‘It has blown away my expectations’ – College of Professional Studies degree tailored to individual experience, schedule

'It has blown away my expectations' - College of Professional Studies degree tailored to individual experience, schedule

Friday, January 16, 2026

Media Contact: Aaron Campbell | OSU-Tulsa Communications Coordinator | 918-594-8046 | [email protected]

Joshua Buck is a lifelong Oklahoma State University fan. He always imagined going to OSU - but his path to a bachelor's degree was non-traditional.

"I had started my associate degree at Tulsa Community College a little over a decade ago," he said. "Life happens, so I had to focus on life first and come back to school later. I spent a lot of time focusing on my career."

Flash forward to today: married with three cats and two dogs and looking to move forward in his HR career, the timing seemed right for Buck.

He made time to talk to an OSU-Tulsa academic advisor, who talked through his education goals with him, and gave him some information on the Organizational Leadership program in the College of Professional Studies.

"And once she was done I said 'absolutely, I think that's perfect,'" Buck said. "The degree plan for this really aligned to not only what I'm doing currently, but also where I would like to go in the next 10 to 15 years."

The Organizational Leadership program stood out to Buck with its career-focused coursework, transfer-friendly options to make the most of existing college credits and flexible classes that work on any schedule - online, on-campus or both.

"Because of the nature of what I do, it encompasses a lot of my time, so I knew I had to find something that was really tailored towards those non-traditional students. This degree plan fits in my schedule very well, so seeing the courses that were offered online, it spoke to me more than anything else that was available," he said.

Initially, Buck was nervous to pursue an OSU degree after all these years of being an OSU fan, worried the experience might not live up to his expectations - but those worries went away once classes started.

"It has blown my expectations away, to be honest," he said.

According to Buck, classes like Data-Driven Decision Making, Effective Communication and Technical Writing changed the way he tackled everyday duties at work.

"I think it's really enhanced some of the day-to-day task and functions that I deal with. It's allowed me to not only support my staff and the organization more, but it's also made me appreciate data from a business aspect - critically analyzing the data we have to find not only strengths, but also areas of improvement."

Now, part of the class of 2025, freshly graduated with his Organizational Leadership degree, he's not just an OSU fan: he's a Cowboy, loyal and true.

"I tell everyone, this is a great place to go to," he said. "It's been the most supportive and the most nurturing environment. I've made some good friends along the way, and I know a lot of them are going to be running businesses and organizations and doing great things in the world."

To learn more about Organizational Leadership at OSU-Tulsa, visit the program webpage on the OSU-Tulsa website.