Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership

Bring your skills to life.

The dissertation is the culmination of the doctoral program and as such must reflect a high degree of scholarly competence for students. Students will be required to first submit and defend their dissertation proposal. Students will advance to full dissertation after they have successfully defended their proposal. The full dissertation must report, in an accepted scholarly style, an original investigation of a research problem or theory of significance in the student’s area of concentration.

The final product will demonstrate the candidate’s ability to conduct original qualitative, quantitative or mixed research design in an area related to leadership in educational, public, or private organizations. The dissertation will take place over a minimum of three semesters. The student will meet periodically with their dissertation committee to obtain feedback and guidance regarding progress throughout the three dissertation semesters.

Students will register for the following:
Qualifying Exam (0 credits, academic plan registration number PHD 900)

Dissertation (12 credits, academic plan registration numbers PHD 910, 912, 914, 916)
Students must complete Qualifying Candidacy Examinations (commonly called the Comprehensive Exam) before registering for the dissertation. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Dissertation Defense (0 credits, academic plan registration number PHD 980)