Good management is needed more than ever, but effective strategic leadership is a skill set that only a few possess. If you’ve ever wanted to captain your own business ship, organize a company for better efficiency or devise effective plans to solve complex challenges, a strategic leadership and management degree from Ohio University could be right for you.
This degree is ideal for future managers and executives, as well as strategists who are interested in learning why certain approaches work for business and why others don’t. With classes covering a diverse range of topics and many experiential learning opportunities , it’s a surefire program to prepare you for a career in business, leadership and strategy, no matter where your life takes you.
Choose From Three Leadership Degree Tracks
Strategic leadership majors choose one of three possible degree tracks. These tracks allow you to tailor your education to a specific focus or professional path — and they’re excellent ways to gain specialized knowledge for future career success.
View the Strategic Leadership and Management Major catalog page in OHIO's Undergraduate Catalog to read about required courses, individual core requirements or introductory cluster requirements.
The three tracks include:
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Supply Chain Management
Supply chain management includes courses covering project management, logistics and supply chain management, and more.
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Human Resources Management
Human resources management covers topics like strategic talent management and the legal aspects of employment and labor.
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Consulting
Consulting incorporates classes on the theories of organizational effectiveness and managing transformations and organizational change. It also requires completing an applied consulting experience class.
Where Can You Take Strategic Management Courses?
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Athens, OH, Residential Campus
The strategic leadership and management degree program is only available at our residential campus in Athens, Ohio . You’ll have access to our world-class faculty and extensive support resources, ranging from career advisors to study spaces. In addition, many of our student organizations are based on the Athens campus.
But there’s more to see and do than only attending class or organization meetings. Athens itself is a bustling and energetic college town with vibrant activities, art displays, and cafes for you to enjoy. Outdoorsy students will further find a plethora of enjoyable hiking trails to conquer. At Ohio University, you’ll have just as good a time outside class as in it!
Strategic Management and Leadership Jobs and Careers
OHIO’s strategic management degree is highly valuable both for the skills it provides and for the wealth of job opportunities it enables. With a strategic management and leadership Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), you’ll be qualified for careers including but not limited to:
- Strategic business consultant
- Management analyst
- Entrepreneur
- Director of finance
- Department manager or upper-level executive, such as CFO/CEO, as your career progresses
Think of this degree as a door-opener instead of a credential that forces you into one career path. Students seeking endless opportunities and infinite career potential may be especially interested in this program!
Internships and Job Placement
92% of our 2022 strategic leadership and management graduates experienced positive outcomes such as employment or continuing education within six months after commencement. Many students have even accepted offers during their senior year.
Our Business Academic Advising & Career Services center is onsite in Copeland Hall, ready to help you understand how to use good career marketing strategies, beginning your freshman year. We’re ready to help you find the perfect internship or job. In addition to career fairs, and College Placement Champions, you’ll have access to Handshake , a web-based system where employers post positions, review resumes and connect with candidates. Plus, participate in workshops, seminars, and even one-on-one coaching to make sure you’re presenting your best self and achieving your career goals.
Recent Internship and Job Placements
- Insight Global
- Lower.com
- Procter & Gamble (P&G)
- Whirlpool
- KPMG
- PwC
- EY
Key Facts About OHIO's Business Leadership Degree
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Number of concentration tracks available
92%
The number of graduates that have internships, jobs or grad school spots within six months post-graduation
$53,400
The average salary of strategic leadership majors
Hands-on Learning
Internships and hands-on, practical learning opportunities are open to all students
Work at Top Companies
Many graduates earn jobs or internships at globally known companies, like Insight Global and Procter & Gamble
Strategic Leadership Degree Faculty Support and Additional Student Resources
Students of the strategic leadership degree program find that all of OHIO is committed to supporting them from day one.
Faculty Support
The renowned, experienced faculty of our strategic management and leadership degree program are also personally invested in the outcomes of their students. They act as personal mentors for students just like you — and they can answer any questions you have about the program, your future or where you should try to find employment post-graduation. Our faculty are known for their attention to detail, effective teaching methods, and real-world knowledge — many, in fact, have several decades of successful business experience under their belts.
Bottom line: when you attend the strategic leadership and management degree program, you’ll be set up for success from the start.
Advising and Career Services
For example, all College of Business students can check out the resources at the Business Academic Advising and Career Services Center . You’ll find career and student advisors here, all of whom are ready and willing to help you choose classes, recommend study resources, and provide advice for interviews, job placements, and more.
The OHIO Experience for Strategic Leadership Degree Majors
Complete Hands-On Experiential Learning
At Ohio University, we understand that experiential learning is what sets students apart from their peers. That’s why our strategic leadership degree program provides you with ample opportunities for hands-on practice and learning experiences. In this way, you’ll not just learn what to do in a leadership or management situation — you’ll also have practice putting those solutions into action.
Experiential opportunities include a mandatory internship for graduation, during which you’ll assist a business with some element of its management, structural or strategic challenges. The internship is a phenomenal boon to your resume, proving to prospective employers that you already have what it takes to succeed in your chosen field.
Ohio University students can also benefit from exciting collaborations and adventures abroad. For example, the Global Consulting Program (GCP) or the Ohio International Consulting Program (OICP) are available to all students from the College of Business — if you join, you’ll gain valuable experience working in the international business environment and can build your career while studying and working in one of an assortment of destinations.
