The School of Advanced Studies: A Unique Undertaking

Four years after University of Phoenix began to offer its first doctoral degree, it sought approval for three additional doctoral programs. Moreland recalls that at the time, the University received guidance from its accreditation body to establish a school specifically for doctoral degree programs. In 2002, the University established the School of Advanced Studies to oversee all doctoral programs, regardless of discipline. Where most institutions typically group doctoral students by their field of study, this unique structure allows the University to focus exclusively on the doctoral experience and provide opportunities for interdisciplinary learning.

“We define what it means to be a doctoral student at University of Phoenix and what it means to be a doctoral student at University of Phoenix in a particular field,” said Moreland.

The School offers programs in Business and Management, Education, Nursing and Health care, Psychology, and Technology (see Figure 1). As the School has grown in scope, it has also expanded to include the Journal of Leadership Studies, a quarterly academic journal. This journal provides opportunities for doctoral candidates, faculty, and practitioners – whether at  University of Phoenix or elsewhere – to publish original research (see Figure 2).

Figure 1 – University of Phoenix Doctoral Degrees²

Figure 2 – Timeline of Events: The School of Advanced Studies³

As the School has expanded to include students in multiple fields of study, there is more opportunity for collaboration and problem-solving across disciplines. In the first two years of the program, students form teams within their disciplines. During the third year of the doctoral program, however, students work in teams with students outside of their field of study. The highly collaborative nature of the program, both within and across disciplines, prepares students for post-graduate working environments. Moreland stated that this type of learning model also helps students attain broader relevancy. For example, a discussion about high school dropout rates could transform into a discussion about engaging learners, particularly if students from backgrounds other than education are involved. In addition, Moreland said the program helps doctoral candidates write dissertations that are relevant to multiple disciplines. He says this might explain, in part, why University of Phoenix is among the list of the Top 40 best-selling dissertations over the past four years, according to ProQuest, LLC.

Residencies Lead to a Life-Changing Career Path for One Grad

The School recognized that while an online environment provides the necessary flexibility for working learners, in-person discussions are vital, particularly in helping students progress with their dissertations. As part of the University’s doctoral requirements, candidates must participate in two or three face-to-face residencies held in cities across the country. These residencies provide an opportunity for doctoral candidates to meet faculty members and participate in peer collaborations with teams of fellow students. An additional three-day residency course is required if a student has not completed his/her dissertation within 12 months of completing all coursework.

The residencies were the source of some big bombshells and “light bulb” moments for Dr. Jeff Kaplan who earned his DM from University of Phoenix in 2007. During the first-year of residency, Kaplan was surprised to learn that 30 percent of his grades depended upon his work with teams. A self-described “Type A” personality, Kaplan scanned the room, taking notes on his colleagues to determine who would make the best teammates. When asked about his selections, Kaplan noted that he had crossed one woman off the list because she had indicated an uncertainty about her future with the program. 

“That’s good you shared that with us. She’s the first person on your team,” Kaplan recalls the faculty coordinator saying. Kaplan says he was wrong about this particular teammate and the value of working in teams in the doctoral program. Rather, he said the experience of working with teams proved to be one of the highlights of the program. Beginning on the first day of the residency when teams were selected, Kaplan said he gained new family members, who supported one another during the most difficult periods of the program and after graduation.

After working with the same team for nearly two years, Kaplan was shocked when he attended the third-year residency and learned that the doctoral students would be forming new, interdisciplinary teams. After being entrenched with colleagues in the same discipline, Kaplan now appreciates the value of working with others.

“We were starting to come out of the cocoon and preparing to go back to the real world,” he said. But at the time, Kaplan and others were very upset with the change. While venting about some frustrations, he was forced to evaluate why he had come to the program in the first place. Kaplan was raised in a low-income household where he became very sensitive to money and how work can negatively impact people’s happiness. He came to the program after successfully selling a start-up business for more than $1 million and running a $500 million division of a global organization. Despite his seemingly successful professional career, Kaplan had been dissatisfied with workplace environments. The third-year residency was a “light bulb” moment for Kaplan and thereafter, he knew his future endeavors had to focus on making the workplace a better environment.

