Karen Sanzo, Program Coordinator (ksanzo@odu.edu)
Michele Mitchell, Program Advisor (mmitchel@odu.edu)
The major in Leadership is a flexible, interdisciplinary academic degree that focuses on characteristics and skills necessary to lead in organizational and social contexts, and will emphasize ethical leadership, legal issues, and written and oral communication skills. A goal of this program is to facilitate adult students to complete their degree and as such, there is inherent flexibility in transferring existing credit. A hybrid of on-line and traditional on-campus classes results in a very flexible curriculum. Seventy five percent of courses in this major are offered on-line.
Graduates of this undergraduate major will possess the core liberal arts skills and knowledge such as reasoning, communications and analysis that are crucial to the challenges employers, organizations and governments face. The academic and critical thinking skills taught through the Leadership curriculum are valuable on the job as well as navigating modern changes and challenges.
This Leadership major is offered through the College of Arts & Letters and coordinated with the School of Continuing Education. The program provides opportunities for students to integrate education and training with the application of problem-solving skills through a senior interdisciplinary project. Courses are drawn from the disciplines of communication, criminal justice, engineering management, environmental health, finance, human services, management, public administration, and philosophy to examine the multi-faceted nature of leadership. Students admitted to the program have a variety of credit options including portfolio review, CLEP, DANTES, and departmental exams.
Topics courses, such as ENGL 395/ENGL 495, COMM 395/COMM 396, etc., must be approved by the student's advisor to ensure that the topic is appropriate for the major. No
more than two classes, or six credits, may be counted for both the major and a minor.
Requirements
Lower-Division General Education
Course List | Code | Title | Credit Hours |
| 6 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 0-6 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 8 |
| 3 |
Written Communication: Grade of C or better required in both courses and in ENGL 110C and before declaring major.
Philosophy and Ethics requirement can be met by PHIL 303E.
Impact of Technology requirement can be met by ENGL 307T/IDS 307T or IT 360T.
Upper-Division General Education
Met in the major.
Requirements for Graduation
Requirements for graduation include the following:
- Minimum of 120 credit hours.
- Minimum of 30 credit hours overall and 12 credit hours of upper-level courses in the major program from Old Dominion University.
- Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken.
- Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken toward the major.
- Minimum overall cumulative grade point average of C (2.00) in all courses taken toward a minor.
- Completion of ENGL 110C, ENGL 211C or ENGL 231C, and the writing intensive (W) course in the major with a grade of C or better. The W course must be taken at Old Dominion University.
- Completion of Senior Assessment.
Interdisciplinary Studies Core
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credit Hours |
| IDS 300W | Interdisciplinary Theory and Concepts (grade of C or higher required) 1 | 3 |
| 6 |
| Digital Writing | |
| Internship in Interdisciplinary Studies | |
| Entrepreneurship in Interdisciplinary Studies |
| IDS Electronic Portfolio Project 1 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 9 |
Leadership Major
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credit Hours |
| 35-47 |
| |
| 9 |
| 6 |
| Leadership Ethics 1 | |
| Ethics and Data | |
| Ethics and Philosophy in Engineering Applications | |
| Ethics, Governance and Accountability in Public Service 1 | |
| Business Ethics | |
| Bioethics | |
| Philosophy of Work | |
| 6 |
| Interpersonal Communication in Organizations | |
| Organizational Communication | |
| Communication and Conflict Management | |
| Design Thinking for Leaders 1 | |
| Digital Leadership 1 | |
| Technical Writing 1 | |
| Management Writing | |
| Organizational Behavior 2 | |
| 6 |
| White-Collar Crime | |
| Cyber Law | |
| Cyber Law |
| Women, Sex Discrimination and the Law | |
| Leadership and Law 1 | |
| Environmental and Occupational Health Administration and Law | |
| Occupational Safety and Health Program Management | |
| Legal Environment of Business 2 | |
| Employment Law 2 | |
| Workplace Law and Society | |
| Workplace Law and Society |
| 9 |
| Foundations of Leadership 1 | |
| Global Leadership 1 | |
| Women in Leadership 1 | |
| Trends and Issues in Leadership 1 | |
| Foundations of Data Science | |
| Introduction to Engineering Management | |
| Project Management | |
| Leadership and Management for Health Professionals | |
| Sustainability Leadership | |
| Principles of Information Technology 2 | |
| Contemporary Organizations and Management 2 | |
| Human Resource Management 2 | |
| Employee Relations Problems and Practices 2 | |
| Entrepreneurship: New Ventures Creation 2 | |
| Operations Management 2 | |
| Leadership and Cultural Competence 1 | |
| Industrial/Organizational Psychology 1 | |
| Institutionalization of Human-Centered Computing 1 | |
| Organizational Psychology 1 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 71-83 |
Electives
Elective courses may be taken for the remainder of the minimum 120 credits required for the degree. No more than 27 credits from courses in the Strome College of Business may be applied to the degree requirements, including named elective courses and general electives (ACCT, BNAL, BUSN, ECON, ENTR, FIN, INBU, IT, MGMT, MKTG, MSCM, OPMT, PORT, REST, RMI).