Or you might jump into the Ohio Export Internship Program . In this program, you’ll collaborate with Ohio’s state government to foster economic development. Completion of the OEIP can, but does not automatically, result in a paid internship! Whatever you choose to pursue, you’ll build practical skills and work experience that can jump start your career.
Join Leadership Development Programs With a Strategic Leadership Degree
OHIO’s strategic management and leadership degree program doubles down on experiential learning through a handful of selective and highly valuable development programs. These include the:
Wandell Fellows Leadership Development Program
This program provides you with unique opportunities to develop your professional skills and potentially find placement at national companies ranging from Whirlpool to KPMG.
Emerging Leaders Leadership Development Program
A one-year accelerated pace development program that improves your interpersonal skills and connects you to a personal mentor to further grow your leadership potential.
Through the Robert D. Walter Center for Strategic Leadership's dynamic leadership and management programs , undergraduate students can discover and grow their inner leader.
Of course, there are plenty of other student organizations and programs you can join to proactively build your network and engage in social experiences within the Athens campus. Alpha Kappa Psi — the oldest fraternity in the nation — is open to all business majors and minors. Female students can join the Women in Business group , and strategic leadership majors might be interested in the Ohio Management Group (OMG), which hosts talks from professional speakers.
Student Organizations
Alpha Kappa Psi
Alpha Kappa Psi is the oldest fraternity in the nation. Alpha Kappa Psi is open to all business majors and minors interested in professional development as well as the social aspects of a fraternity.
Black Student Business Caucus
Black Student Business Caucus was established in 1988. Its purpose is to introduce students to the issues of excellence and diversity as well as techniques necessary for survival in the corporate arena.
Christian Business Leaders
The purpose of Christian Business Leaders is to equip business students with the Biblical foundation necessary to be a strong Christian leader in the College of Business and the business world.
Connect
Connect was created in the spring of 2002 by a group of student leaders who saw a void in College of Business student-alumni interaction.
Delta Sigma Pi
This professional business fraternity is designed to foster the study of business and encourage professionalism, scholarship and social activity among members. The Alpha Omicron Chapter was founded in 1925, making Delta Sigma Pi the oldest professional business fraternity on the Ohio University campus.
Ohio Management Group
The Ohio Management Group (OMG) is dedicated to providing members with the tools to succeed at Ohio University and after graduation through weekly professional speakers, professional development and more.
Ohio University Consulting Group
OUCG is a professional organization designed to cater to students looking to gain a hands-on experience by working with real businesses on real problems. Students from all backgrounds and majors (including non-COB) are accepted.
Phi Chi Theta
The purpose of Phi Chi Theta is to promote the cause of higher business education and training for all individuals; to foster high ideals for everyone pursuing a career in business; to encourage fraternity and cooperation among people preparing for such careers; and to stimulate the spirit of sacrifice and unselfish devotion to the attainment of such ends.
Women in Business
OHIO Women in Business (OWIB) provides outstanding support, development, and sense of community to women interested in pursuing careers in business. OWIB develops members through monthly guest speakers and educational workshops. For more information on how to get involved, contact Liz Doyle at ed962710@ohio.edu .
OHIO's Strategic Leadership and Management Degree
The Bachelor of Business Administration in Strategic Leadership and Management is a well-rounded and highly versatile degree that prepares you for management-level work in many different companies and industries.
With this leadership degree program, you’ll learn about the challenges that businesses face as they grow, as well as human-focused difficulties regarding staff, hiring, organization, and more. You’ll gain skills that can set you up for success as a manager, executive, or other high-level professional.
But this business leadership degree program isn’t just about “how to be a manager.” Instead, students of our strategic leadership program learn:
- The motivations behind human actors in businesses and consumer groups
- The “big picture” reasoning needed for successful business decisions
- How to make management decisions the right way, even with imperfect information
In many ways, the program is about how organizations operate and how to run them successfully, not necessarily managing people. Due to this interdisciplinary focus, the strategic leadership degree offers value far beyond qualifying you for management positions.
Strategic Management and Leadership Major Curricula and Courses
The required courses ensure a variety of rich developmental experiences that can include community service learning, individual leadership and emotional intelligence assessments, case analysis, research projects, team-based active learning projects, and guest speakers, in addition to traditional classroom lectures and discussions.
View the Strategic Leadership and Management Major catalog page in OHIO's Undergraduate Catalog to see additional requirements, such as Individual Core Requirements or Introductory Cluster Requirements.
Benefit From the Bobcat Alumni Network as a Strategic Leadership Degree Graduate
Finding employment post-graduation is easier than ever for our strategic leadership majors. That’s due, in large part, to the strength of the Bobcat Alumni Network .
OHIO’s alumni network is constantly growing, and members are invested in ensuring the next generation of grads have ample opportunities to showcase their hard-earned skills. Many of our strategic leadership students graduate already having job opportunities lined up (or job titles on their resumes).
In a big way, completing the strategic leadership and management program means joining a professional family that will lift you up throughout your career and life. It’s yet another reason why OHIO’s undergraduate experiences are exceptional choices for incoming students.