Earning a degree while working full-time or raising a family is possible at SNU because:

• Classes take place online or one evening a week, allowing busy adults to earn a doctorate without sacrificing the things that matter most
• Focus on one course at a time before moving on to the next to ensure true mastery
• A research professor is paired with you from the beginning of the program to ensure your success as a student and researcher
• Instructors with vast amounts of industry experience guide students through courses.
• Textbooks can be delivered directly to your door at the beginning of each class with a textbook subscription service.

An Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership can prepare you for advanced leadership opportunities across corporate, nonprofit, healthcare, government, ministry, education, and other organizational settings. The program develops skills in executive leadership, organizational strategy, coaching, change management, organizational psychology, research, and strategic decision-making. Graduates can apply these skills in executive and senior leadership, organizational development, consulting, talent and leadership development, operations, nonprofit leadership, higher education, and other roles centered on leading people and organizations.

An Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership is designed for experienced professionals who want to deepen their understanding of leadership while developing the ability to solve complex organizational challenges. Through advanced study in leadership theory, organizational psychology, strategy, technology, research, and change, you'll strengthen your ability to understand organizational systems, develop people, make informed decisions, and lead effectively in rapidly evolving environments.

The skills developed through an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership can be applied across a wide range of organizations, including:

• Corporations and private businesses

•  Healthcare organizations

• Nonprofit organizations

• Government and public-sector agencies

• Faith-based and ministry organizations

• Colleges and universities

• Consulting and leadership development firms

• Training and talent development organizations

Depending on your professional background and experience, an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership can support advancement toward roles such as:

• Executive or Senior Organizational Leader

• Chief Executive Officer

• Chief Operating Officer

• Organizational Development Leader

• Leadership Development Director

• Learning and Development Executive

• Executive Coach

• Management or Organizational Consultant

• Nonprofit Executive Director

• Higher Education Administrator

• Human Resources or Talent Development Executive

• Organizational Strategist

SNU's Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership combines advanced leadership study with applied research and personalized support. Rather than limiting leadership study to a single professional setting, the program prepares scholar-practitioners to apply research, strategy, and leadership principles directly to challenges within their own industries and organizations. Students also receive consistent guidance from faculty and research writing professors throughout the program while progressing alongside a supportive cohort of working professionals.

In the DEOL program, you can expect 10 - 20 hours of work per week. It's a big degree and requires a commitment of time and effort from each student who wants to success and make it to graduation. Students have great support for their learning and are expected to read and write at a high level as they respond to the guidance of their research professors.

The entire DEOL program costs $45,543 ($799/credit hour). Most students use financial aid through FAFSA. Some students self-pay, and others do a combination of both. Books are extra, and the Graduate Studies in Leadership program is launching a trial run with a book broker—similar to Spotify only with academic books—and all books would be available for $149 per term.

SNU has an active network of over 600 educators across Oklahoma, Texas, and the United States! Networking opportunities exist online, and while job placement is not currently offered, there are multiple opportunities for in-person networking at SNU career fairs, the annual Women in Leadership Symposium, and SNU's monthly Business and Leadership Network.

SNU's Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership combines advanced leadership preparation with the university's longstanding commitment to servant leadership. You'll explore complex organizational challenges through a faith-based, ethical approach while developing practical skills in strategy, research, organizational change, executive leadership, and people development. Designed for working professionals, the program provides a supportive environment where you can apply what you're learning directly to the organization and people you lead.

Credit hours: 3
This course will focus on Biblical and worldview perspectives in the area of leading shareholders, citizens, and the workplace of the student and in companionship with the SNU mission.  The practices, standards, and styles of leadership will be introduced and examined with a variety of teaching methods and experiences. Understanding the critical intersection of leadership and servanthood will help frame each student’s philosophy as a visionary leader.

