The Fresno campus offers an MA degree in Organization Behavior (MAOB) emphasizing the psychological principles of behavior that focus on individual and group performance within an organizational setting. The MAOB program blends a combined theoretical and practitioner focus to provide a relevant approach to managerial skill development emphasizing the “human side” of enterprise and the behavioral aspects of managing change. The program is designed to meet the educational needs of managers, human resource and training specialists, business owners, consultants, and other career minded professionals by providing a practical curriculum related to management issues involving people and organizational processes.
Students acquire knowledge and skills in participatory management practices, leadership, team building, organizational change, and conflict management. Issues related to ethics, employee satisfaction, motivation, productivity and ethno cultural issues, which are in the workplace are integrated throughout the program. The curriculum is reflective of the issues and problems that business leaders face on a daily basis, acquainting students with the current literature and research on management and organizational behavior.
Multicultural/International Emphasis
As part of the program’s required courses, students are required to participate in an international trip that addresses the work setting from a multicultural/international perspective. Literature is examined for its relevance and application across cultures and international societies within a global economy. The experience has proven to be enriching personally and professionally for students, as well as educational for working in today’s global environment. Trips include meeting with businesses and university students and faculty, and cultural exposure to the values, practices, and history of the country visited.
Coursework
The graduate program in Organizational Behavior is a 16-month program. Courses are offered once a month in an intensive weekend format on Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday. MAOB students are not required to take statistics courses or write a research thesis.
JOINT/DUAL MASTERS IN CLINICAL AND FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
The joint/dual MAOB degree provides students in the doctoral Forensic or Clinical Psychology programs an opportunity to gain knowledge of organizations if they are interested in pursuing administrative positions or doing organizational work as part of their future career goals.
For these students, the MAOB 30-unit program consists of 24 units of core Organizational Psychology curriculum. Research Methods and Ethno-cultural/Multi-cultural courses (6 units) are required in the students’ primary program and are not required to be repeated in the MAOB. An international trip is also conducted for this program; however, it is optional for joint/dual students.