Belmont University’s College of Education announced today a new Ph.D. program in Strategic Leadership in Education (SLE)* starting this fall that will provide educational leaders with the tools they need to successfully confront the many organizational, political, fiscal and instructional challenges faced in today’s educational settings. Belmont’s program will offer greater opportunity for educators to have a positive impact on the lives and futures of young people by training them to clearly identify solutions and strategies that address complex issues through leadership, research and collaboration.
Belmont’s SLE Ph.D. program is multidisciplinary, with core courses grounded in educational leadership theory and literature, and provides students with the opportunity to select one of three concentrations in Educational Leadership, Management and Entrepreneurship, or Faith and Justice Leadership.
Dean of the College of Education Dr. Jim McIntyre said Belmont is delighted to offer this new program because it will live at the nexus of excellence in both theory and practice. “We envision capable professionals from across the educational landscape leveraging this degree to gain the knowledge, practical wisdom and skills they will need to be even more effective in their critical work,” he explained. “With a focus on proven principles of leadership and research that informs practice, this rigorous but flexible doctoral degree will catapult candidates to the next level of their career, and more importantly, to the next level in their impact.”
Research-based and leadership-focused, the mission of Belmont’s Strategic Leadership in Education Ph.D. is to equip graduates to directly confront countless challenges that impact students, families and communities. And unlike other programs in the nation, this doctoral program will set graduates up for success as both senior leaders in education-oriented organizations and as scholars in the field of educational leadership.
Upon completing Belmont’s program, graduates can expect to grow into advanced leadership and management roles in PreK-12 schools and districts, adult and higher education institutions, education-oriented foundations, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, and government.
The SLE doctoral program is designed to accommodate working professionals, with a requirement of 60 affordable credit hours that can be completed part-time within four years. Coursework will be done predominantly online and will be supplemented with one required three-day, on-campus session each term.
Applications are open and will be accepted through July 31. To learn more, click here.
*Pending SACSCOC approval
