Program Overview
Degree abbreviation
Ed.D. in Faith-Based Leadership, Specialization in Understanding Leadership in World Religions
Total program length
120 semester credit hours
Maximum approved transfer credit
Up to 40 semester credit hours
Minimum credits completed through the University after maximum transfer
80 semester credit hours
Normal completion time
Three to six academic years, depending on approved transfer credit, enrollment status, academic progress, and completion of the doctoral project
Advanced faith-based leadership and specialization courses
30 credit hours
Leadership, administration, and professional practice
21 credit hours
Research methods and program evaluation
18 credit hours
Professional application and doctoral residency
15 credit hours
Advanced electives or concentration courses
12 credit hours
Comprehensive examination and doctoral candidacy
6 credit hours
Applied doctoral project and defense
18 credit hours
Total
120 semester credit hours
The Doctor of Philosophy in Faith-Based Leadership with a specialization in Understanding Leadership in World Religions provides an advanced scholarly framework for individuals seeking to analyze the intersection of administrative theory and diverse spiritual traditions. The curriculum emphasizes the integration of ethical stewardship, servant leadership models, and interdisciplinary research to address complex organizational challenges within global contexts. Through rigorous academic inquiry, students explore how diverse worldviews influence institutional governance, policy development, and the cultivation of organizational culture.
Students engage in deep exploration of historical, social, and structural dimensions of leadership, ensuring they are prepared to navigate the complexities of modern nonprofit and community-driven sectors. The program challenges candidates to reconcile administrative excellence with moral integrity, fostering a commitment to service and long-term organizational viability. Graduates emerge as reflective practitioners capable of conducting high-level research and applying empirical insights to serve their organizations and broader communities with wisdom and discernment.
The Doctor of Education in Faith-Based Leadership, Specialization in Understanding Leadership in World Religions is an applied professional doctorate emphasizing advanced faith-based leadership and specialization knowledge, organizational leadership, ethical stewardship, program development, community-care systems, higher-education instruction, and evidence-informed professional practice.
Students may receive up to 40 semester credit hours of approved graduate or doctoral transfer credit. Accepted transfer credits are applied toward the 120-credit graduation requirement and may reduce the number of courses and the amount of time required to complete the degree. A student receiving the maximum transfer-credit award must complete at least 80 semester credit hours through the University.
The applied doctoral project must address a documented faith-based leadership, specialization in understanding leadership in world religions-support, educational, organizational, or community-care need. The project must include scholarly research, an implementation model, measurable outcomes, ethical safeguards, an evaluation plan, and a successful oral defense.
DOCTORAL TRANSFER-CREDIT POLICY: The Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy programs each require 120 semester credit hours. Students may transfer up to 40 semester credit hours of eligible graduate or doctoral coursework toward either degree. Transfer credit is not automatically awarded. Each request is evaluated individually according to: The academic level of the previous coursework; The relevance of the coursework to the doctoral curriculum; Course content and learning outcomes; Credit-hour equivalency; Grades earned; The age of the coursework; Official institutional documentation; The University's residency and transfer-credit policies. Accepted transfer credit may reduce the number of courses and the amount of time required to complete the degree. Students awarded the maximum 40 transfer credits will have 80 semester credit hours remaining in the 120-credit doctoral program. Comprehensive examinations, doctoral candidacy, doctoral residency, the applied doctoral project, dissertation research, and the final oral defense must ordinarily be completed through the University. These requirements may not be satisfied through transfer credit unless expressly permitted under a published University policy.