Credit hour: 3
In today’s highly competitive and dynamic organizational environment, it is essential for leaders of all disciplines to be able to effectively deal with the wide range of organizational challenges with which they are presented. The ability to respond to the need for change is one of the hallmarks of contemporary organizations and students will examine the full spectrum of organization development tools and methods that can be implemented to increase organizational effectiveness. This course examines the major components of organizational development including the history of organization development and education reform initiatives, theories and process models, organizational culture, action research, and leading change initiatives.

Credit hours: 3
This course will develop an intercultural understanding for the effective leader, by examining the different cultural aspects and diverse influences on leadership and ethics.  This course will examine the interaction of internal/external diverse intersections of identities and cultures on the leader and explores the ways in which a leader’s identity and cultural experiences and values inform ethical decision-making and how different ethical and cultural systems address and define moral issues that arise in organizations.  Ethical issues and practices will be analyzed as they relate to the decisions and styles of the leader and the growth of a leader is becoming culturally responsive

Credit hours: 3
Doctoral students will be enrolled in research writing credits each term. These will be determined by program mapping courses starting with the first term of the program. The research writing is embedded within each term. Students must maintain a minimum of 2 research writing hours each term until their research writing is successfully produced into two publishable articles. The Research Writing Proposal Meeting will occur between Term One and Term Two. The result will be a program of study agreed upon by both the learner and the learner’s Research Committee members.

Credit hours: 3
The Literature Review course will develop strong research, critical thinking, and writing skills to better equip students in their completion of the literature review section of their dissertation. The course focuses on understanding the purpose of the literature review and the fundamental skills needed to complete it such as developing search strategies, synthesizing sources, and constructing paragraphs. Learners will be required to apply writing, research, and critical thinking skills in writing components of the literature review and will also have a working draft of the Literature Review of their dissertation when the course is complete.

Credit hours: 3
This course will present the relationship of theory and implementation to leadership practices.  Based on research, students will develop vision and mission statements that relate to the structure and functions of organizations. Learners will complete a project developing mission and vision statements for an approved organization, including the collaboration of stakeholders and documentation and reflection of the process.

Credit hours: 3
Doctoral students will be enrolled in research writing credits each term. These will be determined by program mapping courses starting with the first term of the program. The research writing is embedded within each term. Students must maintain a minimum of 2 research writing hours each term until their research writing is successfully produced into two publishable articles. The Research Writing Proposal Meeting will occur between Term One and Term Two. The result will be a program of study agreed upon by both the learner and the learner’s Research Committee members.

Credit hours: 3
Foundations of Research will introduce learners to the structure and format of a dissertation and will focus on the foundational components of a dissertation to include topic selection, problem statement, theory/theoretical framework, purpose statement, research questions/hypotheses, qualitative and quantitative approaches, and research design. Learners will also continue building a collection of research through critiquing, analyzing, and synthesizing peer-reviewed literature relevant to their research interest area. Learners will work collaboratively to create a dissertation problem statement that is well-supported and grounded in the existing literature.

Credit hours: 3
This course examines how leaders engage with organizations as complex adaptive systems operating within volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments. Students will explore the theoretical, empirical, and practical foundations of complexity, adaptive, and resilient leadership, which provide principles and practices to integrate research-based insights with real-world applications. Through inquiry, reflection, and design, students will create strategies to guide their organizations in areas such as sensemaking, enhancing dynamic capabilities, fostering enabling structures, solving complex problems, cultivating a learning orientation, and remaining agile in the face of evolving challenges and opportunities.

Credit hours: 3
This course explores advanced research strategies and the development of designs and methods supporting research in leadership. Exposure to rich research traditions in the field of leadership and both knowledge and skills to begin doctoral research will be introduced. Students will achieve the skills necessary to search for, retrieve, and analyze information and data from a variety of sources. Students will also begin the development of the scholarly writing needed to successfully complete their dissertation research.

