Organizational Leadership, Ph.D.

Introduction

The Organizational Leadership Doctoral Program (ORLD) prepares students to engage in leadership activities in educational, nonprofit, and business settings. Our students will explore, expand their knowledge of, and critically evaluate organizational and leadership theories as they develop expertise in research design and academic scholarship. We will equip students with the skills to effectively address organizational policies and practices by actively modeling leadership in their chosen organizational environments. As a result, students will promote ethical and socially responsible behavior as they make meaningful contributions in their communities. Students who satisfactorily complete the Organizational Leadership course of study will receive the Doctor of Philosophy degree and be prepared to:

• Write academic texts proficiently utilizing standard written English and APA formatting.
• Critically evaluate leading organizational and leadership theories.
• Develop the knowledge and skills necessary to design and critically evaluate qualitative and quantitative research.
• Apply and implement either qualitative or quantitative research.
• Development, implement and/or respond to organizational policies and practices.
• Apply theories and practices of ethical and socially responsible behavior.
• Recognize the extent of socio‐cultural and economic diversity, both locally and globally and develop skills necessary to work within diverse environments.

Objective of Program

The Organizational Leadership Program is a Doctoral Degree program for students in mid to advanced career stages. The Organizational Leadership Program accomplishes this mission through advanced learning of organizational theory and research. Additionally, the Organizational Leadership Program contributes to the growing body of knowledge pertaining to organizations. The target of the program includes persons with a master’s degree who are currently employed or serve with an organization. The program is offered in a weekend format. Classes are offered at the main campus of UMES in Princess Anne, MD and at the Eastern Shore Higher Education Center (ESHEC) in Wye Mills, MD on Friday evenings, Saturday, and Sunday during Fall, Spring, and Summer Semesters.

Admission

Applicants will be considered for admission to the Organizational Leadership Program in accordance with the admission requirements set forth by the UMES Graduate School. Applications will be reviewed and recommendations concerning admission made to the Dean of Graduate Studies by the Organizational Leadership Admissions Committee composed of as many as four assessors.

All applicants must satisfy:

1. All general requirements for full admission to graduate programs.
2. An on‐site interview that assesses oral/written presentation skills.
3. A written evaluation of work performance by a current or recent supervisor (one of the required letters of recommendation).

The Organizational Leadership Program is a terminal degree program for students in mid to advanced career stages. Applicants represent a wide variety of professional experiences and educational backgrounds.

Students who enter the program must have earned baccalaureate and Master’s degrees from US regionally accredited educational institutions or the degree equivalent in another country and demonstrate successful employment in an organization that relates to the specified strand major. Applicants, particularly those demonstrating nontraditional career paths, must clearly articulate on the Statement of Purpose application form the purposes for pursuit of the degree consistent with previous educational background and professional experiences and well‐considered career plans.

GRE or GMAT Score Requirement

The Organizational Leadership doctoral program requires the submission of standardized test scores as a criterion for admission. The program prefers the submission of GRE scores, but will accept GMAT scores. If GRE scores are submitted, minimum scores should be at least at the 50th percentile for the verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning, and a 4.0 in the analytical writing section or above. If GMAT scores are submitted as an alternative to the GRE, minimum scores should be at least at the 50th percentile or above for the analytical writing assessment, integrated reasoning, quantitative and verbal sections.

Application Deadline

As a cohort‐based program, there is one admission period per year (Fall). The application deadline for the Fall semester is March 1. Students are responsible to ensure that completed applications and supporting materials, including letters of recommendation and official transcripts, are received in the UMES Graduate School by the application  deadline.

Advisor and Research Advisory Committee

Upon admission to the Organizational Leadership (ORLD) Program, students will be assigned to an Academic Advisor. This person will be responsible for advising on all aspects of the student’s progress through the program. Students should also consult for information, forms, specific policies and procedures the ORLD program manuals on the Research Advisory Committee process and the processes leading to graduation.

