JMU's New PhD in Strategic Leadership

James Madison University is a pretty solid school in VA and they have recently introduced a new program:

July 8, 2009
JMU Begins New, Innovative Ph.D. Program in Strategic Leadership
James Madison University's newest doctoral program begins this August, offering students a Ph.D. in strategic leadership. The innovative program is "one of the rarest in the country," said Bob Kolodinsky, director of JMU's Gilliam Center for Ethical Business Leadership. Designed to bridge real life experience with interdisciplinary academic studies, students will focus in one of three distinct tracts: K-12, higher education, or community and non-profit management.

Demand for "Real World" Skills
The program was developed by a group of JMU faculty, Kolodinsky said. "We were talking to people with Master's degrees, and they consistently indicated that they needed more skills to move up in their organizations. They needed to know how to write a budget, handle financial instruments, manage other people, and collect and analyze data. In order to run an organization, they needed business and statistics skills." The greatest demand seemed to be among K-12 school superintendants, principals, and non-profit directors, and subsequent research "showed that hardly anyone else in the nation offered a program like this," Kolodinsky said. Hear more about the core business skills students will gain at YouTube >>>

Mix of Business, Statistics, Education Courses
The curriculum is a distinctive mix of courses from JMU's College of Business, College of Education and College of Integrated Science and Technology with core courses in statistics and ethics. In addition to a research-based dissertation, Ph.D. candidates must complete an internship where they apply academic theories to a current workplace. "This Ph.D. has real teeth," Kolodinsky said. Most graduates will return to their existing profession, he believes. "They're seeking a Ph.D. to develop some more tools and skills so that they can be more effective in their workplaces."

Distance Learning
Courses will be offered in ten-week blocks using hybrid teaching models. "Asynchronous lectures, individual readings, and other distance learning techniques will be integrated with classroom teaching," Kolodinsky said. "This means students can continue their work and live at home most of the time rather than having to move to Harrisonburg. That's part of the uniqueness of this program, and we think it will add to its attractiveness."

 

This is great! A reputable B&M school offering advanced studies in leadership! I know Gonazaga and some of the UC schools offer Leadership programs, but the more the merrier. While I've done no research, I can imagine the tuition for this program will be expensive; I know people who did undergrad there, and even that wasn't cheap.

GREAT campus, though, if you get to visit it.

Mike

 

Hi Mike,
what are the 'UC' schools youre thinking of?? This is great news, im looking for as many termainal degree prohgrams as i can find in Leadership. and i want to make sure im not missing one.

Thanks!
mike

 

Hi Mike! Sorry, I seem to have botched that royally. I thought it was the 'UC schools' as I inappropriately termed it, but it was really USD (University of San Diego) - ah, it's all California, eh? I know, I know, horrible.

Nonetheless - if you haven't dug her up already, you may want to check out Lindsey McDougle's site at the following address:
http://leadershipasafieldofstudy.blogspot.com/

Mike

 

Thanks Mike,
I did find her site a long time ago, but it looks like she's made some changes since i last visited.

If i recall most of the programs she has referenced are traditional B&M programs, but i should go through each again to see if they have extended their programs to also have online ooptions.

Thanks for the reminder!!

mike

 

Indiana Tech is also starting a new PhD in Global Leadership later this year. The program will offer concentrations in organizational management and academic administration. The program looks like it will be a combination of online coursework, self-study, and ongoing consultation with faculty.

Here's the link to the degree program info:

http://www.indianatech.edu/ProspectiveStudents/CPS/PhD/Pages/default.aspx

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