Credit hours: 3
Doctoral students will be enrolled in research writing credits each term. These will be determined by program mapping courses starting with the first term of the program. The research writing is embedded within each term. Students must maintain a minimum of 2 research writing hours each term until their research writing is successfully produced into two publishable articles. The Research Writing Proposal Meeting will occur between Term One and Term Two. The result will be a program of study agreed upon by both the learner and the learner’s Research Committee members.

Credit hours: 3
This course explores and analyzes the traditions, philosophies, and techniques of qualitative research. Students will experience participant observation, interviewing, and document analysis.  Students will practice qualitative techniques and engage in initial data analysis related to their dissertation research.

Credit hours: 3
Students will explore the intersection of executive leadership practice and evidence-based coaching methodologies within complex organizational systems. Thecourse prepares scholar-practitioners to understand, evaluate, and apply advanced coaching frameworks that enhance leadership effectiveness at the highest organizational levels. Students will critically analyze contemporary leadership theories alongside established and emerging coaching models, exploring how coaching serves as both a developmental intervention and a strategic organizational capability.

Credit hours: 3
This course introduces students to quantitative methodology. Students will learn about descriptive and inferential statistics through exposure to parametric and non-parametric design models. Learners will obtain the skills to utilize their newly acquired methodology knowledge to critically analyze existing quantitative research.

Credit hours: 3
Doctoral students will be enrolled in research writing credits each term. These will be determined by program mapping courses starting with the first term of the program. The research writing is embedded within each term. Students must maintain a minimum of 2 research writing hours each term until their research writing is successfully produced into two publishable articles. The Research Writing Proposal Meeting will occur between Term One and Term Two. The result will be a program of study agreed upon by both the learner and the learner’s Research Committee members.

Credit hours: 3
This course will present the critical importance of strategic planning for the purpose of implementing the goals of the organization. Strategic planning models will be introduced and discussed. Practical skills will be presented for building short and long term strategies based on current theories in strategic planning as well as best practices in multiple environments. The students will develop skills and knowledge on how to prepare the workplace for phases of implementing strategies for effective and progressive change.

Credit hours: 3
This course explores the role finance and fundraising play in organizational leadership by examining how to financially lead and sustain organizations through budgeting, strategic financial planning, and philanthropic strategy. By focusing on financial literacy and strategy, resource management, accountability, ethical decision making, and strategic integration, students will be better prepared to face the financial challenges in the modern organization.

Credit hours: 3
Doctoral students will be enrolled in research writing credits each term. These will be determined by program mapping courses starting with the first term of the program. The research writing is embedded within each term. Students must maintain a minimum of 2 research writing hours each term until their research writing is successfully produced into two publishable articles. The Research Writing Proposal Meeting will occur between Term One and Term Two. The result will be a program of study agreed upon by both the learner and the learner’s Research Committee members.

Credit hours: 3
This course explores the profound and accelerating impact of technology on organizational leadership, strategy, and human systems. The course prepares scholar-practitioners to navigate the complexities of leading in an era characterized by artificial intelligence, automation, digital transformation, data analytics, and rapidly evolving sociotechnical systems that fundamentally reshape how organizations operate and compete. Emphasis is placed on understanding technology not merely as a tool but as a transformative force that influences power relations, organizational culture, knowledge creation, and competitive advantage.

Credit hours: 3
This course provides an examination of the psychological principles that shape human behavior in complex organizational systems by bridging psychological science and leadership theory and practice. Students are equipped with advanced knowledge to understand, diagnose, and address complex human dynamics that shape organizational effectiveness. Students will analyze how psychological principles apply to persistent organizational challenges, including talent management, innovation, organizational learning, conflict resolution, diversity and inclusion, and sustainable performance.

Credit hours: 3
Doctoral students will be enrolled in research writing credits each term. These will be determined by program mapping courses starting with the first term of the program. The research writing is embedded within each term. Students must maintain a minimum of 2 research writing hours each term until their research writing is successfully produced into two publishable articles. The Research Writing Proposal Meeting will occur between Term One and Term Two. The result will be a program of study agreed upon by both the learner and the learner’s Research Committee members.