SOME OF OUR PH.D. AWARDS AND RANKINGS
#2 Top Leadership Ph.D.
#4 Best Leadership Doctorate
#14 Top Leadership Doctorate
Do you aspire to truly make a significant difference in the world? The Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership is a rigorous and award-winning program designed to equip students not only to receive doctoral degrees, but to experience personal transformation and become a more effective leader. This program emphasizes leadership through a global and multicultural lens, specifically valuing inclusion, integrity, and international perspectives. If you aspire to executive leadership, consulting, publishing, research, and/or teaching, this Ph.D. program will help you develop a wide array of skills in scholarly research, writing, presentation, and bridging leadership theory into expert leadership practice. The Ph.D. is considered the highest academic degree that can be awarded by a university.
Here is the list of courses required to complete the program. Full course descriptions may be viewed by clicking on the course titles. For further information, feel free to contact us.
24 Core Courses
These courses contain the program-specific content. If needed, additional terms to complete the dissertation will be done in DOL 922: Dissertation Continuation, at 1 credit hour per each term.
DOL-715,DOL-720,DOL-735,DOL-740,DOL-750,DOL-760A,DOL-760B,DOL-760C,DOL-800,DOL-810,DOL-820,DOL-830,DOL-840,DOL-855,DOL-860A,DOL-860B,DOL-860C,DOL-875,DOL-880,DOL-885,DOL-915,DOL-920,DOL-920,DOL-920
The total cost of the Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership online program, including tuition and any fees, will be determined prior to your enrollment. Payment for each course is due three weeks before the course begins. Course textbooks are not included in the costs listed above. Additionally, students will accrue other costs related to a required scholarship presentation, comprehensive exam, dissertation, and some Summer Residency expenses that are not included in the costs listed above. The total credit hours and per-credit-hour costs listed above are effective for the core program. For prerequisite or other required courses if applicable, students will need to pay for appropriate tuition, books, and any additional fees. Costs may change if you withdraw from the program and restart in a future program at a later date.
Financial aid is available in the form of grants, loans, scholarships, veterans benefits, and employer reimbursement.
Professor
boyd.johnson@indwes.edu
Professor
joanne.barnes@indwes.edu
Division Chair
mark.rennaker@indwes.edu
Professor
michael.linville@indwes.edu
Associate Professor
patricia.johnson2@indwes.edu
Professor
tim.beuthin@indwes.edu
Click on each section to expand the different requirements for the online Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership degree program. If you have any questions about the admissions process, feel free to contact one of our admissions representatives at 1-866-498-4968. An admissions representative can also arrange a phone call for you with one of our doctoral faculty members or a current student to further discuss the program.
The goal is to admit highly qualified students, with clear career objectives, who choose to enter the doctoral program after obtaining a master's degree. To apply for admission to the doctoral program, the applicant must complete the following steps:
Prospective students with disabilities are not required to identify themselvesto Admissions or Disability Services. However, those interested in receiving academic accommodations are encouraged to connect with Disability Services at 765-677-2257 or ADARequest@indwes.edu as early as possible to allow for a review of documentation and the formulation of an accommodation plan.
Consistent with the College of Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS) categories for admitted students, Ph.D. students may be accepted in one of the following designations:
Regular – candidate satisfactorily meet all requirements. Student may be granted regular admission with no restrictions.
Probation – candidate has GPA, graduate program, leadership experience, or application essay-based items that fall below minimum requirements. Student may be granted probationary status that can be removed by achieving the minimum GPA (3.25) after taking the two sessions in the program (typically three or four courses). The Dean/Chair my extend the probation and determine the number of courses to be completed in order to change status. Any student failing to remove the probationary status will be academically suspended from the program.
Provisional – candidate has incomplete application file (e.g., in process of completing master’s degree). Student may be granted provisional acceptance pending completion of file prior to the end of first course. Failure to meet deadline will result in the dismissal from the program.
Unclassified – candidate not pursuing university degree. In special circumstances, a candidate may be accepted as an unclassified student and able to take up to 12 hours of doctoral work with approval of the division chair. Financial Aid restrictions may apply. Students receiving unclassified status must reapply for regular admission it they desire later to pursue a degree program.
A student accepted into the Ph.D. program may request a one-time deferral to the next cohort start. For example, a student accepted for January start may defer start to the following July cohort. A student accepted for July start may defer to the following January cohort. After one deferral, the student must re-apply for admission to the program. The Admissions Selection Committee retains the right to waive the one-deferral restriction for special circumstances.
Upon acceptance into the program and completion of academic and financial clearance, a student may start the program, after conferring with the Division Chair, by taking the one-credit hour DOL 760A by itself when offered or by taking courses in different combinations, subject to pre-requisite conditions, creating a starting sequence of courses that builds to a full load. An alternative start sequence will lengthen the amount of time spent in coursework and the degree program to completion.
*Note: With approval of the Division Chair, students who complete all current 700 and 800-level courses (48 credit hours) in the program may be conferred the Master of Arts in Advanced Leadership Studies (MAALS) degree. Students who receive the MAALS are not eligible to receive the IWU Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.
All doctoral courses are a blend of live and interactive online discussions. Students are expected to attend all required live sessions and substantively engage in all interactive online discussions, tests, quizzes, and prescribed learning activities.
Ph.D. students must complete a minimum of three residencies during their doctoral program as demonstrated by inperson attendance and successful completion of courses in the July term-session in which the student is enrolled. These Summer Residencies normally are attended during consecutive years corresponding to the coursework phase of the degree program, but attendance at Summer Residency is required for any courses taken during the July term session each year.
