A PhD in Leadership from Taylor is a powerful credential that will shape the next stage of your life’s journey and career.
With two tracks to choose from—organizational leadership or educational leadership—it is designed with the working professional in mind, covering 12 weeks of coursework in 15 weeks (to provide margin for other commitments). All courses are asynchronous to maximize flexibility.
Taylor’s PhD program allows you to merge scholarship with discipleship, a hallmark of the University’s educational experience. Relationships begin at the in-person orientation, which you are able to build on through weekly optional online sessions.
Through your cohort, regular engagement with faculty and world class leaders, theory becomes rooted in practice, grounded in principle, and shared experientially with others as you explore core leadership principles that consider ethics and innovation through a distinctly Christian lens.
Unlike many other PhD programs, you'll begin the dissertation process on day one. Your degree plan is personalized, guided by your unique background and career goals. Along the way, you'll learn from your colleagues as they learn from you, with faculty personally invested in your success, and through exposure to the leading edge of leadership research and thinking.
From knowledge and mastery of ideas comes the ability to set a vision, the confidence to communicate it, and the ability to influence and inspire others. That is the essence of compassionate leadership and true leaders.
You'll begin your PhD experience by attending New Student Institute and Orientation on the campus of Taylor University. Over the course of a long weekend, you will meet with Taylor University senior administrators, as well as the Cornwall School of Business and Leadership Dean, Executive Director of Graduate Programs in Leadership, faculty, and support staff.
Through New Student Institute and Orientation, you will be oriented to the program, acclimated to your cohort, and exposed to leadership theories and learning objectives foundational to the Taylor University PhD in Leadership. By the end of New Student Institute and Orientation, you will have had a true “Taylor experience” and be prepared to launch into the first semester.
The next New Student Institute and Orientation is scheduled for September 4–7, 2025 in Indianapolis. Meetings will take place both in Indianapolis and on the campus of Taylor University in Upland, Indiana.
Each summer, PhD students will attend a week-long Summer Institute hosted in various locations across the United States. The Summer Institute is designed to engage in high-level discussion around a topic of interest and build networks of opportunity among world-class leaders.
The next Summer Institute will be held July 7-11, 2025, in Boston, MA. Students will stay at the Omni Parker House in downtown Boston, and meetings will take place in the Granary Room at the historic Park Street Church, located directly on the Boston Commons. This iconic evangelical church was once pastored by notable Taylor alumnus Harold Ockenga.
Amanda Barrington
PhD Student
"I wanted to study leadership in an environment where I knew I would have excellent role models in servant-leadership. I also wanted to study in a scholarly community that would be more supportive than competitive. The fall orientation was a great opportunity to set a foundation for the cohort that we have been able to build upon throughout the semester."
Ike Welch
PhD Student
“Having experienced the vibrant spiritual, intellectual, and social community of Taylor University as an undergraduate student, it was a natural choice for me to join the PhD in Leadership program. The intersection of faith and learning is the trademark of everything that transpires at Taylor. I'm all in.”
Jeff Weber
PhD Student
“The most important element of my experience to date is the structured approach to understand my personal leadership style, my faith journey, and how I can serve God as a leader. Despite my professional success, I frequently did not unite my personal faith with my professional responsibilities. The PhD program provides me with the framework to integrate my faith and my learning and enables me to become a better leader.”
Celestin Mukirania
PhD Student
“As a citizen of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), I was looking for a university that could help me develop both my academic and spiritual leadership skills. I truly believe that this will enable me to serve as a skilled leader and educator, pursuing God's purpose and contributing to the creation of a new narrative for my country. I'm really excited to be part of the change!”
Leadership is about creating an aspirational vision—one that will serve as the ultimate purpose and mission for the individuals and groups who bring it to fruition. Beyond the vision itself, leadership is also the art of understanding and motivating individuals and teams to work effectively and intentionally.
As an accredited Christian college in Upland, Indiana, Taylor provides a rigorous leadership education founded in a biblical perspective and designed to help you make teams and companies prosper and thrive. All Taylor courses are rooted in a Christian worldview. Our faculty is fully committed to your mentorship.
Dr. D. Michael Lindsay
President of Taylor and author of Faith in the Halls of Power, View from the Top, and Hinge Moments: Making the Most of Life’s Transitions
"There’s a characterization of leadership I’ve always embraced—that it is ‘caught’ as much as it is ‘taught.’ This consistently surfaced in my own intensive interviews with more than 550 world class global leaders over the last three decades. Each had at least one mentor, role model, or coach who made a key difference and played a formative role at a critical moment in their lives and shaped who they became. This is a truth we have worked to embed in the leadership learning and development experience at Taylor."