Double Major in Leadership and Human Services
The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and the Department of Counseling and Human Services have created an opportunity for undergraduate students to major in both IDS leadership and human services. Combining interest areas between two majors allows more versatility for students' future through enhanced opportunities to pursue graduate school and strengthening employability. Both majors can be earned within the 120 credit hours required for an undergraduate degree. Within this double major, students will be exposed to a number of fields of study to enhance their knowledge and skills in the area of leadership, professional writing, and technology, while engaging in human services coursework. In addition, students may pursue two specialized certificates within the double major – addiction prevention and treatment and professional leadership.
Students interested in the double major option should contact the program advisor.
Honors Program in Interdisciplinary Studies
Qualified students in the interdisciplinary studies majors may earn honors by fulfilling all degree requirements and meeting the honors requirements listed below.
- Attain an overall grade point average of 3.25.
- Attain a grade point average in the major of 3.5.
- Complete two upper-division courses designated as honors courses: IDS 300W and IDS 493.
- Complete at least 60 credits at Old Dominion University, 54 of which must be in grade-point graded courses.
An application for departmental honors must be provided by the student for approval by the Director of Interdisciplinary Programs.
Degree Program Guide
The Degree Program Guide is a suggested curriculum to complete this degree program in four years. It is just one of several plans that will work and is presented only as broad guidance to students. Each student is strongly encouraged to develop a customized plan in consultation with their academic advisor. Additional information can also be found in Degree Works.
Plan of Study Grid
| Freshman |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
| ENGL 110C |
English Composition () |
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| Spring |
|---|
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| Sophomore |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
ENGL 211C
|
Writing, Rhetoric, and Research ()
or Writing, Rhetoric, and Research: Special Topics |
3 |
|
3 |
|
4 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
| | Credit Hours | 16 |
| Spring |
|---|
|
4 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
| | Credit Hours | 16 |
| Junior |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
| IDS 300W |
Interdisciplinary Theory and Concepts () |
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| Spring |
|---|
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
|
3 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| Senior |
|---|
| Fall |
|---|
|
3 |
|
10 |
| | Credit Hours | 13 |
| Spring |
|---|
|
3 |
|
12 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| | Total Credit Hours | 120 |
BA or BS to MBA (Master of Business Administration) Linked Program
The linked BA/MBA or BS/MBA program is an early entry to the MBA program of study. The early-entry program is designed for well qualified non-business undergraduate ODU students to start their MBA program prior to completing their undergraduate degree. Well qualified non-business undergraduate students may take MBA-level courses as early as three semesters prior to graduation and count up to 12 graduate credits toward their undergraduate degree. Students participating in the early-entry program must earn a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 discrete credit hours for the undergraduate degree and 30 discrete credit hours for the graduate degree). Early-entry program students should carefully consider their undergraduate degree program requirements when planning their course of study. Students in the early-entry program work in close consultation with the MBA Program Office and should refer to information in the Strome College of Business section in the graduate catalog to develop an individualized plan of study based on the required coursework.
BA or BS to MPA (Master of Public Administration) Linked Program
The linked BA/MPA or BS/MPA program provides qualified Old Dominion University undergraduate students with the opportunity to earn a master's degree in public administration while taking credits in the MPA program as an undergraduate student. The program is designed for highly motivated students with the desire to immediately continue their education after the bachelor's degree. The program is especially relevant to individuals seeking to work (or currently working) in the public or non-profit sectors, but is suitable for students from any undergraduate major. Graduate courses may be taken during the fall and spring semester of the student's senior undergraduate year. Up to 12 graduate credits can count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degree and can meet upper-level General Education requirements. After receiving the undergraduate degree, a student will continue with the MPA program, taking MPA courses until completing the required 39 credit hours. Students in the linked program must earn a minimum of 150 credit hours (120 discrete credit hours for the undergraduate degree and 30 discrete credit hours for the graduate degree).
Requirements for admission to the graduate program can be found in the School of Public Service section of the Graduate Catalog. For additional information, please contact the School of Public Service in the Strome College of Business.
