Troy University has been approved by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education to offer a new doctoral degree, the Ph.D. in Global Leadership.

“I think in society today we have an enormous challenge, said Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr., chancellor of Troy University. “I see far too few strong leaders emerging in our state and nation – that’s the underlying reason we want to offer this program as a partial solution.”

The program will be offered entirely online, Hawkins said, making it accessible to a variety of students across the globe and offering working professionals an opportunity to earn a Ph.D.

“We have the expertise to offer quality instruction in the classrooms around the world but also online,” Hawkins said. “Students anywhere in the world can access it. I was in India in January and the mere mention of the program was exciting to a lot of professionals there. We know there is a worldwide audience for this program.”

The program will move on to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for final approval and is expected to launch in Fall 2020.

The Ph.D. in Global Leadership is Troy’s third doctoral program to receive ACHE approval, joining the Doctor of Nursing Practice (approved in 2007) and the Doctor of Philosophy in Sport Management (approved 2014).

“This Ph.D. is a response to a need for leadership with an international perspective in diverse areas — education, the military, business and the non-profit sector,” Chancellor Hawkins said. “A key feature of this program is a mentorship component where students will learn from a leader with experience in their field. This approach combined with global emphasis will prepare each candidate to succeed in the international marketplace.I can imagine many of the students who matriculate through this program wil spend some time working with a CEO or high-level senior official outside the country. We have 135 partner universities in 31 countries. We have a lot of relationships we can take advantage of to create these unique opportunities for our students.”

The program aims to help students develop a variety of leadership skills and competencies, including effective leadership for organizational change, facilitation of global teams, effective communication, and improving organizational effectiveness. Students will complete core coursework and choose a specialization in one of the following areas: Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, Strategic Communication, Educational Leadership and Administration, or Higher Education.

Troy’s Global Leadership doctoral will be unique in the state of Alabama and is designed to develop leaders from diverse backgrounds that will serve locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. That global focus includes encouraging students to pursue international internships, said Dr. Dionne Rosser-Mims, Dean of the College of Education.

For more information about the program, visit troy.edu/globalleadership.