Your experience counts. Now turn it into a degree.
The HOPE master’s degree is built for leaders who operate across departments, functions, and teams – and want the strategic tools to drive real organizational change. Fully online. Self-paced. Built around what you already bring to the table.
Build on what you already know
You've watched teams pull in different directions. You've seen strategy get lost between the boardroom and the front line. You've figured out, often on your own, how to align people, process, and purpose when the org chart says one thing and reality says another.
The Human and Organization Performance Effectiveness (HOPE) program is built on a simple but powerful idea: true performance effectiveness requires working at both the individual and organizational level at the same time. Most programs focus on one or the other. HOPE works across both. It equips you to diagnose performance gaps, design solutions, and drive change that actually sticks.
Your experience is real. At Jayhawk Flex, it counts. Jayhawk Flex is designed for professionals who bring real experience to their work. In this competency-based format, you move forward by demonstrating what you know, not by following a fixed course schedule.
Your experience is the foundation. This degree is what you build on top of it.
How the program works
Four areas of expertise. The curriculum is organized across four interconnected roles: Organizational Diagnostician, Organizational Performance Enhancer, Individual Performance Enhancer, and Impact Driver. Each competency builds toward a complete picture of what it means to lead performance at scale.
Faculty who work in the field. Your instructors bring both research credentials and real-world organizational experience. The curriculum was developed in direct consultation with leaders across private, nonprofit, and government sectors – so what you learn reflects how organizations actually operate.
Built for leaders who can't press pause
Whether you're managing a team, leading a department, or consulting across an organization, HOPE is designed around the reality that serious professionals can't put their careers on hold to go back to school.
Many students are able to apply what they’re working on in the program directly to challenges in their current role.
The program’s self-paced model means you study when it fits, evenings, weekends, or between projects. There are no required class meetings or fixed weekly deadlines, and you progress by demonstrating mastery rather than following a set course schedule.
And if you're in Johnson County, Kansas, scholarships are available to make it even more accessible. Military professionals can also leverage VA benefits and tuition assistance — and if you've completed work through the Army University Command and General Staff College, you may be eligible for cross-over credit that reduces your path to the degree.
Learn More about Human and Organization Performance Effectiveness Flex
Fill out the form to receive details about KU’s Human and Organization Performance Effectiveness (HOPE) program, including admissions requirements, tuition, and upcoming start dates.
How Jayhawk Flex works in HOPE
In a traditional leadership or organizational program, you study theory first—then apply it later. Jayhawk Flex is built differently.
- Your work becomes part of your learning. Many competencies can be demonstrated through real organizational challenges you're already navigating, so progress in the program can directly connect to your role.
- You advance by solving problems, not completing courses. Instead of moving week by week, you demonstrate your ability to diagnose performance gaps, align teams, and drive organizational change.
- You build across individual and organizational performance at the same time. The program integrates both levels, reflecting how real organizations actually function.
- You move at a pace that fits your responsibilities. No fixed class times or weekly deadlines. You decide when to progress based on your schedule and workload.
- Tuition is structured around time, not courses. You pay a flat rate per term and can complete multiple competencies within that period, so your pace can directly impact your total cost.
The result: a degree built around the work you’re already doing—not separate from it.
30 credit hours. One-year typical completion. Applications open May 2026.
Prefer a more structured path? Explore the online HOPE program
Not every student wants a competency-based format—and that’s okay.
If you prefer a more structured learning experience with defined course schedules, regular deadlines, and a traditional academic pace, the online Master of Science in Education in Human and Organization Performance Effectiveness (HOPE) offers a format designed around consistency and progression over time.
You’ll still learn from the same faculty, study the same core concepts, and earn the same University of Kansas degree—just through a format that may better match how you like to learn.
Explore the online HOPE program →
Program details
Let’s get specific. Use the following resources to break down the details behind KU's HOPE Master of Science CBE.
Costs
You pay one flat rate per term, not per class or credit hour.
- $4,165 per 16-week term (Fall and Spring)
- $2,083 per 8-week term (Summer)
Because tuition isn’t tied to individual courses, your total cost depends on how quickly you move through competencies. Enrollment is structured as full-time for each term, allowing you to complete as many competencies as you’re able within that period.
Make more progress in a term, and you may need fewer terms overall.
Funded Pathways to Get You Started
Financial aid and funding options are available for the online master’s in organizational performance — because advancing your impact as a leader shouldn’t be out of reach.
Employer tuition assistance is common for professionals working across teams and organizations, and the program is structured to support learners whose employers contribute to continuing education. Federal financial aid is available for qualifying students, including those enrolled in online programs. Veterans and military-affiliated learners may be eligible for VA education benefits and military tuition assistance. Financial aid eligibility and options can vary, and our team can help you understand what may be available based on your situation.
Admission
Applications for the HOPE Master of Science program open in May, with a final deadline of August 13, 2026. The program begins August 25, 2026, and admissions are reviewed on a rolling basis, so applying earlier is encouraged.
To apply, you’ll submit official transcripts from your previous college or university, along with a resume and a statement of purpose outlining your professional goals and how the program aligns with them.
The program is designed for professionals with a bachelor’s degree. A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 is recommended. Applicants below a 3.0 may be considered based on the strength of their overall experience and credentials.
Additional requirements may apply for international applicants, including proof of English proficiency.
Curriculum
Coursework is delivered online and designed around real organizational challenges—so what you’re learning connects directly to the work you’re already doing.
The program is built around 30 competencies that develop your ability to diagnose performance gaps, align teams and systems, and drive organizational results. As you progress, you’ll apply these competencies through practical, work-based projects that reflect real-world organizational dynamics.
The curriculum integrates four key areas of performance: organizational analysis, organizational performance, individual performance, and impact—giving you a complete view of how performance works across an organization.
The program culminates in a capstone experience focused on analyzing and improving performance within an organizational context, allowing you to apply what you’ve learned to a real challenge.
How flexible is online learning at KU?
KU’s online degree programs are designed with your busy schedule in mind and offer the flexibility to study wherever — and often whenever — is most convenient for you. Our online courses are taught by the same highly regarded faculty and expert instructors, and contain the same rigorous curriculum and instruction as our on-campus programs.