Management and Organizational Leadership Major

In Drake University’s Management and Organizational Leadership (MOL) major, you’ll acquire the skills to attract talent, inspire others to meet and exceed business goals, and lead within a global context.

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Zimpleman College of Business | On-Campus

What You'll Learn

Your introduction starts with a comprehensive business core that covers accounting, marketing, economics, and other areas vital to organizational operations. Then, you’ll study psychology, human resources, operational planning, organizational change, and international management, so that you can align human capital with strategic objectives and motivate teams at all levels.

All organizations benefit from efficient managers and visionary leaders—and you’ll see this firsthand during internships and community outreach. To unlock your own potential, you’ll focus your knowledge toward a specific industry or role through at least one interdisciplinary, experiential concentration.

Throughout the program, you’ll learn to budget, instill order, direct organizational decisions, develop compensation strategies, and streamline operations through classroom work, course projects, and experiential opportunities that clarify your interests and build your résumé.

Concentrations

Organizational Sustainability and Resiliency: Gain skills in project management, database management, managerial accounting, and environmentally focused decision-making to orchestrate and solidify an organization’s long-term success.
Human Resource Management: Understand how to hire, retain, and mentor employees through courses covering compensation and benefits, leading through diversity, recruitment and applicant assessment, and performance evaluation and management. This track aligns with Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) academic standards.
Business Communication: Explore virtual communication, feedback delivery, vision communication, goal-setting, and website design strategies to facilitate conversations and long-term impressions.
Non-Profit and Public Management: Prepare for a career in a for-profit, non-profit, or public organization through courses in public accounting, public economics, grant writing, strategic political communication, and advocacy and lobbying.
Entrepreneurial Management: Learn what it takes to start your own business and bring entrepreneurial know-how into your future workplace.

Program Facts

On campus
Attend full-time or part-time
120 total credits; 76 credits for the major and business core
Management minor: 29 credits
Entrepreneurship minor: 18 credits
Human Resources Management minor: 24-26 credits

B.S.B.A. in Management and Organizational Leadership

Through a bachelor’s program combining business, management, and organizational leadership fundamentals, you’ll flourish into an agile director and people manager equipped with a vast toolkit of planning, budgeting, recruiting, and human resource skills.

Management Minor

Right now, a management career might seem like a couple of steps ahead, but you can get a running start with a minor designed to enrich other Drake majors in and outside of the Zimpleman College of Business.

Entrepreneurship Minor

The Entrepreneurship minor is for any student driven to pioneer new paths. The curriculum teaches you the process of innovation and development and how to turn your passion into a marketable business idea positioned for success.

Human Resources Management Concentration

Available to all majors, this program takes an interdisciplinary approach to managing people within organizational contexts. Core and elective courses give you the competencies needed to pursue positions in human resources in today’s job market.

Jeff A. Kappen, PhD

Associate Professor, International Business; Department Chair, Management, Marketing, International Business, and Public Administration

Ina K. Purvanova, PhD

Professor, Management and Organizational Leadership

Brad Meyer, PhD

Professor, Management and Business Analytics

Matthew Mitchell, PhD

Associate Professor, International Business and Strategy

Claire Muselman, Ed.D.

Assistant Professor of Practice in Leadership, HR, Org Behavior

Molly Shepard, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Practice, Leadership, Human Resources, & Organizational Behavior

Carl Vieregger, PhD

Associate Professor, Management

Two hands, one with a bracelet and another with a shirt cuff, shake hands

Internships

Gain on-the-job experience and build relationships with possible employers as you hone your skills and think about the best place to begin your future. Students find positions within Des Moines and across the country.

In a meeting for Drake's Human Resource Association, two students enrolled in the Management and Organizational Leadership program have a discussion around a laptop

Drake Human Resource Association

Access additional opportunities to advance your career in human resources and business leadership through networking events, workshops, and an engaged, supportive community focused on excellence.

Gathering around a laptop, Drake business students address a real-world challenge for the Non-Profit Consulting Club

Drake Non-Profit Consulting Club

Develop your abilities while empowering the city we call home. In the Non-Profit Consulting Club, you’ll partner with organizations like Urban Dreams and the Iowa Center for Economic Success to tackle specific challenges and help advance their missions.

Centers and Institutes

Strengthen your career preparation as you acquire an entrepreneurial mindset, support small business owners, and interact with faculty, fellow students, and area leaders.

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Awards

The Zimpleman College of Business cultivates an ethos of social, environmental, and economic responsibility. The Dean’s Honor Roll for Social Impact recognizes students who invest in the local community through service and outreach.

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Scholarships

100% of full-time Drake undergraduate students receive scholarship support. You may be eligible for both merit- and need-based aid to significantly offset the costs of your education.

Careers & Skills

All types of industries look for someone ready to structure projects, achieve hiring objectives, and arrive with actionable ideas. Depending on your specialization, you’re positioned to pursue opportunities in human resource management, training and development, operations and supply chain management, recruiting, customer service, purchasing and sales, and communications management.

Your training also equips you for jobs in government, community, and non-profit organizations or to launch your own endeavor as an entrepreneur.

Employers

Allstate
Amazon
Ernst & Young
John Deere
Target
Wells Fargo

Skills

Business software
Human resource management
Leadership
Professional communication
Project management
Strategic planning

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Salary & Growth Outlook

The median salary across all management occupations in 2024. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Take the Next Step

Set yourself apart with Drake’s in-depth, hands-on training in management and leadership, grounded on a base of broad business knowledge.

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