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For over two decades The Graduate School of Leadership and Change has offered a model of innovative, flexible, and progressive education which centers adult learners in their educational experience, a commitment to social justice, equity, and inclusion, and a passion for the development and advancement of scholar-practitioners engaged in research to advance the common good. In particular, The PhD in Leadership and Change (PhDLC) has been cultivating socially engaged catalysts of change with curiosity, compassion, and courage to delve into the complex challenges facing our world locally and globally to champion the common good. Designed for mid to senior-level cross-sector practitioners, the low-residency, geographically dispersed, cohort-based program focuses on the interdisciplinary study of the scholarship, research, and practice of leadership and change. The PhDLC combines intensive faculty mentorship and staff support, a unique core curriculum, and a hybrid delivery model with research and practice to inspire leading positive change in workplaces, schools, organizations, and communities, across the globe.

The students’ expanded opportunities to pursue their own intellectual creativity and curiosity are best realized within the context of well-defined program structures, requirements, and learning guidelines. 

The multiyear doctoral journey is framed by the student’s own deep curiosity and sequenced through the lenses of leadership and change, research and inquiry, to develop the knowledge, scholarship and research skills necessary to design and implement their own original research, their dissertation which is designed to inquire into and improve leadership and change practices in their fields of interest. Additionally, the pre-candidacy years are marked by a combination of annual face-to-face and virtual residencies and a robust set of inter-residency elective workshops. There is a balance at play between program requirements and self-empowered learning, between being a member of a peer learning community and an independent scholar-practitioner, and between challenging faculty oversight and empowered student-driven initiative. The flexibility in pacing allows students to align their progress with the ebbs and flows of their professional and personal responsibilities. 

Through this extensive and thorough evaluation process, the PhDLC  is able to assure that every graduate upon completing the program, will have demonstrated both the ability and capability to: 

• Conduct an informed critique of theories, concepts and debates related to leading change in their profession, communities, and/or society at large;

• Engage in and create positive change in an organization, community, and/or the larger society;

• Reflect critically and responsibly on self and society as learners, leaders and scholars in the global context;

• Pursue self-directed and lifelong learning;

• Consider that knowledge is socially constructed and has historically privileged  dominant groups and marginalized others;

• Engage in the critical appraisal of research and other forms of scholarly communication in their fields of leading change;

• Design and execute research that meets scholarly and professional criteria of the candidate’s chosen field or sector and prepares them with the scholar-practitioner potential to inform and improve practice.

To date, the program has close to an 80% graduation rate, which far exceeds the national average. A number of dissertations have won national awards. The diverse student body, by age, race/ethnicity, geography and professional sector, live across the country and internationally. The faculty, all full-time senior scholar-practitioners, are equally diverse. Experience our learning community by discovering impactful alumni dissertations, learning more about our team, and through program highlights within our newsletters.

Amy Rutstein-Riley, PhD, MPH (she/her/hers)

Dean, GSLC and Director, PhD Program in Leadership and Change

Graduate Management Studies

Antioch University has a rich history of contribution to the field of management studies, building upon the Antiochian legacy of pioneering management professor and thought leader Douglas MacGregor, author of The Human Side of Enterprise. Our mission to empower students with the knowledge and skills to lead meaningful lives and to advance social, economic, environmental, and racial justice connects powerfully with the need to build, manage, and lead purpose-driven organizations. Offering an online suite of degree granting and professional certificate programs benefiting experienced and aspiring leader-managers alike, degree programs include a Master of Business Administration (MBA), a Master of Human Services Administration (MHSA), and a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management (MANM). By sharing selected, relevant courses across these three different degree programs, students from the human services sector, the nonprofit sector, and the for-profit sector gain exposure to managerial experiences and perspectives that create a more diverse and heterogeneous learning environment and contribute to more effective managerial practice. A wide range of elective courses allows students to pursue their special interests in depth. Certificate programs currently include the Women in Leadership certification. 

With an emphasis on practical professional development, all degree and certificate programs demonstrate Antioch’s mission and values, emphasizing collaborative, hands-on learning and the individualized attention and development that build knowledge and techniques directly translatable to the student’s field of work. The Master of Business Administration (MBA) emphasizes the mutual importance of people, planet, and profit in building and leading successful organizations and communities in the 21st century, preparing students to thrive in a dynamic, diverse, and innovative world where business acumen, leadership ability, and practical application are critically important - and marketable - skills. The Master of Human Services Administration (MHSA) prepares service-minded practitioners to lead in organizations where they can help have a positive impact on the lives of individuals and communities, including vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. The Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management (MANM) prepares individuals for exemplary professional leadership in nonprofit organizations through a curriculum informed by best practice standards in the discipline. The Women in Leadership graduate certificate, offered in collaboration with the School of Distance and Extended Education, brings together mid-career women for an educational experience that enhances confidence and leadership skills within a social justice framework.

Mary Ann Short, Ph.D.

Associate Dean, Graduate Management Studies

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