After completing his dissertation, Kaplan was unsure of how to transform his vision into a feasible career. One day, he received a call from a colleague in his residency team who had stumbled upon an opening with Keith Ferrazzi, author of the business book Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time. Kaplan landed a job interview with Ferrazzi but faced a four and a half month selection process to become a partner in Ferrazzi Greenlight, Ferrazzi’s consulting business. When Ferrazzi asked Kaplan about his dissertation – which focused on how people formulate their visions of leadership, it took Kaplan simply 10 minutes to become a partner in the firm.

As a result of events put into play beginning with the University’s residency programs, Kaplan has transformed his passion into a career. He speaks regularly about the value of teamwork and networking and has contributed a chapter to Ferrazzi’s most recent book, Who’s Got Your Back: The Breakthrough Program to Build the Deep, Trusting Relationships that Create Success – and Won’t Let You Fail. Based upon his experience going through the doctoral program, Kaplan and Ferrazzi featured the University’s commitment to team-learning in the book. Now, Kaplan has become one of the University’s strongest advocates. 

“The program changed my life and showed me the purpose of my life,” he said. Despite his previous professional successes, Kaplan said he was happy for the first time in his professional career – and it’s because of University of Phoenix.

A Dynamic Approach to Learning: The Scholar, Practitioner, Leader Model of Learning

To maintain relevancy, the School of Advanced Studies at University of Phoenix designed a model of learning that combines theory and practice to develop effective leadership skills. The ‘Scholar, Practitioner, Leader’ model draws upon the knowledge and expertise of working learners and faculty members in a highly collaborative environment. According to the School’s description, “Viewed operationally, the model represents a paradigm for incorporating lifelong learning (scholarship), social and workplace contribution (practice), and the ability to exert positive influence (leadership) in our learners’ academic, professional and personal lives.”⁴

Moreland describes scholars as people who are good researchers and consumers of research; practitioners as those who can apply research and knowledge to a work environment to improve processes; and leaders as people who have gained the respect of others in their field to the point of having followers. According to Moreland, the model is dynamic because it demonstrates how people can take on new roles over time. In addition, it addresses one of the criticisms leveled at doctoral programs: the notion that researchers become out–of- touch with what is happening in their field.

To ensure that the program remains relevant, the School employs primarily adjunct faculty members who are practitioners and leaders in their respective fields. Doctorally-prepared faculty members bring real world experience to the interactive online classroom environment and provide valuable insight and feedback to the dissertation process. All faculty members must complete specialized training and a mentoring program before they can teach in the School. By pairing today’s leaders with tomorrow’s, the School of Advanced Studies mission is: “To develop leaders who will create new models that explain, predict and improve organizational performance. These leaders are scholar-practitioners who conduct research as a foundation for creative action, influence policy decisions, and guide diverse organizations through effective decision making.”⁵

Rising to the Top: How the Program Transformed One Grad’s Career Path

In 2004, special education teacher Dr. Julie Donlon had recently completed a master’s degree and was considering various doctoral degrees. At the time, the then-26-year old was not married and did not have any children, so she wanted to keep her options open if she decided to move from the Rochester, NY area. She chose University of Phoenix because it provided the flexibility she desired while allowing her to work full-time.

While working full-time and taking on new responsibilities at work, Donlon completed the doctorate program and earned her Doctor of Education (EdD) degree in three and a half years. The School’s structured program was a good fit for her personality, she said, because it helped her to map a schedule in much the same way she trains for a marathon. Even though she considers herself disciplined, she appreciated the fact that the program forced her to start the dissertation process early. Five years after enrolling in the program, Donlon has moved into administration, and is now the Director of Instruction at the Leicester Academy, an alternative high school program in the Buffalo area.  

“I think it really stuck out on my resume and helped it float to the top,” said Donlon as she attributes her career success to the doctoral program at University of Phoenix.

While the program helped Donlon  stand out professionally, the lessons she learned in coursework have helped her transition into a leadership position. In addition to relevant and practical course content, Donlon said the program helped strengthen her communication skills. Learning how to contribute scholarly dialogue in virtual classrooms and connect meaningfully with online classmates are an acquired skills, she said. The skills Donlon learned during her three and a half years of coursework gave her career a big boost and while the degree is not required for administrative positions in her school district, she still recommends it to her colleagues. 

“I highly recommend the program. I really enjoyed it; it was a huge challenge and I’m glad it’s over, but it was a great experience,” Donlon said.