After passing the comprehensive examination (see the section below), the student will select a Research Advisory Committee (RAC), which must be approved by the ORLD Coordinator and the Dean of Graduate Studies. The Committee will include at least four (4) members selected from the following categories who must have UMES Graduate Faculty Status to be a voting member:

1. RAC Chair: Select from ORLD adjunct and full‐time faculty, as well as UMES full‐time faculty. Previous Doctoral Committee Chair experience is preferred.
2. RAC Core Faculty: Select from ORLD adjunct and full‐time faculty, UMES faculty, or faculty affiliated with another accredited university who have expertise in the student’s area of interest.
3. RAC Research Faculty: Select from ORLD adjunct and full‐time faculty, UMES faculty, or faculty affiliated with another accredited university who have expertise in research design and/or statistics.
4. Secondary Core or Research Faculty or RAC Associate: This person may be selected because of expertise in a desired area.

The RAC must also include a Dean’s Representative, who is assigned by the Dean of Graduate Studies. This person may be one of the committee members.

Comprehensive Examination

The ORLD Doctoral program holds written comprehensive examinations twice a year, in January and August. To be eligible to sit for the comprehensive examination, the student must be in “good academic standing,” that is, the student must have obtained an A or B in all core, research and strand courses and have successfully completed the internship and be registered for ORLD 700  (1 credit hour). The comprehensive examination format is as follows:

1. Examination questions reflecting coursework in core, strand and research, as well as the internship, will be submitted from the ORLD faculty.
2. The examination will be monitored by a proctor who cannot be a grader. Each student will be assigned a number so that “graders” (ORLD faculty) will not know whose examination they are grading. In other words, the comprehensive examination uses a double‐blind technique. Up to three graders will assess each question; their scores will be averaged. Averages will not be rounded to the next whole number.
3. The student may hand‐write the examination (exam booklet/paper will be provided) or submit answers via a UMES‐provided computer (with only word processing capability). Students are allowed to bring a pencil/pen and notes to the exam room. Students may not bring books or other materials into the exam room. The student must inform the ORLD Administrative Assistant two weeks before the examination date whether he/she will use pencil/pen or computer. After this time, the student is not allowed to waver from this test‐taking decision unless, on the day of the examination, there are technical difficulties regarding the use of computers.
4. Room assignment for the exam will be emailed to the student from the ORLD office two (2) weeks before the examination date.
5. Exams are scheduled to be taken over two days. The exam begins on the afternoon of the first day, in a 3 hour time block [1:00 pm—4:00 pm]. Students are expected to arrive by 12 noon for preliminary information and to prepare for the exam. The exam continues in an 8 hour time block on the second day (3 hours in the morning [9:00 am—12:00 noon]; a one‐hour lunch break [12:00 noon to 1:00 pm]; and 3 hours in the afternoon [1:00 pm—4:00 pm]). Students are expected to arrive by 8 am on the second day for preliminary information and to prepare for the exam. Testing will begin and end at the specified times listed above. If the student arrives at a later time, he/she will not be provided extra time to complete the examination.
6. The exam proctor will distribute one question at 1 pm on the first day (research question). At 9 am on the second day, the proctor will distribute one question (core question). After lunch on the second day, the proctor will distribute one questions at 1 pm (one specialization questions). At the end of each session, the question and answers will be submitted to the proctor. The student cannot revisit submitted responses.
7. Where students may be provided a choice among the questions to answer, e.g., one of two questions, students who mistakenly respond to both questions will have only the first of the two responses graded. A student may not respond to both questions to attempt to improve the total score for the question. Students must answer questions using the provided ID number – if a student types/writes her/his name on any page of the exam, any question(s) will automatically be marked as a zero and that will count as one attempt.
8. All questions will be scored on a scale of 1‐25. The student must pass EACH question with at least an 80 percent score. In other words, the student must score an average of 20 points or higher to pass each question.
9. Comprehensive exam questions are designed to assess the student’s knowledge about broad foundational concepts as well as the ability to integrate this knowledge in a manner that graders perceive as indicative of Doctoral status. Graders will expect that the student will cite references according to the 6th or latest edition APA style manual (author, date) throughout his/her writing. There is no required length for a comprehensive examination answer. Passing has to do with quality—not quantity.
10. Students will be informed in writing of their comprehensive examination score. Usually this process of grading takes between 2‐4 weeks. They can also receive upon request a summary of graders’ comments or review the graded examinations by contacting the Program Coordinator’s office.
11. If a student does not pass all portions of the comprehensive examination, he/she will receive a grade of Unsatisfactory for ORLD 700 , and must register for one (1) credit hour in ORLD 700  when sitting again for the comprehensive examination. In the event of failing ANY or ALL of the questions, the student may retake the failed section(s) ONLY once. The second examination attempt will be given no earlier than four months after the first examination and no later than one calendar year from the date of the initial examination. If the student fails the re‐taken part the second time (or fails to take the failed examination section(s) within one year), his/her admission status is terminated.

