Frequently Asked Questions

Academic Information

What is recommended for admission to the Leadership and Organization Behavior (LOB) program?
This program is intended for working professionals with managerial experience or who are on a managerial track. Applicants should have five to seven years of professional work experience and should have completed one to two years of college (30-60 semester hours or 45-90 quarter hours). Since the program includes a significant online component, applicants should be comfortable in using computers and the Internet as tools of learning.

What are the advantages of the LOB program?
The following features set LOB apart from other degree-completion programs:

• A high-achieving community of learners. Students who enter the program each fall take courses together in a cohort, creating a community of working professionals who bring commitment and drive to their college studies.
  
  
• Leadership focus for professional advancement. Providing a strong focus on leadership, the program emphasizes the strategies and problem-solving skills students need to move ahead in their professions.
  
  
• Predictable, year-round schedule. During the academic year, the course meetings are scheduled for alternating Saturdays, so that students may plan their schedule months in advance and take two courses per term. In the summer and outside of the cohort, students are encouraged to take additional courses toward their degree.
  
  
• Innovative, interactive courses. Each course in the program is based on a best-practice model for adult education. Both classroom experiences and online components stress interactive learning, teamwork, and project-based curricula. Instructors function as facilitators, mentors, and learning coaches, ensuring a high degree of interaction with students.
  
  
• Blended learning that combines classroom and online instruction. Most courses are a combination of in-class lecture, discussion, and online sessions.
  
  
• Flexible structure to meet individual needs. Students can work with an adviser to take more or fewer courses as needed, as well as College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests to speed their degree process. Courses are also open to non-cohort students, which promote intellectual diversity.
  
  

What is a “blended learning” program?
Blended learning refers to a mix of on-campus classroom-based instruction and online learning. The LOB program will provide an equal mix of those two components, as illustrated by the following weekly schedules for fall 2009:

How can I determine if the blended program is right for me?
This program may be right for you, if you can answer yes to four or more of the following questions:

1. Are you a self-starter who can be relied upon to set your goals and find a way to achieve them?
   
   
2. Do you enjoy working collaboratively on projects that require a sustained effort?
   
   
3. Do you carry on friendships and/or work relationships by relying on email or other forms of electronic communication?
   
   
4. Are you willing to learn from fellow classmates as well as from instructors?
   
   
5. Do you find technology to be a helpful means of solving problems in the workplace?

What are the advantages of a blended program?
The program capitalizes on the advantages of classroom learning, such as the personal interaction between students and instructor, the opportunity for an immediate exchange of ideas and questions, along with the social bonding that occurs in the classroom. All the while, the program also provides the convenience and ongoing communication of online learning. Students make use of instructor-facilitated online sessions and collaborative work with their classmates to apply what they have learned in the classroom, extend their learning, and produce meaningful work.

Who teaches the courses?
LOB courses are taught by faculty from the School of Continuing Studies at Northwestern University, who have extensive professional experience as well as impressive business and academic credentials. The instructors will also tap into a network of high-level professionals who will serve as guest speakers and mentors.

What is the major pedagogical approach used by the course instructors?
The School of Continuing Studies emphasizes interactive learning, balancing theory with applications. You can expect to spend roughly a third of your class time devoted to foundational concepts, third to studying cases or other illustrations of those concepts, and third to working on exercises and projects (this varies depending on the class and instructor).

What distinguishes the Leadership and Organization Behavior Program from your traditional Organization Behavior major?
The Leadership and Organization Behavior Program has a predetermined curriculum, so that all students will be taking the same set of courses to fulfill the requirements of the major. That ensures that students share the same body of knowledge in the program and enables instructors to integrate new content with what has been previously introduced. In LOB, elective courses within the major are chosen with a focus on the skills and knowledge needed for leadership positions.

Also, LOB includes other courses needed to fulfill graduation requirements, all of which are coordinated to enhance the major. In the first term, students take Business Communication while simultaneously taking and integrating ideas from the Leadership course. Students fulfill a humanities requirement by taking a Business Ethics course, while they meet a science and formal studies requirement by taking a course on Information Systems. Finally, LOB culminates in Leadership and Literature in the final, fall quarter of the two-and-a-half year program, a course that fulfills a graduation requirement while enabling students to synthesize what they have learned about leadership throughout the program.

What careers are available to those who major in Organization Behavior?
While Organization Behavior has been available at the School of Continuing Studies for decades, the field of study has changed dramatically in recent years. Advances in the behavioral study of organizations, communication theory, and psychology have broadened the foundation of the major and expanded its relevance to wide variety of careers. Students who have majored in Organization Behavior can be found working in hospital administration, marketing management, nonprofit administration, human resource leadership, information technology, and in other countless other positions of corporate or non-profit management.

