The College of Education and Human Services (CEHS) will be introducing its first-ever doctoral program in the fall, which will focus on organizational studies.
“It’s really wonderful that we now have a doctoral level program within the college,” Leadership Studies in Education Professor Jill Lindsey said.
The “Doctorate of Education in Organizational Studies” is intended for leaders from a variety of organizations, and will provide an “interdisciplinary approach to the study of topics, theories and research critical to the success of leaders in a variety of settings,” according to CEHS.
“Some will be in K12 settings, some will be in university settings, some will be in small businesses, government or community organizations,” Lindsey said.
The first two years of the program will focus on core materials, and will be delivered as a cohort. Students will then be advised to focus on either leading or learning in organizations, according to Lindsey.
“The whole program is really designed around the notion that leading and learning transpire in organizations,” Lindsey said. “It’s not a pure concentration, it’s a focus, because imbedded in the program is [a] natural relationship.”
Lindsey said that the program had been in the works at Wright State long enough that CEHS had a list of many potential students interested in the program.
“We’ve been developing this program for years; not this particular program, but various versions of it,” Lindsey said. “We had quite a listserv of perspective students who were interested in the program, and we immediately sent out information to those individuals.”
Lindsey said that 10 to 12 students would be admitted to the program for fall semester, and 6 to 8 would be admitted each year after, though the numbers could change depending on the admittance interest.
CEHS will be accepting applications for the fall program through May 1. 5 years of management-level leadership experience are required for those wishing to enter the program, according to Lindsey.
Lindsey said that the department was excited to launch a new opportunity.
“My faculty is so excited to be delivering this program,” Lindsey said. “I think anyone who decides to undertake this program will get a rich learning experience.”
