Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Leadership
Program Overview
Are you a working professional looking to enhance your ability to practice ethical leadership and incorporate ethical principles and theories into your daily work? Our Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership (Ph.D.) program is designed just for you!
With a project-based, cross-disciplinary curriculum and a diverse community of learners, this program offers a broad range of learning experiences to meet your individual needs. Whether you're in management, government leadership, public service, higher education, business, healthcare, non-profit corporations, or school administration, this program will provide you with practical skills and knowledge that can be applied across a variety of organizational and community settings.
Join us today and become a part of a vibrant and supportive scholarly community dedicated to advancing leadership in all aspects of society.
Career Trajectory
This program is suitable for a wide range of professionals who want to enhance their skills in leadership and apply leadership principles, theories, and best practices in their work environment.
Due to the program’s alignment with industry trends, graduates of the program are qualified to serve as business executives, directors or supervisors in non-profit organizations, management consultants, policy advisors, school administrators, consultants, or high education administrators.
Regardless of where you are in our world, this program offers valuable knowledge and practical experience to help you achieve your career goals and help your organization to thrive.
Program Highlights
Our program offers a number of compelling advantages:
- Accessibility: Our fully online courses with annual intensive residencies provide maximum flexibility and convenience, while also offering opportunities to establish professional networking connections.
- Affordability: We offer exceptional value at a price point that is well below our national competitors, providing quality education without placing undue financial burden on our students.
- Pace of the Program: Our program is designed to accommodate full-time working professionals, allowing them to complete their degrees in only 54 credit hours within three (3) years or nine (9) semesters.
- Rolling Admissions: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, providing students with the convenience of being able to start the program at a time that works best for them.
- Easy Application Process: We provide personalized admissions advisors to every prospective student, ensuring consistent and timely communication throughout the application process. Our program does not require standardized tests (e.g. GRE, GMAT), making the application process streamlined and easy for the applicant.
- Transfer Credits: We accept up to 18 credits beyond a master’s degree, allowing students to accelerate their program completion.
- Relational: Our nationally renowned faculty members work closely with students to adapt to the complications of work, family, and personal obligations, ensuring a supportive and enriching leadership learning experience.
Total Credit Hours
The Ph.D. in Leadership requires the successful completion of 54 credit hours. Forty-five credit hours are core course requirements, and nine credit hours are the minimum dissertation course requirements.
Admissions Requirements
Required
- Completion of the University’s Graduate School Admissions Application
- Completion of a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from an accredited university
- Submission of official transcripts from bachelor's and master’s degree-granting institutions
- Cumulative grade point average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) in graduate program
Recommended
- Statement of purpose indicating rationale for pursuing Ph.D., contribution to the Ph.D. program, and the impact that the program will have on the student’s career and organizational pursuits
- At least three years of professional experience
Course Information
Coursework is grounded in emergent interdisciplinary leadership theory and advances critical practice for an ever-changing world. Selected course topics include:
- Leadership Theory & Practice
- Complex Problem-Solving
- Equity & Inclusion
- Critical Thinking & Emotional Intelligence
- Strategic Leadership & Globalization
- Decision-Making & Moral Imagination
- Creativity, Innovative, & Disruption
- Managing Change
- Assessment & Evaluation
- Research Methods