on how to lead change in for-profit and nonprofit groups.

Communication Strategies for Leaders: Future leaders need to use practical and efficient communication strategies in their workplace. This course that covers the methods and tools for dealing with communication problems.

Social Conflict and Negotiation: This course covers the practices and theories behind social conflict and negotiations in organizations. Organizational leadership students learn tested ways in minimizing conflict and inspiring productive interactions in the workplace.

Organizational Leadership Capstone: This course is taken during the final semester of the program. Most online bachelor’s in organizational leadership graduates complete a capstone course in which they synthesize the most critical skills and knowledge gained during the program.

Frequently Asked Questions About Organizational Leadership Degrees

Why get a bachelor’s in organizational leadership?

If you aspire to be a leader in the business realm, earning a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership could be the first step in reaching your goal.

What do courses focus on?

Merging the needs of individual employees and the business as a whole, this degree will focus on topics like project management, organizational behavior, social conflict and negotiation, and human resource management.

How long does it take to get a bachelor’s in organizational leadership?

Most online and on-campus programs require you to earn a minimum of 120 credits, which typically takes four to five years to complete. Accelerated tracks and programs that accept transfer credits are also available.

What can you do with a in bachelor’s in organizational leadership?

Since this degree is applicable in many industries, graduates can usually enter the workforce in a variety of upper-level positions, including project manager, human resources manager, financial manager, and community service manager.

Learn more about how to major in business.

Our Process for Choosing the Best Organizational Leadership

This list rounds up the best degree programs offered by some of the top colleges and universities in the US. The online coursework format of these programs offer the same quality as traditional brick-and-mortar degree programs.

Also taken into account are the online program’s facilities, including the online support and virtual learning platforms. Tuition costs are disclosed to stress affordability and high ROI on your college dollar, and financial aid options are available.

Admission requirements are also mentioned, as well as the academic credits for graduation to emphasize the online program’s commitment to producing the best quality graduates.

Student support programs and career resources of the school are provided so that future organizational leadership experts can explore their career options.

The faculty credentials are just as important as all the other factors mentioned. After all, a school that produces the best graduates and offers the best quality education is hinged on competent and industry-expert instructors.

Online Organizational Leadership Programs Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

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Best Online Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership Degree Programs 2025

Key Takeaways

Top 10 Bachelor's in Organizational Leadership Degrees in 2025

2025 Ranking Update

Featured Programs

25 Best Online Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership Degree Programs

Last Year’s Ranking:

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at University of Arizona

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at University of South Carolina

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at University of Louisville

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Saint Louis University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Florida International University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at University of Memphis

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Duquesne University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at University of Akron

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at University of Idaho

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at College of Charleston

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Hampton University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Samford University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Roosevelt University

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Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Tennessee State University

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Concentrations

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Xavier University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Western Kentucky University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Arkansas State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Golden Gate University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at University of Northern Iowa

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Southern New Hampshire University

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at California State University, East Bay

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at University of Central Oklahoma

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Western Illinois University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Organizational Leadership degree at Eastern Illinois University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Students with Organizational Leadership Degree

Organizational Leadership

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Career Salaries

Top Industries

All About the Online Bachelor in Organizational Leadership

Online Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership Career Paths

Online Bachelor’s in Organizational Leadership Program Courses

Frequently Asked Questions About Organizational Leadership Degrees

Why get a bachelor’s in organizational leadership?

What do courses focus on?

How long does it take to get a bachelor’s in organizational leadership?

What can you do with a in bachelor’s in organizational leadership?

Our Process for Choosing the Best Organizational Leadership

Online Organizational Leadership Programs Looking for You