The ART and SCIENCE of the ORGANIZATION

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OD is designed for working adults with at least 5 years of experience. Click here for details.

Flexible Full or Part-time studies

Classes meet after work and on Saturdays to fit people's busy lives. Click here for more details.

MSOD students are admitted and graduate on a rolling basis

Complete Application details here.

Learn about curriculum, courses, faculty, and degree obligations from program staff, faculty, and fellow students.

Click here to read about other services.

The Penn Experience

Welcome to the University of Pennsylvania where you'll find a historic, Ivy League school with a history of innovation in interdisciplinary education and scholarship. With green lawns and landmark architecture, the picturesque West Philadelphia campus is set amidst a dynamic city and a world-class research institution.

Here at Penn you'll find:

A diverse undergraduate student body of nearly 12,000
Another 12,000 students enrolled in Penn's 12 graduate and professional schools
The School of Arts and Sciences which houses the Organizational Dynamics program, ranks among the top 10 schools in the world

Organizational Dynamics

Founded in 1977 and located in the School of Arts and Sciences, Organizational Dynamics encompasses a body of knowledge that draws from multiple disciplines, perspectives, and frameworks because the global environment and the organizations that operate within it are in continuous change and increasing in complexity. The curriculum of Organizational Dynamics at Penn, therefore, addresses the sources, nature, meanings, and management of dynamic organizational forces as well as their co-producing effects, whether intended or not. The program provides innovative and customizable professional Master’s Degrees (MS and MPhil) that utilize Penn’s world-class resources to provide working professionals with the diversity of knowledge and skills needed to navigate and to lead in an increasingly complex environment.

Click here to learn more about the MSOD program.

Click here to learn more about the MPhil program.

The Student Experience at Penn

As part of the academic community, students receive:

A nightly buffet dinner for participants to decompress after work, and talk with other students and faculty before class.
Dinner Lectures presented by prominent scholars/practitioners with areas of expertise corresponding with one of Dynamics' concentration areas.
All required books and other course materials are provided to students prior to the first meeting of class.
Book bags, sweatshirts, other clothing, and promotional materials that brand the student as a member of the Organizational Dynamics at Penn program.

While in the MSOD program, I found that my personal relationships with students and professors were often as important as the course content. If you simply go to classes without developing relationships with fellow students and professors, you will leave with a degree, but will not get as much as you could of out of the Program. - Larry Jacobson - JD, MBA, MSOD, MPhil

Click here to see Larry Jacobson's complete profile.

International Courses Abroad

During the summer semester the popular International Courses Abroad (ICA) series affords students the opportunity to study global issues in context. Course requirements are similar to traditional classes but also include a travel component abroad that ranges from 7 - 14 days. Previous ICA's included travel to China, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Belgium, Greece, and other countries.

Click here to read about the 2009 China ICA

Click here to read about the 2009 Sweden ICA's

I have had the great pleasure to participate in 3 international courses; Paris, Stockholm, and Prague - one better than the next. The professors leading the trips, the lectures, the sights, the culture and the people have all had a profound impact on my education, career goals, and life in general. - Christopher Wilson - MPhil candidate

Click here to read Christopher Wilson's full profile.

Part of an Ivy League university community

Opportunities to reflect on your organization

Distinguished faculty exchange ideas with students

Students in Wenceslas Square
Prague, Czech Republic

Learn about the admission process. Click HERE.

ODISC

The Organizational Dynamics International/ Full-Time Student Community (ODISC) is a special interest group is for international and full-time students dedicated to:

assisting with the application process
career-enhancement activities
promoting cultural diversity
serving as ambassadors for the OD degree program both here and abroad

Click here to learn more about membership in ODISC

Our Students

Demographics

More than 75% of our approximately 400 students range in age from 30 to 50 years.
Almost 20% have at least one graduate degree in a discipline including business, law, medicine, social sciences, religious studies, and healthcare.
Approximately 75% are employed as a director, manager, vice president or above.
Our diverse community comes from large corporations, health care institutions, small entrepreneurial companies, international business, government, education, and self-employment,

Click here to read more about our students.

The courses that I took in Systems Thinking and Organizational Learning had a profound effect on the way that I view organizations and work within them. I use the knowledge gained in the program every day in teaching, maintaining, and developing the Biomedical Writing program. - Daniel A. Benau - PH.D. MSOD ~ Director of Biomedical Writing, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia

Click here to read Danny Benau's full profile.

International Students

Our international students make significant contributions to the educational experience of all participants, and are important to our Program's heterogeneity.

International applicants must have a college-level education equivalent to a four-year United States baccalaureate degree.

Click here to learn where in the world our international students are from.

Click here to read all about the admission requirements for international students.

The ODISC community was the initiative of two international students who felt that they needed support and friendship. We use ODISC as a way to bond together, and share stories about our interesting experiences as international students. - Gmelina Olvida Guiang - MS, MSOD candidate

Graduation

Formal Graduation is held as part of the University Commencement in May.

Program Benefits for Participants

Here are some of the benefits of the Penn MSOD degree reported by our students and graduates:

Advancing careers and professional aspirations
Adding an intellectual and academic dimension to busy work and family driven lives
Allowing an exchange of ideas in a collegial, confidential environment
Providing an individualized academic and professional forum
Bringing them into a distinguished university community
Providing new ideas that can be put to immediate use
Helping them to help their co-workers by sharing new information and ideas
Giving them an opportunity to reflect on their own organization
Supporting their desire for significant personal and professional achievement