Program Overview

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Organizational Leadership

Breathe new life into your career with an advanced degree in Organizational Leadership. If you're eager to learn and grow as a professional, practitioner, and scholar, advance in your field, learn from leadership experts, and transform your abilities into an ethically-grounded leader, our low-residency Ph.D. program in Organizational Leadership is made for you.

Program Overview

Our program is designed for working professionals. You'll focus on a topic related to your interest, guided by faculty with expertise in your field, and in collaboration with fellow learners. You'll come to campus at the beginning and end of each fall and spring semester, and for one week-long summer residency.

Career Possibilities

The design flexibility in your program allows for optimal learning in your specific area of interest, leveraging your professional expertise to encourage linkages to theory and reflective practice.

Outcomes may include projects that have a direct impact on identifying emerging issues in your profession, issues of policy and programming, and the skills to develop change initiatives, find solutions to workplace problems, and the needs to shift organizational strategy.

Alumni of our program have assumed leadership positions in higher education (faculty and administration); NGOs; local, state, and federal government; and as consultants and organizational developers.

Classes

Our program is organized around a core of leadership and research courses. Our doctoral faculty works closely and collaboratively with you to create an environment that is both challenging and supportive. You benefit from Shenandoah University's low faculty-student ratios.

• LST 652: Intro to Collaborative & Self-Directed Learning (2 hours)
• LST 835: Foundations of Study in Organizational Leadership: Applications and Research (4 hours)
• LST 845: Organizational Change and Transformation Analysis and Leadership (4 hours)
• RST 830: Quantitative and Qualitative Research in Understanding the Field (4 hours)
• RST 840: Applying Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods in Understanding the Field (4 hours)
• LST 855: Synthesis and Integration of Content (4 hours)
• LST 890: Proposing Capstone Research (3 hours)
• LST 820: Doctoral Summer Residencies (2 hours)
• RST 899: Capstone (minimum 15 hours)
• Concentration: Individualized (18 hours)

You will design your own concentration using coursework approved by your advisor.

The capstone is theory-driven and is expected to contribute broadly and significantly to your field both in theory and practice.

Meet the Faculty

Our accomplished and caring faculty serve as mentors. They prepare you to serve as a compassionate professional, critical thinker, and ethical leader. You'll benefit from collaborative learning opportunities that create environments where all participants are teachers and learners, providing individualized attention and nurturing your academic and professional development.

Application Information

Shenandoah University's Ph.D. program accepts applications for both Fall and Spring enrollments. Required materials include an essay (5 pages maximum) that details what you wish to study in the program (your specific interests). This is very important, and you are encouraged to take the time needed to fully articulate your interests. The required interview may help you better frame this essay; contacting the program head and scheduling the interview in advance of submitting the essay is advised.

Program Locations

• Winchester Main Campus

Program Details

• Degree Program: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Organizational Leadership
• Total Credits: 60 hours
• Duration: 3 academic years (6 semesters), plus the capstone
• Format: Low-residency program with on-campus sessions at the beginning and end of each fall and spring semester, and a week-long summer residency