PhD in Leadership and Change FAQs
Q: Is the PhD in Leadership and Change program accredited?
A: Yes, Antioch University is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The PhD program is a part of the larger Antioch University system, which has campuses in four states. The program also has full and permanent approval to operate in the state of Ohio from the Ohio Board of Regents since summer 2005. To learn more about Antioch’s multi-campus system, visit www.antioch.edu.
Q: Who are the students in the PhD program?
A: The program’s student body and alumni come from a variety of professional and personal backgrounds, as well as from different parts of the world.
2011/12 Student Body Profile (As of September 1, 2011)
Q: Do I need to move to attend this program?
A: No. The structure of our program allows students to live wherever, work full-time, and attend the program full-time assuming that they have internet access and are able to attend the quarterly residencies each year. Students are required to attend four annual residencies until they advance to candidacy. The residencies are held on a rotating basis at the Antioch University campuses across the country. A three-year schedule with dates is available upon request.
Q: I have a family and/or career. Will this program work for me?
A: Most definitely. All of our students balance the program will full-time careers and family commitments. That said, students are asked to plan for roughly 15-20 hours of academic work on average per week. Students themselves must be able to manage their time well in order to participate as fully as possible in their own learning.
Q: Is a master’s degree required for admission into the PhD program? Are there exceptions granted?
A: Yes, a master’s degree from an accredited institution is a minimum requirement for considered admission to the program. Applicants who seek admission to the PhD in Leadership and Change program without a post-baccalaureate degree may be considered in extremely rare cases. However, to date, the program has not considered any applications from individuals without accredited master’s degrees. In such cases, the expectation would be that an individual’s record would demonstrate an outstanding accomplishment and significant professional experience at the equivalent of a master’s degree and would likely include extensive post-BA coursework, even if a degree were not completed. The program will accept applications from all interested individuals but would like to be clear that it would be in the most extraordinary situations that an applicant without a master’s degree would be considered for review by the full Admissions Committee of the PhD in Leadership and Change Program.
Q: What are the benefits of this program?
A: Antioch’s PhD in Leadership and Change program offers a unique curriculum inviting just one cohort of about 25 students per year into the program. This small class size lends to the quality of student-to-faculty contact and creates a close, supportive learning community. The program’s content of curriculum is heavily focused on issues of social justice leadership and change. In addition, the PhD program is built on an understanding of adult learning, which allows for a curriculum that is extremely learner centered for highly self-directed students. The program is designed for working professionals who are interested in enrolling in a full-time doctoral program while simultaneously maintaining their professional full-time work.
Q: What are the residency requirements?
A: Students are required to attend four annual residencies for the first three years of study. The primary annual week-long summer residency is held at the historic site of Antioch in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The three weekend residencies throughout each year are held on or near Antioch campuses in southern California, Seattle, and New England.
Q: Can I receive credit for life experience?
A: Doctoral-level learning completed at regionally accredited universities may be used as part of the demonstration and documentation of completion of an outcome area and, in this way, may be integrated into the student’s completion of program requirements. At no time, however, will it stand alone as a demonstration of competence. Given the above, there is no advanced standing for credit learning in this program since there are no specific units transferred other than what occurs in the design and completion of a outcome area.
Q: Can I incorporate my job into my degree? How?
A: The PhD in Leadership and Change Program is designed for practitioners who want to develop their research skills and theoretical knowledge in order to address the perplexing questions of their practice. Therefore, throughout the program, students are continually applying their learning to their professional interests. At the same time, it is important to recognize that the PhD program is a research degree, not a training program, so while learning is connected and applied to one’s professional interests, there is not a one-to-one correspondence with job responsibilities.
Q: How long will the program take to complete?
A: The program requires a minimum of three years to candidacy and must be completed within seven years from admission. The length of time beyond the three years that a student takes to achieve candidacy depends largely on the student’s ability to complete the required demonstrations of learning in a timely fashion.
Q: Can I transfer in credit from other doctoral or master’s programs?
A: The program is willing to consider assessing doctoral work completed at another accredited institution within the past five years. The student’s work is evaluated to determine the degree to which it meets the learning goals and criteria established by our program faculty for only two specific first-year assignments: the Case Study in Leading Change and the Nature of Leadership.
Q: What is the application deadline?
A: The priority application deadline is February 1 of each year, after which time we begin review of all complete applications on a rolling basis. Our final application deadline is May 1 of each year.
Q: What steps do I take in the application process?
A: Applicants are asked to submit an application form, admissions essay, resume, research-oriented writing sample, three recommender forms, official transcripts, a computer assessment form, and an application fee. For questions regarding further specifics of the application components please contact us at admissions.phdlc@antioch.edu.
Q: How much is tuition?
A: For the 2011-2012 academic term, the annual tuition is set at $22,000. Read about available payment plans. Tuition is charged on an annual basis until candidacy is obtained. Once candidacy is reached, tuition is half of the current pre-candidacy annual tuition and is charged on a quarterly basis.
Q: What type of financial aid is available and how do I apply? How much financial aid can I get each year? How long does the financial aid process take to completion?
A: For answers to these and other financial aid questions, please visit our Financial Aid section.
Q: Are there any scholarship funds available directly from the program?
A: Yes, with the establishment of the Alan E. Guskin Scholars Award Fund, Antioch University’s PhD in Leadership and Change Program can offer tuition scholarships for incoming and continuing students. In accordance with the commitment of Antioch University to encourage a socially engaged and humanistic education that helps to improve the quality of life for individuals, communities, and the larger global community, the two primary criteria for selection will be documented performance in service to a community and student need. Additionally, in honor of the many generations of Antioch University’s Peace Corps Volunteers, the PhD in Leadership and Change Program is proud to announce the establishment of a scholarship fund for an incoming student who is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
For more information on scholarship funds, contact admissions.phdlc@antioch.edu.
Q: What are the books I will need to read in order to prepare for the first residency in August?
A: Bentz, V. M., & Shapiro, J. J. (1998). Mindful inquiry in social research. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage. ISBN: 9780761904090 Price: 47.41
Bransford, J. D., & National Research Council Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. (2000).How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. (Expanded ed.). Washington, DC: National Academies Press. [First three chapters only.) ISBN: 0-309-07036-8 Price: Read online for free or download & purchase PDF for first three chapters : 6.00 http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9457#toc
Essed, P. (1996). Diversity : Gender, color, and culture. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN: 9781558490260 Price: 21.95
Gilovich, T. (1991). How we know what isn’t so : The fallibility of human reason in everyday life. NY: Free Press.ISBN: 9781841697642 Price: 15.79
Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2009). Immunity to change : How to overcome it and unlock potential in yourself and your organization. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press. ISBN: 1422117367 Price: 17.35
Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership : Theory and practice(5th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. ISBN: 9781412974882 Price: 58.31
Senge, P. M. (1994). The fifth discipline fieldbook : Strategies and tools for building a learning organization. New York: Currency, Doubleday. ISBN: 9780385472562 Price: 20.19
Sinclair, A. (2007). Leadership for the disillusioned : Moving beyond myths and heroes to leading that liberates. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin. ISBN: 1741751004 Price: 19.95
Vaill, P. B. (1996). Learning as a way of being : Strategies for survival in a world of permanent white water (1st ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 0787902462 Price: 21.53
