Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) in Leadership Psychology

Just in Time Admissions: There is still time to apply for Fall 2013

Program Overview

This four-year professional Leadership Psychology doctorate program has been designed with the input of national and international leaders. The full-time program is entirely online with the exception of an annual 4-day residency in Boston and is delivered in a cohort model.

Year One: In the first year of your program, you are introduced to the theory and practice of leadership and leadership psychology.

Year Two: The second year is your research methodology training. Experts in the fields of leadership research and qualitative and quantitative methodology will demystify these topics and provide you with a solid grounding in research all tied to leadership and leadership psychology.

Year Three: Your third year will bring you into the field more deeply and will include an examination of your own leadership style.

Year Four: The fourth year is your internship year (150 hours under the supervision of an expert in your area of interest) coupled with the completion of your doctoral project.

Why a PsyD Degree in Leadership Psychology?

A PsyD Degree in Leadership Psychology provides students with

1. a systematic grounding in the underpinning psychological principles of leadership and leadership psychology theory,
2. knowledge and skills necessary to perform as organizational leaders, and
3. methodological skills sufficient to both inquire into the nature of and contribute to the general knowledge about organizational leadership.

Leadership is an art and science and is framed upon psychology. Our program provides a diverse platform for students to understand leadership, followership, and to deploy the best research and practice to address challenges in for profit, non-profit, Higher Education, healthcare, and Government domains.

Leadership Case Example

Leadership and developing long lasting change for 21st century challenges requires knowing individual and group behavior. Human beings may profess a need for change, but often find it difficult to move out of tried and true ways of being. Sometimes leaders create change too fast and are literally or figuratively assassinated in the process so that the change that is being made is eradicated and one can return to default functioning. Consider the changes, for example, that Gandhi, King, and Kennedy made in society that have created long-term social outcomes, but at the time were too much for certain groups of people leading to the assassination of these leaders.

Why MSPP?

MSPP's Leadership Psychology faculty prepare students to meet their individual career goals.

The curricular design includes planned, mentored field experiences designed to prepare graduates to operate most effectively across a broad range of organizations and institutions—non-profit, for-profit, educational, philanthropic, NGOs, and government; it also includes a required individualized study of leadership in a particular organizational type.

MSPP attracts an exceptional and diverse student body bringing a multitude of experiences to the learning environment. Please read about a current Leadership Psychology student below.

Maria is a first year student in the PsyD in Leadership Psychology program. She grew up in Lagos Nigeria, where she attended a German school, and is now Athens-based where she has set up her own business after having worked in the corporate world in various Human Resources positions. With an initial academic background in Human Resources and Psychology her interests include multicultural areas and working with underprivileged populations. Additionally, Maria has set up an informal organization for stray animals. "I was looking for more than a year and a half for a program that would suit my needs. When I discovered MSPP and eventually met with Dr. Gregory, I knew I had found what I wanted. Saying that the program has exceeded my expectations is an understatement; it has actually changed my life and I am only in year one! I feel fortunate and grateful to have this opportunity and meet all these amazing people from the faculty to my cohort". Maria has co-authored the book Under Pressure – understanding and managing pressure and stress at the workplace, published by Marshall Cavendish International (UK), which was recently also released in Brazilian and Chinese.

Updated 6/4/13