Admissions Requirements

Must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admission:

Office of Graduate Admission
University of San Diego
5998 Alcalá Park
San Diego, CA 92110-2492
grads@sandiego.edu

Official E-Transcripts are acceptable only if emailed to grads@sandiego.edu.

Official transcripts from the university where you earned your bachelor's degree are required at the time of application. All other official transcripts will be required prior to enrollment at USD

Applicants must either:

1. Possess a Bachelor's degree and have a minimum of ten years of work experience, or
2. Possess a Master’s degree with a minimum of six years of work experience.*

Note: Preference will be given to applicants with a Master’s degree.

_{*Degrees may be in progress at the time of application, but must be conferred prior to enrolling at USD.}

If you earned a degree from an institution outside the United States, you are required to submit an official international transcript evaluation (also called a foreign credential evaluation) as part of your application. Please note that the evaluation must be a course-by-course evaluation. You must order your official course-by-course evaluation from one of the following evaluation services.

• World Education Services, Inc. (WES)
• Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE)
• International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF)
• Josef Silny & Associates, Inc. (JSA)
• SpanTran: The Evaluation Company (SpanTran)
• Foreign Academic Credential Service (FACS)

We encourage people who reside outside of the United States to apply for this online program. Valuable information for international students may be found on the University of San Diego Graduate Admission website: application checklist for international students.

Please note that not all requirements apply since students in the EdD program in Organizational Leadership will not travel to the United States for academic course work. All academic course work will be done online or in countries outside of the U.S.

Include all relevant education and employment information to help the Admissions team make an informed decision.

Two letters of recommendation are required from individuals who can speak to your professional experience and your ability to engage in doctoral studies. Additionally, you have the option to submit a third letter of recommendation from professors or employers who can attest to your academic capabilities.

We strongly recommend that at least one of the letters be from a professor who can address your academic abilities, potential, and overall promise as a doctoral student.

Please submit a single-spaced personal statement (up to three pages) that helps the admissions committee understand your motivations and readiness for doctoral study in Organizational Leadership.

In your statement, address the following:

• Your academic background and key professional experiences.
• Your motivations for pursuing a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership.
• How this program aligns with your career goals.
• How you hope to contribute to advancing inclusion, sustainability, and social responsibility in organizational contexts.

This is your opportunity to reflect on your leadership journey, your commitment to equity and impact, and how you see this program supporting your continued growth.

Please submit a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to think critically, organize your thoughts clearly, and communicate effectively in writing.

We are particularly interested in your capacity to analyze complex issues and present ideas in a coherent, well-structured way.

Your writing sample may be one of the following (or equivalent):

• A graduate-level academic paper
• A professional report or white paper
• A published article
• A strategic plan or policy brief you authored
• A project proposal

Please include a short paragraph (3–5 sentences) at the beginning describing the context and purpose of the piece and your role in producing it.

^{Note: This is not simply a writing sample; it is an opportunity to assess your readiness for the kind of writing and critical thinking expected in a doctoral program. Submissions must be your own original work.}