Mar1
Fall Term Start Only
Application Deadline
$45 Application Fee
The PhD in Leadership Studies is designed to challenge students' perspectives on successful leadership practices. Doctoral students are provided with the education and practical tools to affect positive and sustainable change in our global community.
Graduate Application Process
All applicants are considered utilizing a holistic review process, including the following factors:
- Strength of academic history
- Professional and/or extracurricular experiences relevant to the program
- Content of personal statement and its connection to learning outcomes; and
- Letters of recommendation with specific examples of your competencies and aptitudes relevant to the program
Admission decisions are made approximately 30 to 60 days after each deadline.
Application Checklist
The PhD in Leadership Studies program does not require the GRE or specific coursework for admission. Professional experience is strongly recommended.
For more information about the PhD in Leadership program, visit PhD Leadership FAQ's.
Official (Degree-Granting) Transcripts
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 master's degree and bachelor's degree are required at the time of application.
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale in graduate coursework is preferred. Applicants with a GPA below 3.5 are still encouraged to apply and will be considered as part of the overall application review.
Applicants must complete a bachelor's degree and a master's or JD prior to beginning the program.
Applicants may apply prior to completing their master's degree. In this case, please submit your most up-to-date transcripts, and if admitted, submit a second set of official transcripts after your degree is conferred.
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)
Please be sure to carefully read the application checklist for international students found on the University of San Diego's Graduate Admission website.
Current Resume OR Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Include all relevant education and employment information to help the Admissions team make an informed decision.
Two Letters 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 and potential, and overall promise as a doctoral student.
Personal Statement
Please address each of the three points in no more than two single-spaced pages:
- Identify one or two leadership research areas you hope to investigate and explain how the research interests of faculty in the Department of Leadership Studies align with your proposed areas of study.
- Describe how earning a PhD in Leadership Studies will advance your academic, professional, and personal aspirations.
- Explain how your academic background, professional experiences, and personal journey have prepared you for doctoral-level study and contributed to your readiness for this program.
English Proficiency Exam (EPEX) score for International Applicants
An official score report for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is required of all international applicants. Official score reports must be two years old or less from the time you submit your online application in order to be considered.
Official scores can be sent to the Office of Graduate Admission, school code: 4849.
TOEFL minimum scores:- Internet-based test: 83
- Computer-based test: 237
- Paper-based test: 580
OR
IELTS minimum score:
- Band score 7
OR
An official score report from the Duolingo English Test:
- the traditional online test
- minimum total score of 120
Note: The University of San Diego does not accept scores from the TOEFL Essentials or the IELTS Indicator exams for graduate admission.
The English Language Exam requirement may only be waived if you have earned a 4-year bachelor's degree or 2-year master's degree, with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher, from an institution where English is the official language of instruction. Waiver requests based on living or working in an English-language context, or based on educational pursuits that resulted in less than the conferral of a 4-year bachelor's or 2-year master's degree, will not be accepted.
Waivers are not automatically applied; all waivers must be requested. Waivers are granted on a one-by-one basis for a specific program and term. Obtaining a waiver is not guaranteed under any circumstances.
To request a waiver of the English Language Exam requirement:
- Submit the Online Application (see Step 1 above); your waiver request will not be considered until we receive your Online Application.
- Submit your official transcript or official course-by-course international transcript evaluation showing proof of your bachelor's and/or master's degree having been earned at an institution where English is the language of instruction. Please be aware that if you attended a foreign institution, that institution must clearly state on their website that English is the language of instruction. If no such statement is posted, you will need to obtain an official verification letter from that institution confirming English as the language of instruction, and submit it as part of your application for admission.
- Once you have submitted both your Online Application and your official transcript(s)/evidence of degree earned at an institution where English is the language of instruction, please email the program you are applying to in order to request the waiver. Your waiver request must be supported by the program you are applying to before it can be reviewed.
Contact the SOLES Admissions and Outreach Office to learn if you are eligible for an EPEX waiver. Each request will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
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