Educational Leadership, Research and Technology

OCL Careers

graduates in cap and gown in sangren hall

Careers

The MA in Organizational Change Leadership prepares students for a variety of positions and roles in for-profit, nonprofit and government organizations.

Graduates work as:

Directors and managers responsible for internal change initiatives
Advisors and leaders in nonprofits leading social change
Change management consultants and advisors
Organization development, diversity and inclusion specialists
Human Resource specialists
Coaches, facilitators and trainers

100% Engaged

According to the latest WMU career survey, our graduates are 100% actively engaged upon graduation either working full-time or continuing their education. Eighty percent of graduates are working in roles directly related to the degree and over 90% are satisfied with their job. Check out the WMU career outcomes report for more information about where and in which roles our students are working.

Change agents at work

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."Margaret Mead

OCL graduates are working as change agents all over the world in a variety of change leadership roles. Read what our graduates Kevin, Steve, Dominica, Maisha, Charlie and Kally are doing and how they have benefited from their degree.

Kevin Curiel-Vazquez
Chief Operating Officer
Olvera Enterprises
"The WMU OCL program helped me develop the skills necessary to learn how to analyze an organizational structure and think about the root cause of the problem, and apply data-driven methodologies to overcome organizational problems, execute projects efficiently, and improve organizational culture - all while practicing emotional intelligence, conflict management skills, and transformational leadership methods."

Steve Rudderham
Head of Global Business Services
AkzoNobel, Netherland
"Running a large, global organization, with several change projects in flight at once, this program provided me with additional tools from different courses as well as skills to be learned from the course materials, literatures and working examples. The organization design and large-scale change projects brought together thinking on action plans as well as developing events for change."

Dominica Tokarski
Director of Community Advocacy Program (CAP)
Turning Point
"Since I started in the Organizational Change in Leadership (OCL) I have grown as a student and as an employee. The knowledge I have acquired from the OCL courses has provided me with the skills to be attentive and listening to employees, tailoring to their needs as well as bringing in the literature to discuss best practices and the ability to create and enhance organizational change. My capstone focused workplace bullying and included a survey on the culture, focus group on discussing the responses to the questionnaire, and a workplace bullying policy. I have also been involved in supporting employees in these issues. I look forward to using what I learned in the OCL program at my workplace. One project I have initiated focuses on improving our case management meetings by involving the employees in the process and discussing some of the best practices I have learned from the literature."

Maisha Maurant
Manager of Culture and Engagement
Beaumont Health
"After receiving my Master’s degree in OCL I was offered a position as the manager of culture and engagement at Beaumont Health. The research I did on engagement in my capstone project provided me with the key competences and expertise they were looking for. They told me that my OCL degree was a key selling point. In this position. I am responsible for the strategic roadmap, design, implementation, and day-to-day management of enterprise-wide talent initiatives focused on employee engagement, employee experience and culture transformation. Some of my duties include: implementing best practices and leveraging analytics to drive strategies for retention and culture change; developing long-term strategies and initiatives to promote and achieve a culture of excellence and high engagement; developing a robust employee engagement survey approach and strategy; and performing quantitative and qualitative analyses to identify root causes and provide actionable recommendations for change initiatives.

Kimberle Laws
HR Business Partner
Hoist Material Handling
"During my undergraduate years, my plan after graduation was to attend Law School and become an Attorney. However, I began a career in Human Resources and before I knew it, 15 years went by. I needed something to prove to myself that I was more than what I was doing. The OCL program introduced different paths to what my career in HR could become and also validated my previous experience. Having my Masters in OCL along with 18 years of experience, placed me in a position to have multiple interviews, receive 3 job offers, and make the most money I have ever made. This was a huge moment for me and my confidence in my career. I am now an HR Business Partner for a company that was recently acquired by Toyota. I will partner with Toyota HR leadership to structure an HR department and assist with the organizational change due to the acquisition. I truly value the OCL program and look forward to applying what I've learned in the next chapter of my career."

Charlie Kautz
Senior Organizational Development Specialist
Spectrum Health
"I sincerely feel like I have a leg up on others in my field who don't have the same educational experience."
Read more about Charlie’s experience in the OCL program.

Kally Taylor
Senior Specialist, HR Operations
Stryker
Learn more about Kally’s work and her career advice in this Bronco Spotlight.

OCL outlook

The OCL degree opens the door to a variety of professional and leadership careers where understanding of change leadership a key competence.

The following links provide information about job outlook, salaries, and other useful information on OCL careers:

OCL JOB PROFILES

The following list offers a sample of possible OCL jobs with concrete roles and responsibilities. The descriptions have been adapted from recent job postings in Michigan:

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”
― Albert Einstein