Organizational Studies

What You Will Learn

1. How to identify types of interactions that take place in organizations and workplaces.  
2. How to apply concepts from psychology, sociology, economics, and political studies to workers and organizations. 
3. How to describe the makeup of organizational culture, social influence, interpersonal relationships, and organizational change within work settings. 
4. Become aware of the influence of organizations in society and how it affects at least one of the following: 
   1. Class and social stratification
   2. Gender and power 
   3. Community and economic development
   4. Technology
   5. Alternative organizational forms
   6. Critical theory
   7. Industry
5. How to select and apply quantitative and qualitative research to case studies. 

Organizational Studies majors take 12 courses from three groups that complete the breadth, core, and depth areas for the major. 

As a foundation, students would select four classes from social sciences that contribute to Organizational Studies and serve as an introduction to this interdisciplinary field. Students finish the major by completing the two main core courses, an appropriate methods class, and two additional classes drawn from the Organizational Studies curriculum, and as a capstone three courses that form a depth area centered on an organizational-related theme or topics.

In most cases several breadth courses will have been completed by the time a student begins to take courses in the core, and the main core and methods courses are taken before other classes in the major.

• Breadth
  Four courses are required, and students are encouraged to take one class from each of the main disciplines that formed the interdisciplinary roots of the major. Students are expected to complete:

  Principles of Microeconomics (ECON052PZ or equivalent), an introductory level Political Science course (e.g., POST020PZ or POST030PZ),

  Social Psychology (PSYC103PZ or its equivalent), and SOC001PZ or another lower division Sociology class. ORST050PZ can be used in lieu of the Social Psychology or Sociology breadth selection, and other courses from fields such as Environmental Analysis and Media Studies could also be part of a student’s breadth area courses if approved by their adviser.

• Core
  The central focus of the major is comprised of five courses. Students should complete ORST100PZ (Organizational Theory), ORST135PZ (Organizational Behavior) and ORST112PZ (Research in Organizations) prior to taking more advanced coursework in the major. 

  Equivalent courses from other colleges can be substituted for ORST135PZ (e.g., PSYC037PZ), and students can use an appropriate statistics or methods course to replace ORST112PZ (i.e., MATH052PZ, ECON091PZ, PSYC091PZ, or SOC101PZ). The core area of the major is completed using two additional upper-level Organizational Studies classes. With advisor approval, students can use classes from the Ontario Program and, in rare circumstances, other fields to complete these core requirements.

• Depth
  In consultation with their advisers, students select three courses for depth which together represent either a single theme or provide further work in one of the breadth fields. Students are encouraged to include a capstone experience or research work to complete their depth area. 

  Sample themes have included public health, nonprofit organizations, arts management, labor studies, organizational communication, finance and accounting, information technology, women and work, organizations and economic development, leadership and others. A brief rationale describing how the choice of depth courses represents the student’s theme should be filed with the adviser at the same time as the major form. 

  Students are urged to consider courses from the five colleges and at Pitzer College beyond those normally designated within Organizational Studies which integrate their topical interests. Topics can also frequently be pursued in coordination with study abroad.

Students who are pursuing a combined major with Organizational Studies and another field may take three courses which simultaneously fulfill the requirements for Organizational Studies and the other field of major. A combined major with Organizational Studies normally includes nine courses of which three may overlap with another field. The five required Organizational Studies core courses should be completed, although the methods class can be one of the shared classes. The combination of the remaining breadth and depth courses is to be worked out by the student and cooperating advisers.

Off-campus majors

Students from the other Claremont Colleges may declare a major in Organizational Studies upon the approval of their home registrar. Because of General Education and Thesis requirements, adjustments are made to the breadth and depth areas, but all students should complete the five courses of the Core section of the major. Usually, some adjustments to breadth area classes may be made and the related thesis classes would become part of the student’s defined depth area.

BA/MSIS Accelerated Degree Program in Organizational Studies and Information Systems

Pitzer’s Organizational Studies Field Group and Claremont Graduate University’s (CGU) Program in Information Science offer Organizational Studies majors the opportunity to obtain an accelerated MSIS degree. 

Students must formally apply in the fall and be admitted into the Information Science Program at CGU in the spring semester of their junior year. Applicants must demonstrate competence in information technology and be recommended by the Pitzer Organizational Studies Field Group. Students in the joint program must declare their major in Organizational Studies before applying for this program. Interested students should see Jeff Lewis.

The joint program is a 19-course program that requires nine courses from the Organizational Studies major and ten from the Information Science Program. 

This joint degree is designed to be completed in at least one year beyond the BA degree. The student must enroll at CGU for at least eight classes. 

Applicants to this program must also demonstrate competence in one or more computer languages before entering the program. Specific requirements for this program can be obtained from Jeff Lewis.