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University of Southern Maine · Leadership Studies

Leadership (PhD)

PhDPhDDoctor of Philosophy in Leadership

Overview

A 72-credit low-residency PhD in Leadership with online coursework and annual 3-day residencies on the Portland campus, designed to be completed in four years. Students choose a Leader Development or Organization Development track; all students pay the e-tuition rate.

Official program name
Leadership (PhD)
Awarded degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Degree level
Doctoral — research doctorate
University
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Administering location
Portland, MEWhere the university or its administering campus is located. Study is online; this is not a residency requirement and does not decide whether you may enroll from your state.
Subject
Specializations
Leader Development · Organization Development
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Required credits
72 required credit hours
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Duration
4 years
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Start terms
Fall
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)
Why this program is listed

Low-residency PhD with online coursework and required annual 3-day residencies on the Portland campus; listed among USM Online doctoral programs.

Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026

We list online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees from institutionally accredited US universities. Eligibility rules

Online format and attendance

“Online” is not one format. Delivery, campus visits, practical placements and class schedule are shown separately, each only as the university states it.
Academic delivery
Online coursework + campus visitsCoursework is online, with required visits, residencies or immersions on campus or at another set location.Coursework is online, with required visits, residencies or immersions on campus or at another set location.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Campus visits
Campus visits required
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Practical placement
Placement requirement: not verified
Class schedule
Not verified
Study intensity
Not verified

In-person and practical requirements as published

  • Residency Required

    Annual 3-day residencies on the Portland campus.

    Annual, 3 days · Portland, Maine campus

    Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Curriculum

Dissertation

  • Dissertation, with research skills preparation in quantitative and qualitative methods.
    Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Specializations, concentrations and tracks

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the university states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.
Prior degree
RequiredEarned master's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 by the program start date.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Minimum GPA
RequiredMinimum 3 — Minimum GPA of 3.0 in the master's degree.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required2 letters — Two letters of recommendation, one from a supervisor.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Interview
RequiredFinalists interview with faculty.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
Writing sample
RequiredSample of scholarship, research or academic writing; research interest statement and personal statement.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test
Optional — minimum 150One of three options to show quantitative reasoning: graduate quantitative course (B or better), USM LOS Quantitative Reasoning course (B or better), or GRE Quantitative 150+ within five years.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the university printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

  • Application deadline

    December 1 · for Fall

    The university does not print a year with this date.

    Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026
    Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
All online students — E-tuition, online programs and Leadership PhD (in-state, Canadian and out-of-state)From the university-wide rate table covering online students at this level$548per credit · 2026-2027Estimated tuition$39,456 = 72 credits × $548 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Other published fees

Mandatory fees (Comprehensive and Technology Fees)
$107 per creditMandatory
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026

Scholarships and financial aid

Awards published by the university for this program or for online students at this level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; financial aid availability does not make a program “fully funded”. Scholarships & funding guide

Program-specific scholarships: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation, authorization and licensure

Three separate questions: is the university accredited, can it enroll students from your state online, and does the program meet licensure requirements where you live?

Institutional accreditation

  • New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

No programmatic accreditation verified for this program. Institutional accreditation does not imply it.

State authorization

  • USM is a member of NC-SARA, which covers distance education and on-site experiences outside Maine such as clinical placements and internships. Official pageSource: usm.maine.edu · verified October 10, 2026

International applicants

Not verified for this online program.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 10, 2026.
  1. DAPIP — NECHE institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
  2. usm.maine.edu/academics/academic_programs/leadership-phd/ — Official program page, verified October 10, 2026
  3. usm.maine.edu/provost/state-authorization/ — Official disclosure page, verified October 10, 2026
  4. usm.maine.edu/student-financial-services/graduate-tuition-fees — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 10, 2026

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Same degree level and subject group. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

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