PhD Leadership and Change, Completion Pathway

A PhD Program to Fit Your Busy Life

Your personal life is taken into account:

• Live anywhere
• Work full-time
• Attend two or more residencies
• Stay connected through our robust online community

Degree Requirements

Completion Pathway students fulfill all core PhDLC requirements, including:

• A personalized learning plan
• A year-long Professional Seminar (ProSem)
• Completion of Individualized Learning Agreements (ILA-A and ILA-B)
• Two or more residencies per year
• Dissertation Proposal and Dissertation

Students may transfer up to 27 credits of prior doctoral-level learning, pending faculty review and alignment with program competencies.

Length of Program

The program may be completed in as few as 24 months (2 years), with a maximum allowable time to completion of 7 years.

Coursework

The PhDLC program is designed around ten competency-based modules rather than traditional courses. Unique features include:

• A custom course “crosswalk” aligning prior learning with GSLC competencies
• Individualized Learning Agreements (ILA) that allow students to focus on in-depth areas of interest
• Dissertation development with ongoing faculty support

Learn more in the PhDLC Curriculum Overview.

Expanding Your Career Opportunities

This PhD program is an opportunity to explore in-depth, evidence-based ways to practice and lead change that can make a difference.

The majority of students in the program are mid to senior-level practitioners. This means that for many, the program journey and achieving their PhD deepens the career paths they are already on. For some, securing a PhD offers the opportunity for new positions and provides them with the expertise to open consulting practices, teach at the local college or university, or help them become a more public intellectual in their professional networks. Learn more about the impactful work of our learning community members through our newsletters and Facebook announcements of alumni and student career and community achievements.

Admissions / Cost / Aid

Admissions

Application Deadline

Term	Early Application Review	Rolling Application Review	Beginning of Term
Summer 2025	October 1	Begins February 1	July 1
The PhD in Leadership and Change program admits 25-30 students in the cross-sector cohort each year, with the academic term beginning July 1. Applications are accepted year-round. Early review of complete applications occurs after October 1st each year. Review of subsequent complete applications begins after February 1st each year and continues through mid-May and/or until the cohort is full.

  

Requirements

A master’s or other graduate degree issued from an institution recognized by an accrediting body that has been approved by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and five years of relevant professional experience are minimum eligibility requirements. In addition, selection for admission will depend upon such characteristics as capacity for self-directed learning, evidence of strong academic skills and conceptual abilities, and an interest in interdisciplinary study and applied research. Applicants must demonstrate a strong potential for individual and professional growth, evidence of leadership and aspiration to lead, and an interest in being a socially engaged professional.