A student that withdraws from a course will need to get permission from the Division Chair to continue in the program and will need to follow the plan of study prescribed by the Division Chair.
Students needing to withdraw officially from a course will be required to contact the Division Office or the Office of Online & Student Success. Tuition will be reimbursed according to the following schedule:
A student withdrawing from a course less than one week from the end of the course will be assigned the letter grade earned in the course. Students may only withdraw from a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership course twice during their program. Following the second instance of withdrawal in a specific course, the letter grade earned will be applied for the successive attempt in the course.
A student withdrawing from the Summer Residency less than 10 days prior to the start of the summer term, withdrawing after Summer Residency reservation deadline dates imposed by host venues, or failing to utilize the housing options (e.g., blocked hotel rooms) reserved by the program for residency will be assessed all or part of residency fees and subsequent housing fees to cover the costs of room, meals, or other expenses accrued by the program on behalf of the student in planning the residency. Residency fees are non-refundable.
Students enrolled in the Ph.D. program are regarded as members of the academic community of Indiana Wesleyan University and are held responsible for conducting themselves in conformity with the standards of conduct for adult learners. Continued enrollment in the program is at all times subject to a review of the student’s academic record and of the student’s actions with regard to observance of university rules and regulations and professional conduct. Students failing to maintain professional conduct may be dismissed from the program.
In all cases, the suspension will occur once the grades have been recorded in the Registrar’s Office. Students will be notified of the academic suspension in writing. A student will be eligible to reapply for admission on a provisional basis after six months, but only upon the recommendation of the Dean of the DeVoe School of Business, Technology, & Leadership.
A student who has not attended courses for three years or less and who wishes to re-enroll in the Ph.D. program must first contact the Division Chair to complete a re-enrollment request. The Division Chair may confer with the Admissions Committee to determine eligibility for re-enrollment. If re-enrollment is approved, the student may reenroll in the program after going through the university re-entry protocols. Students who have not attended courses for three years or more are not eligible for re-entry to the program unless the program version has changed such that they would be able to earn 60 new, unique credits when compared to their previous program of study.
Students sitting out of the program for more than 90 days are subject to current tuition rates upon returning. Students re-entering after six months are subject to any changes made in the curriculum in the intervening time as well as current catalog policy. Re-enrollment is limited to those in the coursework phase.
Students may enroll in no more than 6 credit hours per term. Overload requests must be submitted in writing to the Division of Leadership and Followership Studies and reviewed, as needed, through the academic petition process.
After the completion of all coursework (DOL courses numbered DOL-915 and lower), a comprehensive examination will be administered to each student in the Ph.D. program. This exam will be designed to:
The exam will be constructed to cover the major domains of the program and will be administered by a committee of full-time faculty in the Division of Leadership and Followership Studies or other qualified faculty as determined by the division. The Comprehensive Examination Manual is published annually. Students are required to follow all policies, procedures, and guidelines contained in the most recent guide. Students must successfully pass the Comprehensive Exam to become dissertation students in the program.
The dissertation will be a research-based, practice-centered inquiry that attests to the student's understanding of the field and ability to conduct scholarly inquiry about an issue related to leadership practices and performance in organizations from which other leaders can benefit. In addition, the research must provide a unique contribution to the understanding of organizational leadership.
Students must conduct primary research using qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, or any other type of research that meets the approval of their Dissertation Committee. The dissertation is expected to meet the highest standards of scholarship and inquiry and should demonstrate doctoral-level composition and format. The student should identify the problem and its significance, outline the background and literature that informs the problem, and collect and analyze data. The process should result in a written document detailing findings, implications, and recommendations for future policy, governance, and/or practice.
For the Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership major, coursework comprises 48 credit hours. Then, the dissertation includes a minimum of an additional 12 hours. Three credit hours of a Dissertation Seminar (DOL-915) and nine credit hours of dissertation credit after DOL-915 are required to reach the 12 credit-hour dissertation threshold. The coursework (48 hours) and dissertation (12 hours) combine to make the Organizational Leadership major a 60-credit hour program.
Every Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership student will be required to write and defend a dissertation. The Organizational Leadership course of study emphasizes the development of theory-in-use research and skills with a practitioner focus. A doctoral research study addresses a problem of practice, where the focus is upon the integration of knowledge or its application. A dissertation generates or confirms knowledge and expanded capacity while linking theory-in-use to current best practice. The process of scholarship, research, and leadership utilizes a variety of research methods, including empirical, interpretive, or critical. All doctoral research studies and dissertations will result in a substantial written document.
A Dissertation Manual will be released annually by the Division of Leadership and Followership Studies. Students are required to follow all policies, procedures, and guidelines contained in the most recent manual. Students should consult their Dissertation Chair regarding specific questions related to the requirements of the Dissertation Manual.
Doctoral students not completing the dissertation by the end of the 12 hours of dissertation courses (DOL 915 and DOL 920) will be required to maintain continuous enrollment. They will be required to enroll in a one-hour Dissertation Continuation course (DOL-922) with the university each successive term until the dissertation is successfully defended or the maximum time for degree completion is reached. Students will pay the one-hour tuition fee per term to maintain continuous enrollment. Failure to remain enrolled during the dissertation continuation phase will result in dismissal from the program with no opportunity to re-enroll in the program.
The Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at Indiana Wesleyan University has many convenient starts throughout the year. Listed below are the next available starts. If you don’t see a start that fits your schedule, connect with our enrollment team to see more future starts.
Indiana Wesleyan University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), www.hlcommission.org, 312-263-0456. Other accreditations and associations of Indiana Wesleyan University are available at www.indwes.edu/about/iwu-profile/accreditation.
*Effective 07-01-2023 through 06-30-2024