Doctoral Internship/Practicum

The Doctoral Practicum is an experiential‐based learning opportunity completed as a field experience related to current or future professional interests. Activities must be performed in an approved setting in concert with fellow professionals. New learning is an essential component of this experience. The practicum will yield a scholarly product that has been supervised by an expert in the field and approved by the program Internship Committee. Repeatable credit (must complete six credits total). Students must gain permission for their specific project from the ORLD Practicum Committee. Students must acquire this permission at least one month before the beginning of the relevant semester to be allowed to register.

The Proposal Defense

The student and his/her Dissertation Committee will agree upon a dissertation subject and accompanying research design. A quantitative proposal and dissertation manuscript will include the first four chapters (Introduction, Review of the Literature, Theoretical Framework and Hypotheses, and Methodology) of the final dissertation (usually six chapters: Introduction, Review of the Literature, Theoretical Framework and Hypotheses, Methodology, Results, and Conclusions/Discussion). A qualitative proposal and dissertation may contain a different number of chapters than those noted for quantitative proposals. The student will follow the APA Style Manual (6th or latest edition) regarding referencing and appropriate citations. The students will follow the UMES Thesis and Dissertation Style Guide for specific formatting of the document.

The Proposal Defense, administered by the Dissertation Committee, is an oral examination of the research proposal. All members of the Dissertation Committee must attend the Proposal Defense either in person or via prior approved audio/video technology. If an emergency arises among a Committee member, the Dean of Graduate Studies may substitute that member with the Program Coordinator or the Dean’s Representative to the Dissertation Committee so that the Proposal Defense may take place. At least three Dissertation Committee members must be physically present for the proposal defense.

During the Proposal Defense—the oral examination—the Dissertation Committee members examine the student on all aspects of the proposed dissertation research as well as whether the student has the proper motivation, technical and intellectual capacity, and resources to complete the research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Following the completion of the Proposal oral examination process, the Dissertation Committee will hold a closed meeting in which decisions will be made concerning the final form of the proposal. The student will be called back into the room to hear the Dissertation Committee decision. Dissertation Committee consensus is desired; however,  the student passes the proposal with at least three of four affirmative votes. The student is required to bring ORLD Form B to the proposal defense. It is expected that the Dissertation Committee will work with the student to make any required changes. When the Dissertation Committee recommends substantive changes in the proposal, the  student will not move forward to submit to the UMES Institutional Review Board (IRB) the request for approval of human subjects data collection until all edits have been made. After passing the Proposal Defense, the student is allowed to submit materials as needed to the UMES Institutional Review Board (IRB).

After passing the Proposal Defense, the student is admitted to candidacy provided that he/she submits the application for Admission to Candidacy. This application form may be obtained from the UMES Graduate School. The timeline for Admission to Candidacy is five years after enrollment in the program.

If the student fails the Proposal Defense, he/she must re‐defend the research proposal. A second failure or failure to re‐defend within one year (but no sooner than 30 working days) of the first proposal defense results in cancellation of admission.

The Dissertation Defense

The ability to undertake independent research and provide sufficient evidence of scholarship is demonstrated by submission of an original dissertation, which is required of all candidates for a PhD degree. A minimum of 12 dissertation hours is required to complete the ORLD Doctoral degree program. Prior to admission to candidacy, the student may register for no more than six (6) dissertation hours. After registering for all 12 required hours, the candidate must register for one dissertation hour per semester and summer session, including the semester or session in which he/she defends his/her dissertation. In other words, the candidate must be continually enrolled in dissertation hours until graduation. The candidate has up to four (4) years to successfully defend his/her dissertation from the time he/she was admitted to candidacy.

