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Admission Requirements

Organizational Dynamics admits students from a wide range of backgrounds and enterprises including corporations, public institutions, and nonprofit organizations, as well as from professional fields such as law, education, and healthcare.

In addition to the information about a person collected on the Application Form, the Admissions Committee reviews the degree to which each applicant has met the following criteria:

Academic and Professional Requirements

• Grade point average of at least 3.0 from an applicant’s undergraduate institution(s);
• Grade point average of at least 3.0 from an applicant’s graduate institution(s);
• Organizational experience which commonly means at least 5 years of full-time, management-related, professional work experience;
• Essays that demonstrate graduate-level writing skills, critical thinking, initiative and motivation, planning and organizational skills, creativity, and flexibility;
• Letters from organizational leaders who recommend the applicant for graduate study in the MS or MPhil Organizational Dynamics program;
• Requirements for Prospective Organizational Consulting and Executive Coaching students vary slightly from those for other concentrations. Please click here for details.
• NOTE: GRE or other tests are NOT required.

English Language Requirements

• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for all international applicants whose native language is not English. If your test score is more than two years old from the date of the exam to the date of application arrival, you must retake the test. Only official TOEFL scores sent by ETS are accepted. We expect:
• Internet-based test score of at least 80
• Computer-based test score of at least 220
• Paper-based test score of at least 600
• TOEFL may be waived if an applicant has earned an undergraduate or a graduate degree in an English-speaking country or from an institution in which English is the language of instruction. Evidence to support the waiver must be provided.

Interviews

An interview is required if you are applying to the Organizational Consulting and Executive Coaching concentration. Interviews may not required for all other applicants. However, we commonly contact those who apply and encourage applicants to schedule an interview. This is a chance to give a fuller, more personal explanation of your professional background and interests - and an opportunity to have specific questions answered. Interviews are conducted in our offices by a member of the Admissions Committee. They are conducted in person or via telephone throughout the academic year by appointment only.

NOTE: You do not need to submit your application before scheduling an interview.

Student Profile

Larry Jacobson - JD, MBA, MSOD, MPhil candidate

Since I had already received my MBA from the University of Chicago, obtaining another one seemed unnecessary. One of my colleagues suggested the Dynamics Program and I looked into it carefully. Since I had just started my tenure as Board Chair at a Chicago day school, I felt that my "soft skills" in the areas of leadership and communication could use improvement. I felt the Dynamics program could enhance my skills in those areas. Read more …