Program Overview

Doctorate in Organizational Change

The Doctorate in Organizational Change is a practice-based doctorate for those who want to make an impact that matters. This program is designed for individuals who feel a sense of emptiness about their professional lives and wish to explore deeper territories beyond conventional organizational needs.

Key Program Features

• Flexible part-time study
• Hybrid / 5 years
• A community-based approach to learning
• Dedicated supervisor support
• Access to world-renowned, research-active faculty

Program Structure

The program is divided into three phases:

Phase 1 - Engaging in Inquiry

• Inquiry Proposal: Substantiate your acceptance paper and subsequently develop your 8,000 word inquiry proposal.
• Three workshops covering research paradigms; ontology, epistemology, writing skills, methodology & ethics.
• 28 hours group supervision + 4 hours individual supervision.

Phase 2 - Developing Inquiry

• Transfer Paper: Establish a rigorous basis for your inquiry and submit a 20,000 word transfer paper at the end of this phase.
• Five faculty-led workshops exploring forms of inquiry & presentation + advanced writing skills.
• 28 hours group supervision + 6 hours individual supervision

Phase 3 - Testing Propositions

• Thesis Preparation: Get your work out into the world. Present to academic peers, external practitioners and academic conferences. Relay emerging insights to DOC peers.
• Participant designed & led workshops supported by faculty.
• 34 hours group supervision + 32 hours individual supervision (8 hours post-Viva)

Dissertation and Viva

• Dissertation: 80,000 word dissertation submission
• Bi-annual progress report to be discussed with faculty supervisor.
• Mock viva in front of peers.
• Final Viva to defend your work in front of a doctoral panel including faculty and external practitioners.

Accreditation

The Doctorate in Organizational Change is a US degree, accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), a regional accrediting organization recognized by the US Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Regional accreditation is considered the most prestigious form of accreditation in the US. As a US degree, the Hult Doctorate can be attested anywhere.

Faculty

The faculty selected to teach the Doctorate in Organizational Change are award-winning researchers in both academic- and practitioner-related channels, including:

• Dr. Kerrie Fleming, DOC Academic Director
• Dr James Traeger, Faculty Supervisor
• Dr Steve Marshall, Faculty Supervisor
• Dr Katherine Semler, Faculty Supervisor
• Dr Margaret Gearty, Faculty Supervisor
• Dr. Geoff Mead, Faculty Supervisor
• Dr. Gill Coleman, Faculty Supervisor
• Dr. Kathleen King, Faculty Supervisor
• Dr. Nick Wildling, Faculty Supervisor
• Dr. Matt Gitsham, Faculty Supervisor
• Dr. Josie Gregory, Faculty Supervisor
• Dr. Richard Hale, Faculty Supervisor

Admission Criteria

We ask for a Master's Degree to demonstrate your capability for academic writing and commitment to postgraduate study. While many of our doctoral students hold Master's Degrees in business or MBAs, several participants have held Master's Degrees in a range of fields from cardiology to coaching; sustainability to social psychology.

Tuition Fees

The program costs Ł60,000, plus a Ł450 application fee. There are payment plans available to spread the cost over the duration of the program.

Program Comparison

The DBA, like its DOC counterpart, requires advanced research skills that lead to a dissertation or thesis and the conferral of a doctoral title. The Hult DBA focuses on the application of theory to a real-world business problem and is aimed at working professionals with years of extensive managerial experience who are looking to become scholar-practitioners. The DOC focuses on using action research (or action inquiry) to change the whole system within which the problem is contextualized.

Research Areas

The program invites participants to draw upon the family of methods commonly called Action Research or Action Inquiry, supported by faculty supervisors.