The Dissertation Defense MUST be physically attended by ALL members of the candidate’s Dissertation Committee, and the Dissertation Defense must be held in UMES facilities. At the completion of the defense, the Dissertation Committee will hold a meeting (without the candidate) to discuss decisions regarding the candidate’s pass/fail status and any recommendations for the final form of the dissertation manuscript. The student will be called back into the room to hear the Dissertation Committee decision. The Dissertation Committee has the following alternatives regarding the pass/fail status for the candidate:

1. Accept the dissertation without any recommended changes and sign the appropriate form.
2. Accept the dissertation with recommendations for changes, and, EXCEPT FOR THE DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR, sign the appropriate form. After the candidate makes the recommended changes, the Dissertation Committee chair will review the dissertation and, upon his/her approval, sign the appropriate form.
3. Recommend revisions to the dissertation manuscript and NOT sign the appropriate form until the candidate has made the changes and submitted the revised dissertation manuscript for Dissertation Committee approval. Then, the Dissertation Committee will sign the appropriate form if they approve of the changes.
4. Recommend revisions and convene a second meeting of the Dissertation Defense. The second defense may take place no fewer than 6 months and no later than 12 months after the first defense. Candidates may be examined no more than twice. After failing the second attempt, the candidate’s admission to the graduate program is terminated.
5. Rule the dissertation manuscript and defense unsatisfactory; therefore, the student fails and may not re‐defend. Before or after recommended changes, the candidate fails if two (2) of four (4) Dissertation Committee members do not sign the appropriate form. In addition, the ORLD Coordinator may override any Dissertation Committee pass/fail decision. Circumstances for an override could include a.) a dissertation manuscript not in compliance with ORLD specified outline/style; b.) failure of the student to comply with IRB human subjects protection requirements; or c.) acts of plagiarism and faulty data handling and other examples of academic dishonesty that were found. These problems would go back to the student and the RAC with appropriate action to be taken as warranted, e.g., if an academic honesty or IRB issue and/or revisiting the dissertation manuscript for revision and a subsequent review following the above five pass/fail alternatives.

Although not an ORLD requirement, the Doctoral candidate may request a Public Seminar (open to the public) to serve as a dress rehearsal for the Dissertation Defense. The request should be submitted to the ORLD Coordinator.

ORLD Program Grading and Retention Policies

The grading policy for the ORLD program is simple and straightforward. Students must receive a grade of either “B” or “A” in each program course with a letter grading system (A, B, C & F) and a grade of “S” in comprehensive examination, internship and research credit courses with a “S/F” grading system.

If students believe any grade received in a course is either in error or was the result of “arbitrary and capricious grading,” they should immediately discuss the issue with the faculty member. If this does not result in a satisfactory outcome, they should utilize the formal appeal procedures afforded to them in the UMES Procedures for Review of Alleged Arbitrary and Capricious Grading. Information on these procedures is available in the current edition of the UMES Academic Catalog.

