Complete at least 24 credits in the MS in Leadership, or MS in Digital Transformation Leadership program
Lead with Strategic Vision and Public Administration Expertise
Position yourself as a leader who can drive both organizational success and public sector excellence by combining the strategic insights of a Master’s in Organizational Leadership with the specialized knowledge of a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration. This program equips you with the leadership skills and public administration expertise necessary to navigate the complexities of government and nonprofit organizations. You’ll learn to apply the latest theories and practices in policy analysis, public policy design, and strategic planning to make informed decisions that positively impact your community.
Direct Your Career Into the Future
- Strategic Leadership: Develop essential skills in strategic transformation and strengths-based leadership to guide public and nonprofit organizations through complex challenges.
- Public Administration Expertise: Gain in-depth knowledge of public administration theories, practices, and emerging trends to enhance your ability to manage public resources effectively.
- Ethical Leadership: Lead with integrity while navigating the unique ethical considerations of public administration, ensuring transparency and accountability.
- Policy and Decision-Making: Learn to analyze and design public policies that address the needs of your community and drive meaningful change.
- Financial Management: Master the financial management skills needed to oversee budgets, allocate resources, and ensure the fiscal responsibility of public sector projects.
Note: All programs, undergraduate and graduate, must be submitted individually to the Department of Veterans Affairs for review and approval before students can utilize their G.I. Benefits to pay for them. This program is currently awaiting approval. To learn more about the process, visit the VA School Program Approval page on the VA website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your admission counselor or email us at onlineadmissions@champlain.edu
Take the next step
Academic Excellence and Recognition
Regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education
Designated as a Military Friendly School for our commitment to the military community
Ranked among the best by Tech Guide for game design and computer science
Named the among the best schools with accelerated bachelor's degrees by Intelligent.com
How Can an MS in Organizational Leadership with a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration Help Your Career?
The combination of leadership and public administration skills positions you for roles where you can have a significant impact on both organizational strategy and public policy implementation. This dual focus prepares you for leadership positions that require both strategic oversight and public sector expertise, such as public administrator, policy analyst, or nonprofit director. Graduates of this program are well-equipped to lead initiatives that enhance public services and contribute to community well-being.
Top Jobs for MS in Organizational Leadership Graduates with Public Administration Expertise
- Public Administrator
- Nonprofit Director
- Strategic Transformation Consultant
- Organizational Development Manager
- Leadership Development Manager
- Government Affairs Director
- Management Consultant
Program Details
Learn more about Champlain's 100% online Master's in organizational leadership degree program.
Champlain's online organizational leadership courses encompass the top skills needed by today's leaders.
Explore concepts and frameworks for how to lead effectively in today's ever-changing world. Using an integrative reflective practice approach, students examine their own approach to leadership and create an initial plan for their own leadership development, as well as the leadership development opportunities for their organization.
Examine how to cultivate meaningful relationships across an organizational system, from co-workers, to team members, to broader stakeholders. Attention will be given to how to leverage both formal and informal relationships to create positive impact. Topics include perceptions, motivation, emotional intelligence, building teams, and conflict management.
Explore how to accelerate organizational change by focusing on and leveraging the core strengths of individuals and the collective system. Learn how to challenge the traditional deficit mindset that pervades organizations, and how to use evidence-based appreciative practices to cultivate shared leadership across a system.
Explore organizational dynamics from a holistic viewpoint and how leading ethically and socially responsibly results in enhanced performance at the individual, group and organizational levels. Special focus will be given to exploring one's own ethical orientation, issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as how leading with a higher purpose can result in both accelerated organizational and broader social impact.
Students use a framework to explore the dynamics of human interaction within and between organizations. Throughout the course, they will use a perspective that a key function of management is to negotiate for resources and use that perspective to develop collaborative relationships with employees, vendors, suppliers, and interested communities.
Explore how to strategically lead continual organizational evolution and apply new business models needed for success in today's ever-changing world. Attention will be given to leading sustainable growth with an intraprenurial mindset, managing disruption, the implications of the digital transformation on organizations, and the power of leading with a purpose.
Explore how to uncover creative insights and innovative solutions for today's organizational challenges. Learn about the systematic process of design thinking from a human-centred approach, including how to cultivate creativity in others and create a culture of innovation.
This course culminates in an applied leadership capstone project to support the translation, application and synthesis of core concepts from previous courses to a final capstone project, through action research and reflection. The project will reflect a real-life situation and will include a description of the situation, stakeholder mapping, identification of key leadership opportunities and challenges, and conceptual basis for recommendations derived from data collection as well as prior learnings and content from the Leadership Program.
Prerequisites
In this course students will focus on the key theories, practices, and trends in public administration. Topics include the historical development of public administration in the United States, politics of political institutions, management, leading in public administration, key roles and functions of public administration, organizational structure of government organizations, analysis of key public administration theories, understanding bureaucracy and its role, public administration reforms, and future trends.
In this course, students will focus on the methodology for analyzing, developing, and implementing public policy. Topics include types of public policies, understanding the policy-making process, analyzing public policies, impact analysis of public policies, understanding the role of stakeholders in public policy, economic, social, and political factors influencing policy, and case studies in public policy analysis.