The Full Experience: Online Learning and On-Campus Residencies

All of the doctoral programs overseen by the School of Advanced Studies are offered exclusively online. Like many of the University’s programs, the online learning environment provides several benefits to busy working learners. Students may choose when to participate in class each week because the classroom is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. While doctoral candidates at other institutions may not be able to work full-time while pursuing their degree, students in the School of Advanced Studies are able to do so.

Doctoral students spend a great deal of time in the online learning system, participating in class discussions and collaborative research. Moreland notes that the online system provides students with an opportunity for rich learning. But some students struggle with acclimating to an online environment after years of on-campus studying. To prepare doctoral students for all of the benefits of the online environment and to ensure they achieve their educational goals, the School established a Doctoral Success Orientation. This free seven-day training lab is designed to acquaint students with the University’s online platform and let them take a virtual tour of the online campus prior to their first doctoral course. Participants in the orientation may also complete a series of exercises and receive feedback from a facilitator in order to hone critical competencies for the program.

Yearly residencies also help to hone critical leadership skills, emphasized by the School for doctoral candidates. During the on-campus residencies, doctoral candidates discuss topics that are relevant to multiple disciplines. Teamwork at the doctoral level is unusual, and Moreland says students value this type of collaboration. As Kaplan discovered, teams formed during the residencies can have a long-lasting impact. As part of the University’s doctoral requirements, candidates must participate in two or three face-to-face residencies (see Figure 3). During the first-year residency, students are teamed up according to discipline and remain in these groups – depending on the program – until the third-year residency when new interdisciplinary groups are formed. An additional three-day residency course is required when a student has not completed the dissertation within 12 months of completing all coursework.

Figure 3 – Residency Goals⁶

For Donlon, the residencies helped her dedicate a period of time to focus on writing her dissertation. Prior to enrolling at the University, she had worried whether the program would be too difficult, but after attending the first residency, she said there was no question her peers and faculty members were knowledgeable, supportive, and serious about their respective subject matters. Collaborating with other working learners to discuss leadership in a business-sense helped her while she was transitioning from administrative positions. In addition, the residencies provided opportunities to network with other working learners, many of whom have become good friends. 

“It brought that mystic sense of an online program to reality,” she said.

School of Advanced Studies Helps Students See Dissertation to Completion

Donlon and Kaplan are not the only students who have faced difficulties in formulating their dissertation topic, and the School recognizes this challenge. The residencies help many students  get an early start on the dissertation process and ensure timely completion. The dissertation development process begins in the second year of the program. Because this process is so rigorous and requires so much self-discipline, many students risk having an extended ABD (all but dissertation) doctoral experience. By putting measures into place – such as the mandatory annual renewal residency course for students who have not finished dissertations after 12 months of completing coursework – the School ensures that students know what is expected of them so they can graduate successfully and become effective in their disciplines. 

“We don’t want students, we want graduates,” said Moreland.

The School’s emphasis on teamwork has helped one doctoral candidate to stay on track. Andres Munera is pursuing his doctoral degree while serving overseas as a captain in the U.S. Air Force. He says the lessons he has learned from the strict and disciplined military environment have helped him to stay focused and disciplined, despite an interruption to his studies in 2008 because of military obligations. Munera enrolled in the University's online program in 2003 and  is now in the initial phase of writing his dissertation. Time management skills have been key to keeping his priorities straight, Munera says, while juggling a stressful career and home life. The experience of working with other doctoral candidates has been motivating for him, as well. 

"In the School of Advanced Studies I gained networking experience and knowledge from places I never thought possible – engineers, housewives, nurses, other military," he said.

Interdisciplinary teamwork has exposed Munera to perspectives beyond what he calls the "sheltered life of the military." He says it has also been comforting to build relationships with people who are encountering the same struggles of going through the dissertation process as he is. In addition, Munera says the on-campus residencies have helped him - and others - to stay on track to avoid ABD. 

"Sometimes I’ll think I’m right about something and then the other people [in the group] show me other ways to do things. It helps me to take criticism, to take advice for what’s it worth, and not to take things personally when people tell me to change things," Munera said. "It helps a lot that you’re not alone."

The high degree of collaboration in the School provides candidates with the necessary skills to deliver and receive critical feedback, Moreland said. 

