School of Business Administration · Online
Develop your leadership and learn to help others lead. Connect leadership theory with doctoral research through a Ph.D. or DBA in Leadership.
Compare the paths
Study leadership through original research or its application in business. Each degree combines advanced coursework with an independent dissertation.
Original research
Leadership
Investigate how leaders develop and how their decisions and behavior affect people and organizations. Conduct original research that contributes to leadership theory and scholarship.
Applied research
Leadership
Use research to improve leadership practice in your organization. Investigate a challenge such as preparing new managers for greater responsibility or helping a team navigate change.
Both 60-credit degrees let you focus on Leadership through four approved business electives.
Leadership in practice
Effective leaders make sound decisions and help others grow. Use leadership theory and research to strengthen your own practice and guide how you mentor emerging leaders.
Strengthen your judgment, lead responsibly, and consider how your decisions affect the people who rely on you.
Ask purposeful questions and offer constructive feedback to help emerging leaders work through challenges and develop their own judgment.
Recognize potential, set meaningful development goals, and support people as they take on new responsibilities.
DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast examines how organizations prepare leaders and support their development. Its findings highlight the need for leaders who can also develop future talent. Explore the leadership research ↗
The challenge: preparing the next generation of leaders
Of HR professionals reported a strong pool of future leaders.
Of leaders had received training to recognize and develop future talent.
Greater likelihood of planning to leave within a year among high-potential employees whose managers did not regularly provide development opportunities.
Source: DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2025, based on responses from 10,796 leaders and 2,185 HR professionals across 2,014 organizations. Survey conducted in 2024.
Inside the program
Both degrees include foundations, research methods, business inquiry, four approved electives, and dissertation research. The foundation and business inquiry courses differ by degree.
Review the degree requirements and the Leadership electives listed in the updated 2026–2027 catalog. Request the current catalog.
Build the foundation for your chosen doctoral path.
Learn to design studies, interpret organizational data, and assess evidence about leadership and development. The research methods sequence covers quantitative and qualitative methods, research ethics, and proposal development.
Choose four approved 3-credit electives, totaling 12 credits. You may combine courses across business focus areas with advisor approval.
Compare leadership theories and examine relationships between leaders and followers. Develop a response to a leadership challenge grounded in research and organizational context.
Prerequisite: PRO703 or PHD703
Examine executive judgment under uncertainty, including bias and competing interests. Design transparent decision processes and consider how leaders influence stakeholders ethically.
Prerequisite: PRO703 or PHD703
Assess readiness for change and the effects of organizational culture and resistance. Plan an approach that supports employee participation, learning, and lasting improvement.
Prerequisite: PRO703 or PHD703
Examine how leaders use authority and how followers exercise judgment and influence. Evaluate ways to protect employee voice, strengthen accountability, and support responsible leadership.
Prerequisite: PRO703 or PHD703
Work with a faculty supervisor on an approved leadership topic beyond the scheduled courses, such as executive practice, team leadership, or organizational culture. Independent Study II builds on the first course through additional research and analysis.
BUS732 requires PRO703 or PHD703. BUS733 requires BUS732. A maximum of 6 independent-study credits may count toward the degree. Course offerings depend on faculty availability, enrollment, and the approved rotation.
Ph.D. students complete a dissertation that contributes original theoretical or empirical knowledge. DBA students complete an applied dissertation that addresses a defined business or organizational problem. Both degrees follow the DIS894 through DIS899 dissertation sequence with guidance from a committee.
Before completing the dissertation, students pass a candidacy examination and defend both the proposal and the final study. Research involving human participants requires IRB approval before data collection.
Support throughout your studies
Each monthly term includes four weeks of instruction. Students usually take one course per term and complete asynchronous coursework by published deadlines. The learning platform remains available throughout the term.
Your academic advisor helps you plan your coursework, choose Leadership electives, and monitor progress toward the degree.
Faculty office hours and virtual consultations provide support with doctoral writing, research design, and research methods.
Your dissertation committee guides the research process from proposal development through the final oral defense.
Tuition
Each course is 3 credits. Your tuition rate is based on your geographic pricing zone. Additional fees apply.
Confirm your tuition with admissions
Source: NMU 2026–2027 catalog, Tuition and Student Payment Schedules.
Pay for each course as you enroll.
The catalog lists a $20 application fee, $50 registration fee, and $200 graduation fee. Ask admissions for an itemized breakdown of all fees before enrolling.
Eligible first-time students receive a 50% tuition reduction on their first course, subject to catalog terms.
Rates are in USD. Approved transfer credit may reduce the number of required courses.
Admissions
Admissions can help you compare the Ph.D. and DBA in Leadership, review your academic background, and identify the next available start date.
Before you decide
Learn about program options, online study, and admission requirements.
Leadership emphasizes your growth as a leader and your ability to mentor future leaders. General Business takes a broader view of decisions across business functions. Both offer Ph.D. and DBA pathways within the School of Business Administration.
Doctoral study builds on your graduate education with advanced research methods and an independent dissertation. You conduct a substantial study and defend its contribution to leadership knowledge or professional practice.
Students normally take one course per monthly term. The catalog allows up to seven years from initial enrollment to complete the coursework and dissertation. Admissions can help you plan your course sequence.
NMU may accept up to six credits toward the elective requirement after reviewing the course content, academic level, and learning outcomes. Each transfer-credit request is evaluated individually.
NMU reviews international academic credentials and may require a third-party evaluation. Applicants whose prior education was not in English must also provide evidence of English proficiency. Admissions can explain the documentation required for your country.
Coursework is asynchronous and follows published assignment deadlines. Proposal and final dissertation defenses take place in scheduled virtual meetings. Office hours and other academic-support sessions may also be scheduled.
QAHE lists NMU as accredited through March 25, 2027. NMU is not accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. State registration is not accreditation or endorsement.
Admissions can provide current registration and recognition information for review before enrollment.
Ph.D. and DBA in Leadership
Connect with admissions to compare the Ph.D. and DBA in Leadership and choose the path that fits your academic and professional goals.
Fill out the form to get personalized guidance and explore how New Meridian University can support your doctoral goals.
