Lipscomb University’s Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Leadership and Policy is an interdisciplinary studies degree that aims to prepare students for high-level careers in leadership and service across a range of professional sectors. The goal is to equip professionals to pursue challenging high-level responsibilities requiring advanced knowledge, training, and rigor, and to do so with the highest levels of integrity, ethical understanding, and behavior.
The program aspires to produce graduates who have developed skill sets with exceptional ability to organize substantial amounts of information, research subjects broadly, independently manage and bring to successful fruition complex and in-depth projects, adapt to changing environments, and who are subsequently prepared to be a valued resource to the professional community.
This 63 credit hour doctoral program contains 33 hours of core courses including the research sequence and dissertation, and 30 hours of guided electives in education leadership and policy (August 2023 start), public service leadership and policy (August 2024 start), or healthcare leadership and policy (August 2024 start). Admitted students may earn a Master of Science in Leadership and Policy on the way to earning the Ph.D. The program courses are delivered either on-campus and may be attended synchronously via video-conferencing, or in a hybrid online format.
Admissions Process:
- Completed online application
- Official transcripts from all institutions attended
- Three letters of recommendation (including a professional recommendation)
- Two written personal statements: 1) Journey of faith and spiritual development 2) Purpose for pursuing the Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy
- GRE or MAT
- Current resume
- Writing assessment
- Interview with doctoral faculty committee
The program features a Bachelor’s to Ph.D. route for academically high-achieving students. Bachelor degree holders who know that a Ph.D. is their ultimate goal may be considered for direct admission to the Ph.D. program if they meet the following admission criteria:
- 3.5 Cumulative GPA (at least 60 undergraduate hours must be taken at Lipscomb University)
- Above Average Score Required for either GRE or MAT:
- GRE: Score of 156 or higher on both the Verbal and Quantitative Reasoning sections and score of 4.1 or higher on the Analytical Writing section
- MAT: Score of 408 or higher
- Meet all other admissions requirements including acceptance following an interview
- Applicants not admitted will be required to earn a masters degree before being considered for admission to the Ph.D. program.
Transfer Credit
A maximum of 15 hours of post-masters coursework may be transferred toward direct-equivalent courses in the Ph.D. Program. Only six post-masters hours may be transferred toward direct-equivalent courses in the research sequence and only if earned within the 5 years prior to enrollment in the Ph.D. program.
The following transfer guidelines for Ed.S. coursework apply to the guided electives in education leadership and policy:
- Approved leadership courses that are 600 level or higher within an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership Program may be transferred (up to 15 hours).
Ph.D. Course of Study
EG 7403 Ph.D. Seminar I
EG 8403 Ph.D. Seminar II
EG 8473 Global Perspectives in Leadership
EG 8453 Global Perspectives in Policy
EG 7433 Statistics for Social and Behavioral Science
EG 7213 Qualitative Research
EG 8213 Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
EG 7173 Applied Research Seminar
EG 8013-8033 Dissertation Research I, II, & III
Guided Electives in Leadership (15 hours)
Guided Electives in Policy (15 hours)