“We provide frank, honest and genuine feedback,” he said. Faculty members and peer team members provide valuable feedback during the dissertation process, which helps students overcome potential setback much faster in the process and ensure timely completion of the dissertation. The dissertation process features:⁷

• Development of a dissertation that focuses on a leadership topic.
• Selection of mentors from a pool of qualified faculty.
• Support from a dissertation mentor, at least two committee members, and qualified faculty and staff.
• Feedback through eight levels of dissertation review.
• Assignments that are integrated throughout the program in face-to-face classes, one-on-one classes with mentors, and residency groups.

Eleven years after launching its first doctoral degree program, the University has made a big splash in the scholarly community. The School embraces a constructive learning environment in which doctoral candidates are encouraged to contribute to the larger leadership discourse and translate theory into constructive leadership action.⁸ To meet these goals, the School encourages doctoral candidates to focus their dissertations on leadership topics which appeal to researchers worldwide. In 2005, a dissertation written by a doctoral graduate – “A correlational analysis of servant leadership and job satisfaction in a religious educational organization” by Kelly Preston Anderson, DM – topped the best-selling list of dissertations and four other University of Phoenix dissertations rounded out the Top 10 list.⁹ The following year, two University of Phoenix dissertations made the Top 10 list.¹⁰

The University also awards three dissertations each year to be named “Dissertation of the Year.” Award winners are selected by a panel of individuals outside of the School of Advanced Studies using a double-blind process to select dissertations representing works that have made or will make significant contributions to leadership. Since 2005, the University has awarded the “Dissertation of the Year” in two to three categories (see Figure 4).

Figure 4 – Dissertation of the Year Awards, 2005-2009

A Forum for Dialogue about Leadership

Graduates of the School of Advanced Studies are making meaningful contributions to the study of leadership. The University has published 646 dissertations in the past 10 years, including 188 in 2009 as of Sept. 1st.¹¹ In addition to this growing library of published dissertations, the School of Advanced Studies is collecting scholarly research from all over the world to foster discussion across discipline lines about the role of leadership in improving organizational practices and human life.

The School’s academic journal, Journal of Leadership Studies, is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed research journal. The quarterly journal’s mission is “to publish leadership research and theoretical contributions that bridge the gap between scholarship and practice and exemplify critical inquiry into contemporary organizational issues and paradigms.” The Journal reflects the School’s mission to transcend industry-specific contexts to provide practitioners and scholars with insight about approaches to and theories about leadership. The publication features both research and theoretical analysis, with a majority of submissions coming from outside University of Phoenix. Moreland notes there is a relatively low acceptance rate for manuscripts, because of the rigorous peer review and editorial review processes. Now in its third volume, the Journal has already been recognized on a national level. In 2008, it won in the category of New Magazines and Journals at the 20th Annual Awards for Publication Excellence.

In just over a decade, University of Phoenix has emerged as a leader in preparing the next generation of leaders and fostering discussion within the scholarly community about the role of leadership. The University is vying with the country’s most prestigious research institutions to provide a quality education that focuses on the practical and relevant skills necessary for leadership. As a result, the program is transforming the leadership landscape in a variety of disciplines and transforming the lives and career paths of hundreds of doctoral graduates.

1 National Science Foundation, Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences. (2006). Time to degree of U.S. research doctorate recipients. Retrieved from: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf06312/nsf06312.pdf.
2 University of Phoenix. (2009). Degree programs.  
3 University of Phoenix. (2009). Milestones and recognitions.  
4 University of Phoenix. (2009). Scholar, Practitioner, Leader Model.  
5 University of Phoenix. (2009). School of Advanced Studies mission and purpose.  
6 University of Phoenix. (2009). Doctoral residency requirements.  
7 University of Phoenix. (2009). Doctoral dissertations.  
8 University of Phoenix. (2009). School of Advanced Studies mission and purpose.
9 ProQuest LLC. (2006 June 12). Job satisfaction analysis tops ProQuest’s best-selling dissertations of 2005. Retrieved from: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/aboutus/pressroom/06/20060612b.shtml.
10 ProQuest LLC. (2007, August 30). Department of Homeland Security exec’s dissertation on globalization tops ProQuest’s best-selling dissertations. Retrieved from: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/aboutus/pressroom/07/20070830.shtml.
11 University of Phoenix Library, September 2009. Library Statistics. PowerPoint presentation.