Organizational Leadership, D.B.A./D.O.L.
Program Director, Kathleen C. Bands, Ph.D.; bands@hood.edu; 301-696-3818
The Doctorate in Organizational Leadership is a 60-credit program of graduate study and applied research for:
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Persons holding a master’s degree and currently employed in business, non-profit sector, military or government who are seeking additional leadership development as part of personal, career and professional growth program
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Educators and administrators in public and private education and higher education with interest in leadership development to advance their career; and
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Professionals already holding advanced degrees who desire to extend their preparation in leadership development
The courses are designed for working professionals and scheduled in the evening and weekends for those who work full-time. A cohort moves through the three-year program.
Procedure for Applying
Once a year in the fall, a new cohort begins their program of study. Admission dates for Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership (DBA/DOL) open in the spring semester, not later than February 1. All applications must be completed by May 15. Candidates admitted to the program will be notified after all the applications are reviewed. Candidates may be asked to complete a campus interview as part of the admission process.
Application Requirements
Applicants will be accepted into the program based on selection criteria that include graduate coursework, grade point average, personal statements, area of research interest, resume, letters of recommendation, and experience.
Those interested in applying must:
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Complete the online application at www.hood.edu/graduate
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Submit official transcripts of all graduate work completed for Master’s degree with a minimum of 3.25 GPA
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Minimum of eight to ten years of progressive professional work experience
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Resume
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Two letters of Recommendation - including one from your employer that speaks to your professional work experience and leadership skills and another individual who can attest to your leadership skills
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Personal essay of 400 to 500 words:
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Select one of the following prompts and write an essay of 500 to 750 words:
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What is the role of leadership in an organization as it focuses on challenges and issues of the 21st century?
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Leadership is often defined as the “art of influence.” What are the lessons you have learned from a leader you admire?
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Compare and contrast your leadership styles with that of a leader you admire and respect.
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Describe how sustainable leadership (economic, social and environmental) fits with your personal paradigm of leadership.
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Candidate must provide one of the following admission elements
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Standardized Test Scores (SLLA, GRE, GMAT or MAT)
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Evidence of master’s level culminating research experience (capstone project, thesis, field work or action research project
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Successful completion of a graduate level research/statistics course
For additional admission information, see Graduate Admission
The doctoral program in organizational leadership is administered by the Departments of Education and Business Administration, by the director of the Doctoral Program in Organizational Leadership, assisted by the Program Advisory Council and Administrative Committee for DOL.
Program Requirements
The doctoral programs Doctorate in Organizational Leadership (DOL/DBA) requires sixty credits beyond the master’s degree and consists of twenty-seven credits of core coursework, twelve credits from a specialization tier, nine credits of research methodology courses, and a twelve-credit applied research-based capstone dissertation project.
Research Methodology Tier
To address the research tier, all candidates complete the following three Research Methodology courses for a total of nine credits:
| LEAD 620 | Qualitative Research in Social Sciences-Theory and Design | 3.0 |
| LEAD 621 | Statistical Methods for Social Science Research: Design and Analysis | 3.0 |
| LEAD 622 | Fundamentals of Evidence-Based Management Theory, Research, and Application | 3.0 |
Core Leadership Tier
Courses delivering the 27 core credits are designed to provide every cohort member with a common set of understandings about key elements of effective organizational leadership. This tier of courses includes the following:
| LEAD 601 | Seminar in Leadership Theory and Practice | 4.0 |
| LEAD 602 | Seminar in Ethics and Leadership | 4.0 |
| LEAD 603 | Leading and Managing Human Capital | 3.0 |
| LEAD 604 | Leadership and Strategic Communication | 3.0 |
| LEAD 605 | Seminar in Leading Strategic Change and Transformation | 4.0 |
| LEAD 606 | Financial Stewardship for Leaders | 3.0 |
| LEAD 607 | Leadership, Advocacy and Policy | 3.0 |
| LEAD 608 | Sustainable Systemic Leadership | 3.0 |
Additional Requirements for DBA candidates
• Six approved management workshops
• Conference presentation (local, regional, national, or international)
• Experiential opportunity with a faculty member
• Paper publication (or preparation of paper to be published)
Specialization Tier
Candidates who enter the doctoral program come from many different sectors including business, education, non-profits, the military and government. In order to provide a flexible program that meets the personal and professional needs of candidates, the specialization tier provides opportunity to develop more specialized study. Selection of courses are guided by the candidate’s goal of enhancing understanding of their industry or building new content development in a complimentary area. Candidates will work closely with their faculty adviser and select courses to support their personal and professional goals. The candidates will identify courses at the end of year one coursework and submit a declaration of specialization form to the Doctoral Program Director for approval. Year Two coursework will include the specialization courses outlined in the declaration form. Candidates will complete their specialization coursework no later than fall semester of year three.
All candidates will select one specialization from the following:
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General Leaderhip
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Education Leadership
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Business Leadership
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Government Leadership
The twelve specialization credits are selected by candidates from among the graduate course offerings within the disciplines of Counseling, Economics & Business Administration, and Education; the selection of specialization courses is subject to the approval of each candidate’s adviser and Program Director. With similar approval, appropriate courses from other departments may also meet this requirement. Candidates complete all course requirements for each of the three courses in this series and, in addition, in consultation with their adviser, design and conduct a project related to each course. These projects will involve either the candidate’s employer or a local organization and have as their goal to help inform the candidate concerning the ultimate subject of his/her research-based capstone experience. Up to six credits beyond the master’s degree may be transferred toward meeting this requirement with the approval of the advisor.
Select three of the following:
Research-Based Capstone Project
Candidates design an capstone dissertation research project to address a challenge within their working context, organization, or community. The project incorporates leadership-based research, the working context of the candidate, and the impact of effective leadership. The capstone credits are distributed across three semesters of 3-four credit classes:
| LEAD 630 | Capstone I: Theoretical Framework | 4.0 |
| LEAD 631 | Capstone II: Research Proposal | 4.0 |
| LEAD 632 | Capstone III: Project Defense | 4.0 |
Comprehensive Examination: Students will sit for a comprehensive examination that tests their grasp of the first four leadership core classes and the three research methods courses. Comprehensive exams are completed int he spring of Year II of the program.
Portfolio Evaluation: Students will be required to maintain a portfolio of their work in Chalk and Wire. The major assignment from each class must be submitted to Chalk and Wire. This collection of assignments will comprise the student portfolio, which will be reviewed at the end of the second year by a faculty team. In addition, students are required to submit a statement indicating their plans for future research and capstone work at the end of the first year. This statement will also be reviewed by a faculty team.