Ph.D. Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership can be completed in a minimum of three and a half years but is usually completed in four to four and a half years. The maximum time allowed to complete the program is seven years, and a minimum of 60 credit hours is required beyond the master's degree to complete the Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership. Doctoral students may choose to receive the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies once they have successfully completed 30 credit hours of coursework.
Requirements
Rather than the mere accumulation of credits, it is the demonstration of independent scholarly ability at the doctoral level that is required to successfully complete the program. All students pursuing the Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership must complete the following:
- All on-campus residencies
- All required coursework
- Successful completion of comprehensive exams following completion of all coursework
- Fulfillment of all doctoral dissertation requirements including final oral defense
If a student needs additional time to complete the dissertation after registering and paying for 60 credit hours, the student must register for one dissertation credit hour per semester for each semester until the dissertation is successfully completed and defended.
Continuous Enrollment
Doctoral students must maintain continuous enrollment in the program during all academic years. A student may request a leave of absence during the first five semesters of required courses. The student would then resume doctoral studies one year later at the start of the unfinished semester and would participate as a member of the new cohort. An academic year is comprised of three semesters, beginning in the summer semester with the first residency and then continuing through the fall and spring semesters. Each semester is approximately 16 weeks in length with students actively engaged in dialogue and course work for about 13 weeks of the semester. Each year students take
- 6 credit hours in the summer semester
- 6 credit hours in the fall semester
- 6 credit hours in the spring semester
Admission to Candidacy
Admission to candidacy is contingent upon several factors. Admission to the Ph.D. program does not constitute or guarantee a student’s admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership. Admission to candidacy is contingent upon the following:
- Successful completion of coursework (with at least a 3.0 GPA)
- Successful completion of comprehensive examinations
- Successful completion and defense of the dissertation proposal
- A recommendation of the student’s doctoral committee
- Approval by the doctoral faculty committee
- Approval by the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship faculty
- Compliance with all applicable requirements of Regent University
Ph.D. Intro Video
