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Columbia Campus    
2019-2020 Undergraduate Studies Bulletin 
    
 
  Mar 29, 2024
 
2019-2020 Undergraduate Studies Bulletin

Organizational Leadership, BA


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Overview

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Leadership (BOL) is only available to students on USC’s regional campuses or online through Palmetto College. It is designed for students who seek a baccalaureate degree with an applied focus on leadership and who want a solid professional foundation to enter the workforce. The degree allows students to gain the knowledge and skills to prepare them for leadership roles in a variety of community settings, including non-profit organizations, businesses, local government, and public agencies. Students may choose to pursue an area of focus in Entrepreneurship with programs by completing certain courses within the major, as outlined in the Major Requirements. 

Learning Outcomes

  • Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of skills that make successful leaders in various organizational settings. 
  • Students in ENGL 463 will demonstrate the ability to write effective prose and/or develop and give a presentation in a professional setting.
  • Students in PALM 493 will demonstrate the ability to be educated and participatory citizens of South Carolina and explain how their academic training has prepared them to be active state citizens.
  • Students in PALM 494 will demonstrate the ability to apply classroom learning to real-world experience in the public or private sector.

Admission and Graduation Standards

Students may apply to the Organizational Leadership Program after completion of at least 45 semester hours of accredited, college-level work. A minimum grade point of 2.0 is required for admission and graduation. As part of the application process, a specific Program of Study is developed by the student and the student’s advisor and approved by the Program Committee. Any changes to the Program of Study must be approved by the advisor and Program Committee. All students must earn at least 30 USC hours after admission to this program. A minimum of 120 semester hours of accredited, college-level work must be presented to earn this degree.

Major Map

A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.

Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.

Organizational Leadership, BA

 


Degree Requirements (120 hours)

The Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership (BOL) is designed for students who want to study organizational leadership without a major in a single discipline.

Program of Study

  1. Carolina Core (32-44 hours)
  2. College Requirements (9-12 hours)
  3. Program Requirements (31-46 hours)
  4. Major Requirements (33 hours)

1. Carolina Core (32-44 hours)


Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written — CMW (6 hours)

must be passed with a grade of C or higher

Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving — ARP (6 hours)

Scientific Literacy — SCI (8 hours)

Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language — GFL (0-6 hours)

Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the minimal passing grade on the exit examination in the 122 course is required. Students can demonstrate this proficiency by successfully completing Phase II of the Proficiency Test or by successfully completing the 122 course, including the exit exam administered as part of that course.

It is strongly recommended that students continuing the study of a foreign language begin college-level study of that language in their first semester and continue in that language until their particular foreign language requirement is completed.

​Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking — GHS (3 hours) 

Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences — GSS (3 hours) 

Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding —  AIU (3 hours)

Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component* — CMS (0-3 hours)

Information Literacy* —  INF (0-3 hours)

Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility* — VSR (0-3 hours)

*Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.

2. College Requirements (9-12 hours)


  • PHIL 102 - Introduction to Philosophy  

  • Foreign Language course (0-3 hours) - only if needed to meet 122-level proficiency

  • Arts and Sciences Electives (6 hours)

    • Must include two disciplines

 

3. Program Requirements (31-46 hours)


Supporting Courses (27-30 hours)

Electives (1-19 hours)

Sufficient elective hours as needed to meet the 120-credit-hour requirement.

4. Major Requirements (33 hours)


a minimum grade of C is required in all major courses

Major Courses (33 hours)

Select 33 credits from the following lists, with at least 9 credits from each of the three categories, and at least 12 credits at the 400 level.  No more than 15 hours combined from MGMT, ACCT, and ECON may be selected.

Employer and Employees
Law, Policy, and Organizations
Workplace Dynamics

 

Note: Students that wish to have an area of focus in entrepreneurship are recommended to complete at least 15 hours of the major from among a specific sub-set of courses identified as related to entrepreneurship. It is recommended that students should also take PALM 494 - Internship  rather than PALM 495 - Service-Learning  to gain internship experience. PALM 494 does not count toward the 15 hours of Entrepreneurship courses. This area of focus in entrepreneurship designation does not appear on the student’s academic transcript, nor on the diploma.

Major courses that are acceptable for credit toward this area of focus are identified in the academic bulletin by appearing with the designation (E) after the name of the course.

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