Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning & Service in Health Care
Leadership is the core of our academia at Stritch. This program for those currently in, or seeking, leadership positions in health care. Students in this program will become experts in all aspects of research methodology. Our program will prepare you to become a great researcher and preparer of research. An educational social science leadership degree, not sciences degree, meets the needs for evolving leadership roles and expertise in health care beyond the health care knowledge and skills participants would already hold.
Advance your career
Transformative servant leaders are necessary in health care due to significant role of health care in our culture along with prevalence in ongoing conversations in political arena and relationship to social justice.
Interested in this program?
Fill out the inquiry form for more information.
Program Details
Program Overview
The Doctorate in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Health Care (Ph.D.) will prepare you to make significant contributions to your organization and will help you become a transformational leader in health care. The program is designed for current and aspiring health care facility administrators (i.e., hospitals, clinics, and residential treatment centers), nursing educators/leaders and other medical professionals such as physicians, psychologists, therapists, and others. These leaders will be seeking leadership development and social science/educational research skills through degrees beyond their current/needed license or occupational requirements to influence the health care discipline and be catalysts for meaningful change within their organization. The curriculum for the Doctorate in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Health Care focuses on contemporary leadership theories with a strong foundation in research. A broad understanding of the complex nature of health care is woven throughout the curriculum, but the primary focus of the program is to prepare you to lead your organization through meaningful change and transformation. Rather than simply building your knowledge about health care, you will learn to become a leader who will function effectively within your organization to create positive change.
Program Coursework
- Leadership Theory: Evolution and Influences
- Dimensions of Leadership
- Learning Theory: Evolution and Influences
- Dimensions of Leading the Learning Organization
- Service Theory: Evolution and Influences
- Dimensions of Leading to Serve
- Research Seminar A
- Research Practica A
- Research Seminar B
- Research Practica B
- Research Seminar C
- Research Practica C
- Health Care: Ethical Foundations and Influences
- Health Care: Trends and Issues in a Digital Age
- Influences in Health Care Leadership
- Health Care: Quality, Integration and Innovation
- Survey Research
- Advanced Statistics I
- Qualitative Data Analysis
- Qualitative Data Collection
- Writing the Research Narrative
The specific degree requirements on the website are for illustrative purposes and may change at any time. Please contact the Registrar's Office, Academic Advising or refer to the course catalog for detailed program requirements.
Admission Requirements
Application for admission:
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended, including evidence of master's degree completion.
- Evidence of grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale in master's coursework.
- Portfolio consisting of, but not limited to, the criteria listed below
- Curriculum vitae that documents formal education, professional work experience, honors, achievements, and activities related to education.
- Three letters of recommendation
- Please provide a personal statement, no longer than 1 page in length, discussing your professional achievements, your reserach interests and your positive impact on the community you serve.
- A writing sample consisting of a formal essay with a total of 4 pages double spaced 11 pt. font total for all seven prompts.
- Tell us about a time when you received professional feedback and how you acted upon it.
- Tell us about a time when you effectively collaborated with someone else and what was the outcome? Was this a chosen or assigned collaboration?
- Discuss a time when you demonstrated cultural competence.
- Discuss a time when you had to have a difficult conversation with a co-worker or a direct report. How was the relationship with the person following the conversation?
- Discuss a time when you participated in a significant change process.
- Discuss the role that service has played in your personal and professional life.
- Discuss the role or appeal of one of the following Franciscan Values for you: Making Peace, Building a Caring Community, Showing Compassion, Reverencing all of Creation.
The Value of a Ph.D. Degree
Research is how we get to know things, uncover and recover what we know. Earning a Ph.D. at Stritch allows for areas of growth in research and building the body of knowledge.
A Doctor in Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is an academic or professional degree that allows students to focus their area of research around their specialized field.
This is the highest level of degree a student could receive from a university.
At Stritch, we want students who have a vision for their practice to research, improve their practice and become better community servants.
This degree will allow you to earn a higher salary in your specialized field. The skills you gain throughout your academic journey will be transferrable to your professional career.
A Prayer for Health Care Workers
Our Franciscan values are centered at the front of the work that we do and about bringing God's kingdom on earth to life.
"Lord, protect our nurses, doctors, emergency responders, caregivers and all health care workers. Keep them well and strengthen their spirits as they continue to serve."
For more information please contact admissions or the program faculty.
Nicole M. Horvath
Assistant Director of Admissions for Adult and Professional Studies
Joseph C. Moylan
Chair - Doctoral Programs, District Administrator Licensure Program|Faculty - Leadership Doctorate