Organizational Studies is an interdisciplinary academic program based in the social sciences. Through the “OS Pathway” system students have a great deal of freedom in choosing which courses they wish to take, allowing students to cater their academic experience to their personal interests and goals.
The OS curriculum contains core and elective courses based in the Organizational Studies Program, but also consists of classes drawn from departments across U-M. Courses included in the OS curriculum can cover a vast range of topics but must be “organizational” in some way through either content or approach.
It is important to note that the OS Program is designed to be a two-year academic program. The curriculum is designed with course sequence in mind, with required courses occurring during students’ Junior and Senior fall semesters. All OS core requirement courses are only offered once per semester, and core curriculum exceptions cannot be made. For more information please visit Prospective Student FAQs.
- First fall term: Core OS courses (OS 305 and OS 310)
- Second fall term: Senior Research Capstone (OS 410 or OS 497)
- Second winter term: OS 498 (ONLY if completing honors research sequence)
*Due to this sequencing, the OS program cannot be completed in one academic year.
Requirements
Before joining the OS Program, students must complete prerequisites that prepare them for the program in several vital disciplines.
- Three prerequisite courses are required for all applicants:
- Intro Psychology (Psych 111, 112, 114, or 115)
- Intro Sociology (Soc 100, 102, 195, 300 or 302)
- Microeconomics (Econ 101)
You must have at least two prerequisites completed and be enrolled in the third prerequisite at the time of application, although it is preferred that all three prerequisites be completed at the time of application.
Following the prerequisites, the OS major requires a minimum of 34 credits distributed across several broad areas:
- Core Requirements provide the foundational knowledge for the major.
- Cluster Requirements (A, B, and C) are designed to provide disciplinary variety in the study of organizations, drawing on courses in several fields, and ranging across multiple levels of organizational analysis.
- Quantitative Skills and Senior Research Capstone requirements give students the tools necessary to engage in various types of real-world organizational research.
Details and course lists for each requirement area are listed on the main Curriculum Page via the link below, and an OS Curriculum Worksheet is also available for your reference.
- Note concerning STATS: Many students will take the OS Quant Skills Requirement (Stats) before entering the program. Please note that if you have credit for AP Stats (Stats 180), it will not fulfill our requirement, and you will lose that AP credit if you take Stats 250 or Soc 210, so you may wish to choose another option to fulfill your Quant Skills requirement for OS. For students with transfer credit in Statistics or Data Analysis, please consult with an OS advisor.