How to Apply

1. Online Application
2. Admissions essay
   • Please submit a comprehensive reflective autobiographical statement no less than 8 pages and no more than 10 pages, double-spaced, in 12 point font that thoughtfully explores the path that has led you to pursue doctoral study in the PhD in Leadership and Change program at Antioch University by addressing the prompt questions below. 
   • Note: When crafting your essay, thoughtfully engage with the following themes to guide your response, though you need not be limited by them. You may weave these elements into a single cohesive essay or address them individually in each question as relevant. However you opt to respond, please address each theme fully.
     • The key personal, professional, and educational experiences that have shaped your leadership identity, values, and aspirations as an agent of change.
     • Your relevant work history and leadership roles, whether formal or informal.
     • Your motivation for pursuing doctoral inquiry, including your demonstrated capacity for self-directed learning and critical reflection.
     • The ways in which your background and experiences align with Antioch University’s mission to advance social, economic, and environmental justice.
   • Questions:
     • Compose a reflective, autobiographical narrative that critically examines the personal, professional, and intellectual experiences that have shaped your decision to pursue doctoral study in the PhD in Leadership and Change program. 
       • Note: Your statement should illuminate the evolution of your leadership identity, articulate your scholarly and practice-based interests, and demonstrate your readiness for self-directed, inquiry-based learning. Please include relevant work experience, formative personal and professional influences, and evidence of your capacity for autonomous learning, critical reflection, and contribution to transformative change.
     • Articulate how engagement in this PhD in Leadership and Change program will enhance your effectiveness as a reflective practitioner and principled leader within your professional field. 
       • Note: Your response should demonstrate a clear understanding of the program’s interdisciplinary and practice-oriented approach, and critically explore how its theoretical frameworks, scholarly rigor, and emphasis on social change will inform your leadership practice and advance your contributions to your field.
     • Describe the scholarly area(s) you intend to explore during the individualized curriculum phase of the PhD in Leadership and Change program, articulating the intellectual passions and professional commitments that underlie your interests. 
       • Note: Please offer a detailed account of the questions that animate your curiosity, the issues or phenomena you seek to investigate, and the knowledge, theories, or methodologies you hope to engage. Your response does not need to be your intended dissertation question, but should reflect both a deep personal resonance with the topic and an emerging vision for how your inquiry may contribute to broader understanding and transformative practice in your field.
     • Offer a reflective narrative from your professional experience that illustrates your evolving understanding of leadership and change within your field. 
       • Note: Your account should demonstrate critical insight into the complexities of leading in dynamic contexts, highlight how your values and actions intersect with systems of change, and reveal how this experience has informed your leadership philosophy and aspirations for transformative impact.
     • Antioch University’s PhD in Leadership and Change is rooted in principles of social, economic, and environmental justice. Please reflect on how your values and lived experiences align with this mission. In particular, describe a time when you engaged across significant lines of difference—cultural, racial, ideological, or otherwise. What challenged you? What did you learn about yourself and about leadership through that experience? 
       • Note: We encourage you to engage deeply, reflect honestly, and provide sufficient context and narrative for the admissions committee to understand your readiness for and alignment with this unique program.
3. Three recommender forms
   • Letters of recommendation should be provided by individuals who possess a substantive understanding of your personal character, academic aptitude, and professional accomplishments. 
   • Note: Recommenders should be able to speak thoughtfully to your intellectual readiness, capacity for critical inquiry, and potential to engage meaningfully in advanced doctoral-level scholarship. Ideally, these individuals will also be familiar with your long-term educational and professional goals and can offer informed reflections on your suitability for rigorous, self-directed study within the interdisciplinary context of the PhD in Leadership and Change program.
4. Transcripts
   • Please arrange for one official transcript to be sent directly to the PhD in Leadership and Change program from each post-secondary institution you have attended.
   • Note: Transcripts must be issued by the institution and transmitted through a secure electronic delivery to ensure authenticity and compliance with official academic documentation standards.
5. Resume
   • Please submit a comprehensive curriculum vitae (CV) or resume that outlines your professional trajectory and academic background. 
   • Note: Your CV or resume should include relevant paid and volunteer work experience, educational credentials, research activities, community and organizational leadership roles, professional affiliations, honors and awards, as well as any presentations, publications, or other scholarly contributions that reflect your engagement with your field.
6. Research-oriented writing sample
   • Please submit a writing sample of at least 10 pages that demonstrates your ability to think critically, synthesize ideas, and engage in conceptual analysis. 
   • Note: Solo-authored work is preferred; if the piece is co-authored, clearly indicate your contributions. While a formal research paper is not required, the sample should reflect your capacity for scholarly writing, such as integrating literature, articulating complex ideas, and constructing a coherent argument. If you do not have an existing piece, you may create a new submission specifically for this purpose.
7. Application fee
   • A non-refundable application processing fee of $50 USD, payable to Antioch University, must accompany your submission for consideration by the full admissions committee. 
   • Note: Fee waivers may be granted upon completion of an information session.

APPLY HERE

Please note: All materials submitted for application to the PhD program become the property of the PhD program.

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Cost

Tuition

Guaranteed fixed tuition is offered in the PhD in Leadership and Change Program for the first three years. Once a student advances to candidacy, the tuition is half of the full tuition, beginning in the trimester following advancement. Additional costs include room and board, transportation, books, course materials, supplies, equipment, and subscriptions. Payment plans are available.

Item	Cost
Annual tuition	$28,683
Books/supplies/subscriptions	$1,350
Room and board (based on 10 nights x $150 hotel; $50 food a day)	$1,500
Transportation (based on 3 residencies x $500 transportation each)	$3,876
Total	$35,409
View the Cost of Attendance Components

Payment plans are available. 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 trimester basis.

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Financial Aid

A majority of GSLC students finance their education through some form of financial aid. You may not be sure which federal, state, public, and private aid packages – such as loans, scholarships, and grants—are right for you. Our staff is here to help you, so you can focus on what’s most important: beginning your academic program.
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Transfer Credit Information

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.