Learning at LIOS

As you progress in your chosen graduate path (LOD or SC), you will primarily concentrate on mastering the specific skills that will prepare you for an outstanding career in your chosen field. LIOS’ unique learning experience provides you with opportunities to:

learn collaboration and community-building, as a member of a closely knit, diverse learning group that remains intact for two years;

participate in four- or five-day periods of intensely focused learning, away from everyday distractions and concerns, scheduled so that you can continue to work fulltime or commute from out of town;

question and test models and theories, through one-on-one group work, focused simulations, interactive training designs and presentations, along with feedback from faculty and peers;

progress from one curriculum segment to the next by demonstrating your competency through small group work, experiential situations and skill practice, extensive interaction with faculty, written assess-ments, papers and oral examinations.

 

Leadership & Organization
Development

Previously titled Consulting & Coaching in Organizations Track (CCO)

At LIOS, we believe that the “signature presence” of a change agent combined with theoretical and practical expertise is a road map for success. Our graduate degree in Leadership & Organization Development (LOD) prepares you for an outstanding career as consultant, trainer and executive coach, or will further your career as a leader or manager in any type of organizational system. You choose to serve within an organization, have an independent practice or decide to work in the for-profit, non-profit or public sector. Either way, you will increase your leadership effectiveness, your ability to facilitate change and your own emotional intelligence. Graduates of the LOD program have established successful practices as consultants and coaches; served as organization development practitioners within organizations; and established themselves as leaders and senior managers in a variety of fields. Our graduates are widely sought after by both consulting firms and businesses.

The LOD degree includes two curriculum components: Core and Professional. Focusing on essential leadership training required for all LIOS graduate students, Core studies are emphasized during the first year, though they continue throughout the program. The Professional curriculum consists of LOD track-specific studies, beginning in the first year, with emphasis increasing during the second year of the program. Courses include Leadership and Supervision; Leading Change; Professional Consultation; Executive Coaching; and Consulting Theory in Action.

The LOD track curriculum emphasizes three overlapping theory bases: applied behavioral science, systems theory and cutting-edge models of leadership and organizational development. Faculty-to-student ratio is approximately 1:8. During the first year, the emphasis is on self-development and inner reflection within the context of becoming an organizational leader/change agent. In the Marketplace portion of the curriculum, students become leaders of organizations and create actual marketable products and services. Students engage in two projects that provide hands-on experience of the action research consulting process. Working as a member of a consulting team and then later as an individual consultant, students work with real clients to create healthier and more vital functioning within their systems. 

You can learn more about LOD courses (Core and Professional) in the Student Handbook. The LOD graduate program is rigorous both academically and personally. Your education at LIOS is designed to build confidence and resiliency by encouraging you to practice your learning inside and outside of class, in the crucible of lived experience.