Program Information

How many credits are required to complete the program?
To receive a degree from Northwestern University, students must complete 45 units of credit. A unit is a measure of academic credit at NU: each SCS course is worth one unit of credit. Students ordinarily may transfer in up to half of the units needed for graduation, which is equivalent to 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of credit. There will be some variation in the amount of credit transferred in, depending on how previous course work aligns to the curriculum at NU.

Your cohort plan shows a maximum credit of 19 units. How do I earn the additional credits that I will need to graduate?
The LOB program provides all courses necessary to complete the major, as well as a significant portion of graduation requirements. It is likely that many students will require additional course work to attain their degrees. These courses can be taken after the completion of the LOB curriculum or as additional courses while within the cohort. Also, many LOB students take College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests to earn additional academic credit. Many students should be able to complete their degree program within two years and two quarters after they start.

Will my degree be conferred through the School of Continuing Studies? What will my diploma read?
Students who complete the LOB program and satisfy all graduation requirements will be awarded a degree by the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University. SCS works closely with the Weinberg College to ensure that our academic standards adhere to the high quality and rigor required for a Northwestern University degree.

I’m interested in LOB, but I am not sure if I want to pursue the degree. Can I take some courses as a student-at-large?
Yes, the flexible structure allows us to accept students-at-large in individual courses. However, all students should be sure that they are adequately prepared for academic success in their chosen course.

How many classes can I take per quarter?
Students will typically take 2 courses per quarter, including summer. Students may petition to take a third course in a quarter, that course being chosen from non-LOB offerings, to speed their progress towards their degree.

If I want to speed up my progress, can I pursue full-time study, especially as I get closer to the degree?
Once students have a proven track record in the program, they may take an additional course per quarter. We recommend that such decisions be made in consultation with an academic adviser, who can assist in planning an appropriate course load.

Where and when do classes meet?
LOB classes are held at the Chicago Lakefront campus. Specific locations are posted on the SCS web site one week before classes start date. Each course meets on the same alternating Saturdays during the term. For example, for the Weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 both LOB courses meet on Saturday; one meets in the morning from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and the other in the afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. The outside of class portion of the course for Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, would be a combination of real-time online sessions and discussions.

During the summer classes meet twice a week for six weeks, except for the intensive courses described below. Parking is available, and all locations are easily accessible by public transportation. There is also a free inter-campus shuttle between Evanston and Chicago for all Northwestern students.

What are the intensive courses offered at the end of the summer?
The intensive courses allow students to speed up their progress towards a degree. In year 1 of LOB, the intensive course is Theories of Persuasion, offered on consecutive Saturdays starting in August. In year 2 of LOB, the intensive course is Strategic Information Systems. Though required as part of the major, students who have taken these courses previously can apply for a course substitution.

Can I transfer credits to take the place of courses in the LOB program?
Students who have taken comparable courses before enrolling in the SCS Leadership and Organization Behavior Program may transfer up to four courses within the program.

Admitted students will receive a credit evaluation, which outlines what, if any, courses were transferred within the major and what courses were transferred in to fulfill general degree requirements.

Does the School of Continuing Studies offer career placement assistance for graduates?
All LOB students are encouraged to take advantage of Northwestern University's Career Placement Office and its services. Additionally, the School of Continuing Studies provides its own career workshops for SCS students throughout the year. These workshops offer students practical information and advice regarding their future career intentions. Finally, high-level professionals will be involved in LOB as instructors, guest speakers, and mentors, which will give students networking opportunities and insight into a variety of professional roles.

Admission

How can I apply for admission to the Leadership and Organization Behavior Degree Completion Program?
You must first complete the online application for admission. In the Undergraduate Program Section of the online application, select the appropriate application type, degree program, and intended major (Organizational Behavior: Leadership and Organization Behavior). You will also need to submit official transcripts from high school and all previously attended colleges and universities, a personal statement, $50 application fee, and a current resume.

What kind of professional experience is required for admission?
Candidates for the LOB program should have five to seven years of professional experience at the managerial level or be on a managerial track. Such experience is important because the courses will draw upon the collective work experiences of the students, and students will have the opportunity to apply what they are learning to their own work environment.

What is the minimum amount of transfer credit required for admission?
Applicants should have should have completed one to two years of college coursework (30-60 semester hours or 45-90 quarter hours). Credits are generally not transferable if they are vocational or technical in nature. Courses accepted for transfer credit usually fall under the following distribution areas: social science, science, business, communication studies, information systems, or the humanities. Before an admission decision is rendered, SCS will evaluate all courses for transfer.

What options do I have if I don’t meet the transfer credit requirements?
If you lack the minimum number of credits to enter the program, you may take should explore options with an admissions coordinator. Exceptions can be made, depending on one's previous academic and professional record.