Students will examine public budgeting processes, financial management principles, and fiscal decision-making specific to the public sector. Topics include: the public budgeting process: formulation, execution, and auditing; revenue generation and sources of public funds; expenditure management and cost control; financial planning and forecasting; accountability and transparency; and the evaluation of case studies in public budgeting and financial management.
Graduates of the MS in Organizational Leadership will develop the following competencies:
- Adaptive Leadership in a Complex Work Environment. Leverage advanced leadership theory, practice, and innovation to lead an organization’s strategic transformation.
- Ethical and Purpose-Driven Leadership. Lead with ethics first and a commitment to social responsibility.
- Communication, Relationship Building, and Team Cultivation. Communicate effectively, negotiate fairly, and build meaningful relationships to cultivate high-performing teams and foster inclusive organizational cultures.
- Innovation, Design Thinking, and Action-Oriented Leadership. Apply design thinking and innovation principles to lead the construction and implementation of strategic transformational organization change.
Graduates of the public administration online graduate certificate program will demonstrate the following industry-specific skills, knowledge, and competencies:
- Synthesize key concepts, theories, and practices, and apply this knowledge to address complex issues in public administration.
- Examine public policies, integrate different perspectives and contexts in policy evaluations, and propose policy recommendations.
- Interpret the formulation and implementation of public budgets and finances, and critically evaluate the ethical and legal ramifications of fiscal decisions in public administration.
Champlain College Online's business faculty, led by Department Chair Dr. Albert Orbinati, are expert practitioners in the field. Their industry expertise ensures that our business management curriculum is aligned with the needs of employers, and reflects the skills today’s business professionals need for success. Classes led by our seasoned experts will give you real-world insight into the business world, and create a rich community of career-focused learning.
Tuition & Costs
Graduate Tuition Fall '23 - Summer '25
$595
per credit
$1,785*
per course
$450**
PER CREDIT FOR ALUMNI WHO EARNED A DEGREE FROM CHAMPLAIN, ON-CAMPUS or online
$450
per credit military service members (family members see truED tuition)
$150
One-time graduation fee
*Based on a 3-credit course; cost will vary if course is a different number of credits
** Starting Summer 2024, not retroactive
See the graduate cost of attendance and fees here
Save Up To $200 Per Course
Save up to $200 per course when you take two courses per term in spring and summer 2025.
Talk to your advisor about this opportunity to accelerate your program where you could save money on tuition.
If you enroll in two courses during any term within the Spring or Summer semesters, you will receive a special tuition rate on your second course. This discount is for graduate students in good standing, enrolled in a degree program.
- For the standard tuition rate receive $200 off your second course of the term
- For the truEd/partnership rates receive $150 off your second course of the term
Important Note: This special tuition rate is based on course availability. If a second course isn’t available in your degree program for a given term, the rate cannot be applied.
This offer applies to each of the four terms during the 2025 Spring and Summer semesters—Spring 1, Spring 2, Summer 1, and Summer 2, up to four times during these semesters. This special tuition rate does not extend to any additional courses, such as a third course in a term.
The special tuition rate will be applied to the next semester as a credit after the entire semester is complete. If you do not plan to return for the next term, graduate from your program, or have other extenuating circumstances, the credit may be issued as a refund. This special tuition rate is available if you complete two courses in a term and have paid your tuition. For example, if you register for two courses but drop one, the rate will not be applied.
Upcoming Information Sessions
Meet the Program Director
Albert Orbinati, PhD
Department Chair and Assistant Professor, CCO Business Programs
Oversees
- Business (A.S., B.S., M.S., Certificates)
- Human Resource Management (B.S., Certificates)
- Leadership (M.S.)
- Management Information Systems (B.S.)
- Organization Development & Human Relations (M.S.)
About
Albert Orbinati, PhD, is Assistant Professor and Department Chair for the undergraduate and graduate business programs at Champlain College Online.
Prior to Champlain, Dr. Orbinati's roles have included Assistant Vice President of Online Learning and Continuing Education at Medaille University in Buffalo, NY; Dean of the School of Professional and Continuing Education at Russell Sage College in Albany, NY; and Director of Online and Non-Traditional Programs at Utica University in Utica, NY. In addition to his career in higher education, Albert is a member of the U.S. military, and currently holds the rank of Major in the Vermont Air National Guard.
Dr. Orbinati holds a B.A. in Urban Planning from Binghamton University, an M.A. in Adult Education from Central Michigan University, an M.B.A from Champlain College, and a Ph.D. in Adult Education from Capella University.
Why Champlain
Career Growth
"I had been wanting to take a management position in my organization, so the master's in executive leadership was a great fit for my goals. I was able to apply what I learned to my work, and it helped me shine. As soon as I finished the program, I was promoted!"
Jiri Cruz
Master's Degree in Executive Leadership
Management & Program Analyst
From The Blog
You may also be interested in
Get Your Organizational Leadership Guide
Learn what you can expect from our online master's in organizational leadership program.
Download Program Guide
I acknowledge that, by clicking the "submit" button, I am giving my express written consent to Champlain College and its representatives to contact me about educational opportunities via email, text, or phone, at the phone number above, including my mobile phone, using an automatic dialer, or pre-recorded message. Message and data rates may apply. I understand that my consent is not a requirement for enrollment, and I may withdraw my consent at any time.