Retention policy

1. A student who receives a grade of “C” in any course must repeat that course.
2. After receiving two final “C” grades (whether receiving two consecutive “C” grades in the process of repeating one course or whether, throughout the duration of the program, receiving two final “C” grades in any two different courses), the student will be dismissed from the program.
3. A student who receives a final course grade of “F” at any time will be immediately dismissed from the program.
4. A grade of “I” (Incomplete) is given in any course only to students who are passing the course at the time of a legitimate emergency. If the “I” grade has not been completed satisfactorily within six (6) months from the conclusion of the 5‐week course in which the instructor granted the “I,” the student’s registration for the next sequence of courses is subject to hold. All “I” grades must be completed for the student to sit for the comprehensive examination.
5. Academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, improper citation, fabrication, and/or manipulation of facts and data, cheating, and so on) will not be tolerated in the ORLD program and will be subject to sanctions and penalties prescribed in the campus’ academic honesty policy procedures available in the current edition of the UMES Academic Catalog. These sanctions range from failure on an assignment to dismissal from the ORLD program.
6. Students enrolled in internship, comprehensive examination and research credit courses with an “S/F” grading system—898 internship credit, 700 comprehensive examination credit, and 899 dissertation credit—must earn a grade of “S” to continue with the progress to degree. A failing grade in any of these credit courses at any time is subject to review by the program to determine whether the student should be continued in the program or dismissed.
7. Students must advance to candidacy within a five‐year time period that begins with their admission into the program. This means that students must complete all coursework, including Internship; successfully pass all portions of the Comprehensive Examination; must successfully defend their Dissertation proposal; and complete all appropriate paperwork for Admission to Candidacy within the five‐year period or they will be dismissed from the program.
8. Students must complete all program requirements within a nine‐year time period that begins with their admission into the program. This includes all elements of the Admission to Candidacy described above, as well as successful defense and completion of all dissertation requirements, and submission of all appropriate paperwork for graduation from the university within the nine‐year period or they will be dismissed from the program.

Altered Timelines for the Program

Completion of the ORLD degree program requirements within the recommended time frame is contingent on successful completion of all coursework in sequential order and the required examinations. Unsatisfactory performance on or delays in completion of the coursework, the comprehensive examination, the internship, the research proposal defense or the final dissertation examination, and subsequent re‐examinations of any of the above, and leaves of absences all necessarily extend the duration of the student’s retention and graduation in the program. Consequently, students in the ORLD Program may need to commit additional time and resources beyond the recommended time frame and sequence in accordance with the policies and procedures and timelines for Doctoral degrees of the UMES Graduate School.

For more information on this program, please contact:

Prince A. Attoh, Ph.D.
Graduate Program Coordinator
Organizational Leadership Program
1106 Spaulding Hall
University of Maryland‐Eastern Shore
Princess Anne, MD 21851
Phone: 410‐651‐8368
Email: paatoh@umes.edu
Website: http://www.umes.edu/orld

Program, Retention, and Exit Requirements

All students in the Organizational Leadership program must complete courses on organizational leadership as a field of inquiry (12 semester hours), courses on research and data analysis (15 hours), professional services courses (6 hours), and advanced courses (9 hours). Included in the Ph.D. course of study for all Organizational Leadership students will be a supervised internship/practicum (6 semester hours) that aligns with the student’s interests.

Provided that the candidate submits the Application for Candidacy form to the UMES Graduate School, the candidate advances to candidacy after successfully completing all course work; completing the internship, including the scholarly product; passes the comprehensive examination; completes the initial Dissertation Committee meeting; and, successfully completes the Dissertation Proposal Defense. Twelve (12) semester hours of credit are awarded for the satisfactory completion of the dissertation. The comprehensive examination is a minimum one credit. The sixty (60) credit hours in addition to the comprehensive examination required for the degree, can be earned within a three‐year cohort sequence. Any applicable transfer credits, up to 12 semester hours, must comply with the transfer of credit provisions of the UMES Graduate School and be approved by the Organizational LeadershipProgram Coordinator and the Graduate Studies Dean during the first semester of matriculation.

Students enter the Organizational Leadership Program as members of a Doctoral cohort. Because this program is designed to meet the needs of students who are employed full‐time, courses will be offered in a nontraditional scheduling format on Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. Classes are five weeks in duration, and generally meet twice. The remaining three (3) weeks are devoted to individual projects and research. Students must pursue coursework with the cohort. Students who become out of sequence with the cohort may join the next cohort as space permits. The cohort will complete twenty‐seven (27) semester hours of coursework during the first year of enrollment in the program: three (3) courses in each of the fall, spring, and summer semesters (9 credit hours per semester).

In the second year, the remaining coursework will be completed. The remaining requirements are scheduled for completion in the third year of the program. Additional time to complete the program may be necessary in accordance with the policies and procedures of the UMES Graduate School. The program’s grading and retention policies are listed in a subsequent subsection of this ORLD program text.

The program specifics for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Organizational Leadership are as follows: