Community and Organizational Leadership Studies (BSCOLS)
The Bachelor of Science in Community and Organizational Leadership requires 120 credit hours. The program includes five main areas: I. IU INDIANAPOLIS Common Core, II. O’Neill COLS Core degree requirements, III. O’Neill COLS Major requirements, IV. Open electives.
Situated in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, the COLS major equips students with practical leadership and communication skills, organizational and community understanding, and specialized knowledge tailored to their intended career paths. The program offers a wide variety of learning opportunities and includes accelerated and dual degree options with other academic programs at IU Indianapolis. COLS graduates are prepared for supervisory or leadership roles in public, private, nonprofit, and community organizations.
Learning Outcomes:
- Implement strategies for personal, professional, and organizational success.
- Illustrate ways human behaviors influence organizational culture and success.
- Differentiate responsibilities of supervisors, managers, and leaders.
- Identify how ethical issues influence organizational activities and decisions.
- Distinguish ways diverse workplace contexts affect organizational behavior and leadership.
- Apply project management techniques to the completion of organizational initiatives.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the ethics and values of public service.
- Apply techniques for effective communication in a variety of workplace contexts.
- Design research studies to identify a problem, define a research purpose, create a research question or hypothesis, collect, analyze and interpret data, and arrive at reasoned conclusions
Students at IU Indianapolis will complete 30 hours of general education coursework prior to graduation with a baccalaureate degree. The coursework is aligned with the Indiana Common Core (formerly known as INSTGEC). For more information, please click here.
- Core Communication (2 courses; 6 credits) From approved list, students must take at least one writing course (ENG-W 131 - Reading, Writing and Inquiry I or ENG-W 140 Honors Composition I) and one speaking and listening course (COMM-R 110 - Public Speaking) for a total of two courses and six credits.
- Analytical Reasoning (2 courses, 6 credits) From approved list, at least one college level math course. It is recommended that O'Neill students take Math-M 118 (finite) and SPEA-K 300 (Statistical Techniques).
- Life and Physical Sciences (2 courses, 6 credits) From approved list, at least two courses and six credits toward the life and physical sciences.
- Cultural Understanding (1 course; 3 credits) From approved list, at least one course. O'Neill students are encouraged to complete first year competency in a foreign language.
- Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences (3 courses; 9 credits) From approved list, students must take at least three credits from the Arts & Humanities list and at least 3 credits from the Social Sciences list for a total of nine credits.
II. O’Neill COLS Major Requirements (13 courses; 32-39 credits)
Students in the Community and Organizational Leadership Studies B.S. degree must complete all Core Requirements. Required courses are listed in the recommended order of completion:
- SPEA-V 101 O’Neill First Year Seminar or equivalent (1-2 cr.)
- SPEA-L 121 Introduction to Organizational Leadership (1 cr.)
- SPEA-V 203 The Call to Public Service: History, Philosophy, Values, and Outcomes (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 252 Career Development and Planning (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 366 Human Behavior in Public Organizations (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 367 Project Planning and Management (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 373 Human Resource Management in Public Organizations or equivalent (3 cr.)
- SPEA-L 377 Foundations of Leadership (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 380 Internship in Public and Environmental Affairs (0-6 cr.)
- SPEA-V 412 Leadership and Ethics (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 443 Managing Workforce Diversity (3 cr.)
- SPEA-L 477 Leadership Applications (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 473 Management, Leadership, and Policy Capstone (3 cr.)
III. O’Neill COLS Elective Requirements
a. Organizational Understanding: (9 credits)
Choose one course from the following:
- SPEA-V 263 Public Management (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 362 Nonprofit Management & Leadership (3 cr.)
Choose a minimum of two courses that demonstrate understanding of organizations, business processes, or management. Examples include:
- BUS-W 200 Introduction to Business and Management (3 cr.) or BUS-X 100 Business Administration (3 cr.)
- BUS-P 300 Introduction to Operations Management (3 cr.)
- COMM-C 380 Organizational Communication (3 cr.)
- INFO-I 303 Organizational Informatics (3 cr.)
- PSY-I 358 Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology (3 cr.)
Students admitted to an O’Neill accelerated graduate certificate or degree may substitute up to 6 credits of approved graduate courses in the Organizational Understanding requirement area.
b. Community Understanding: (9 credits)
Choose a minimum of three courses that demonstrate understanding of community, social, societal, political, or cultural challenges or systems. Examples include
- SPEA-V 221 Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 264 Community Structures and Policy (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 265 Challenges in Social Policy (3 cr.)
- AMST-A 200 Comparative American Identities (3 cr.)
- COMM-R 310 Rhetoric, Society, and Culture (3 cr.)
- COMM-C 482 Intercultural Communication (3 cr.)
- PHST-P 201 Introduction to Philanthropic Studies (3 cr.)
- POLS-Y 280 Leadership, Civil Society, and Public Policy (3 cr.)
- PSY-B 370 Social Psychology (3 cr.)
- SOC-R 100 Introduction to Sociology (3 cr.) or SOC-R 121 Social Problems (3 cr.)
- SWK-S 102 Understanding Diversity in a Pluralistic Society (3 cr.)
Students admitted to an O’Neill accelerated graduate certificate or degree may substitute up to 6 credits of approved graduate courses in the Organizational Understanding requirement area.
c. Leadership Skills Electives: (18 credits)
Choose one business or professional communication course: (3 credits)
- ENG-W 231 Professional Writing (3 cr.) or ENG-W 270 Argumentative Writing (3 cr.)
- BUS-X 204 Business Communication (3 cr.)
Choose 2 additional communication skills electives: (6 credits)
- COMM-C 322 Advanced Interpersonal Communication (3 cr.)
- COMM-C 325 Interviewing Principles and Practices (3 cr.)
- COMM-R 320 Public Communication (3 cr.)
- ENG-W 365 Theories and Practices of Editing (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 435 Negotiation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (3 cr.)
Students with communication or writing electives from previous colleges may apply transfer credit towards communication leadership skills electives.
Choose a minimum of three courses to build conceptual leadership knowledge or skills: (9 credits)
- HER-U 101 Design Thinking 101 (3 cr.)
- SPEA-L 327 Leadership for a Global Workforce (3 cr.)
- SPEA-L 383 Coaching and Mentoring in Organizations (3 cr.)
- *SPEA-L 384 Employee Relations (3 cr.)
- SPEA-L 385 Leadership for Quality and Productivity (3 cr.)
- *SPEA-L 386 Employment Planning and Processes (3 cr.)
- SPEA-L 482 Leading through Change (3 cr.)
- *SPEA-L 484 Foundations of Human Resource Development (3 cr.)
- *SPEA-L 486 Compensation and Benefits for HR Leaders (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 372 Government Finance and Budgets (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 379 Performance Measurement and Program Evaluation (3 cr.)
*Indicates a course elective for the O’Neill Human Resource Management Minor
Students admitted to the Accelerated GRAD Certificate or MPA program may substitute up to 6 cr. of approved graduate courses in the Leadership Skills requirement area.
d. Specialty Focus Area (15 credits)
COLS majors will choose a minimum of 15 credit hours related to their career goals. At least three courses must be at the 300-level or higher. Students are encouraged to select courses that will result in completion of an O’Neill or other IU Indianapolis minor or certificate. Leadership Skills electives taken beyond the required 18 credit hours will apply to the Specialty Focus Area requirement. Students completing an A.S. or A.A.S. 2+2 degree may apply coursework required for their associates degree to the COLS specialty/focus area. Examples include:
- Courses to fulfill the IU Indianapolis Kelley School Business Minor or Business Foundations Certificate.
- Courses to fulfill requirements for any IU Indianapolis School of Liberal Arts Dual Degree.
- Courses to fulfill an approved IU Indianapolis undergraduate minor or certificate.
- Excess credit hours taken as part of an accelerated graduate certificate or master’s program that do not count towards other COLS core or elective requirements.
Additional courses beyond the IU INDIANAPOLIS Common Core, O’Neill COLS Core degree requirements, and COLS Major requirements, may be required to reach a total 120 credit hours. Remedial courses in areas such as math and English prerequisites and duplicated or repeat courses will not count. See important notes below for other O’Neill COLS requirements and limits.
Important notes:
Students may transfer to O'Neill School of Public & Environmental Affairs once they acquire 12 credit hours, an overall cumulative GPA of 2.0, and a previous semester GPA of 2.0. O'Neill Good Standing requires: a previous semester 2.0 GPA and a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
Students may apply a maximum of 64 credit hours from a 2-year college (C or higher grades are required for all transfer credit). The minimum residency at IU Indianapolis is 30 credit hours.
Students must complete 30 credit hours of 300-level or higher coursework.
Please see your O'Neill Academic Advisor with any questions. To make an appointment with your advisor, login to the Student Appointment Scheduler from ONE-IU or call O'Neill Student Services at 317-274-4656.
