Are you passionate about helping organizations to develop and change for the well-being of people, society and the globe? Do you possess a curiosity and thirst for learning to help bring out the best in yourself and others? You’re exactly what we’re looking for in the Master of Science in Positive Organization Development and Change (MPOD) program at Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management.
In our 17-month program, you’ll be challenged through core courses in areas such as interpersonal skills building, group dynamics, inclusive leadership, flourishing enterprise, managing positive organizational change, coaching with compassion, appreciative inquiry, and more.
In addition, you will be able to choose your own area of demonstrated “mastery” to pursue with an assigned coach or advisor. This will culminate in a foundational, professional or distinguished mastery badge to accompany your master’s degree.
You’ll learn from our renowned faculty in classes and gain real-world insights through experiential learning programs and personalized coaching sessions—opportunities that will arm you with the knowledge and skills you need to progress in the career path you want.
Hear from MPOD student, Melanie Myers, as she talks about her experience in the program:
The 50th Anniversary of MOD/MPOD
Join us on September 25-28, 2025 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this incredible program. It will be a time to honor the past while engaging in an effort to look towards the future.
MPOD at a Glance
The Weatherhead Way
At Case Western Reserve, you’ll study at one of the nation’s leading research universities—in one of the country’s most culturally robust neighborhoods. You’ll live and learn in a city known for industry and healthcare innovation, where nearly 40% of Fortune 500 companies are represented. You’ll learn breakthrough business concepts from the people who literally wrote the book on them.
Plus, in the MPOD program, you will:
- Learn with a diverse cohort of full-time working professionals with an average of 10+ years of experience.
- Continue the legacy of the first master's degree program in organizational development, which began in 1975 and is still housed in the world-renowned Department of Organizational Behavior at Case Western Reserve University.
- Align organizational strengths and make weaknesses irrelevant.
- Develop yourself and others as emotionally intelligent and resonant leaders.
- Help people change personally and professionally through compassionate coaching.
- Create flourishing enterprises that are economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible.
- Maximize organizational gains by leveraging the diversity and complexity that characterize today’s organizations.
- Strategically intervene in ways that produce tangible outcomes in today’s complex, volatile and uncertain environments.
- Build high-performance teams.
- Demonstrate twice the current ratio of success in performing change-management projects and interventions.
Your Degree, Your Way
Standout Curriculum
Our course content is driven and continuously renewed by our faculty members who are established thought leaders in their respective areas and actively engaged in applied research in the field. They put an emphasis on bringing direct and current experiences with clients and organizations into the classroom.
Expert Faculty
MPOD faculty will teach you management concepts that make real-world differences, and they’ll help you develop the skill set to develop yourself and others to thrive in these volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous times.
Build Your Mastery Experience Portfolio
MPOD provides students mastery-level, hands-on expertise through faculty-directed, real-world projects, and the opportunity to earn credentialing badges and build your experience portfolio. Students will partner with faculty and their organization leaders to design and implement self-initiated, self-paced projects. We currently offer a choice of five thematic areas:
- Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
- Coaching with Compassion
- Inclusive Leadership (Diversity, Equity and & Inclusion)
- Team Effectiveness (Building and Managing High Performing Teams)
- Organization Development and Systemic Change (Appreciative Inquiry, Business as an Agent of World Benefit, Positive Impact Interventions)
Upcoming Events
Experiencing the MPOD program was an indelible opportunity for me both as a career professional and, more importantly, a human being. It broadened my understanding of leadership, coaching, motivating teams and individuals, and how to make an impact in the world and the workplace. The experience is something that I will carry with me, and reap its benefits for the rest of my life. It's worth the investment.”
Your Next Step Starts Now
Ready to become an emotionally intelligent leader who coaches with compassion? That’s the Weatherhead way. Get started today: