Businesses, large and small, increasingly recognize the critical distinction between a manager and a leader—between someone who merely assigns tasks, and someone who paints a vision and then inspires employees to work effectively toward achieving it. Organizational leadership professionals work in both for-profit and nonprofit settings, helping to clearly define and communicate organizational objectives and strategy, ensuring that business processes are as efficient as possible, building trust and bolstering morale, and helping each employee grow professionally and contribute meaningfully to advancing an organization’s mission.
Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership
- Offered in Chicago and in an online-blended format.
- Chicago program is offered in a unique and convenient format in which students take a combination of online courses and intensive weekend classes. Online students take one or two online courses at a time and progress through the program in a “cohort” fashion (i.e., with the same group of fellow students in each of their classes for the duration of the program). Online students also engage in two brief residencies (roughly three and a half days each) at our Chicago campus—providing an opportunity for face-to-face interaction and networking with fellow students from around the globe who bring a wealth of diverse leadership experiences and perspectives. At the first residency, which occurs during year one of the program, students meet with their personal faculty mentor and engage in focused seminars aimed at helping them formulate their dissertation topics and prepare for the research process. At the second residency which takes place in year three, students focus on completing their dissertations and associated processes.
- Chicago program focuses on “21st century leadership,” preparing graduates for the rapid pace of change in today’s organizations. Students gain a rich understanding of traditional theories of leadership and organizational effectiveness, as well as forward-looking perspectives related to globalization; ethics; diversity and multi-generational workforces; the impact of technology on work and workers; organizational design, including teams and teamwork; retaining and developing workforces; and managing organizational change.
- Online-blended programs include coursework in leadership, research, ethics, interpersonal dynamics, and a range of electives to support each student’s unique career goals—equipping graduates to apply the principles of psychology and leadership theory in a broad range of settings, to more effectively lead individuals and organizations to success. Graduates are prepared to select, implement, and manage appropriate leadership methodologies to meet individual, group and organizational needs in nonprofit, and pastoral settings.
Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology (Organizational Leadership Concentration)
- Offered in Chicago.
- Five years full time.
- The Chicago School’s oldest and most selective program. Our Chicago campus program recently received the maximum possible re-accreditation by the American Psychological Association (APA).
- Internship and practicum placement rates consistently rank among the best in the country, typically approaching 95% for internships and 98% for practica.
- Approximately 80% of participating students secure internships during the nationwide APPIC Match Day process and an additional 15% are placed by the end of the subsequent Clearinghouse phase.
- In 2007, 88% of placements were paid internships and 84% were at APPIC-member sites.
- Chicago School students are placed at hundreds of prestigious sites including Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Hospital, Yale University Department of Psychiatry, Brooklyn Veterans Administration Hospital, and the Great Lakes Naval Hospital.
- Program integrates the eight core competencies informed by the educational model of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP), helping prepare students to sit for the national licensure exam.
- Students develop essential diagnostic, therapeutic, and consultative skills through rigorous coursework, challenging practicum and internship experiences, and an applicable dissertation.
- All students complete basic coursework in four intervention tracks (Cognitive/Behavioral, Psychodynamic, Humanistic/Existential, and Systems) and then select one track as a specialty, completing advanced coursework and their Clinical Competency Examination within that track.
- Students also choose from one of seven concentration areas: Child and Adolescent Psychology, Forensic Psychology, Health Psychology, Multicutural/Community Psychology, Organizational Psychology, School Psychology, or Generalist.
- Students are awarded a master’s degree mid-way through the program (after completing 48 semester hours of required coursework, including two semesters of practicum).
- Students may complete additional specific coursework to be eligible to sit for the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) exam in Illinois and/or to obtain a certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Counseling Specialization (Supervision and Leadership in Community Mental Health Concentration)
- Offered in Chicago and Grayslake, Illinois.
- Two years full time (six semesters) or three years part time (Grayslake program offered in a flexible format convenient for working professionals).
- On average, 100% of actively participating students secure practicum/internship placements by September and at sites that meet LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) standards.
- Curriculum incorporates the eight content areas outlined by the National Board of Certified Counselors, preparing students to sit for Professional Counselor licensure in Illinois (LPC and LCPC).
- Program is unique in that students receive a solid foundation in the principles of clinical psychology, in addition to gaining the essential diagnostic, therapeutic, and consultative skills they need to be outstanding clinical counselors working with a range of clinical populations and a variety of emotional and psychological conditions.
- Students learn the theoretical frameworks and scientific bases of clinical psychology, the ethical and professional guidelines of clinical psychology and the counseling profession, and the impact of diversity and cultural issues in the mental health field.
- Students may choose a concentration that requires additional field-based clinical training held at participating sites. Concentrations include: Child and Adolescent Treatment, Health Psychology, Latino Mental Health, Supervision and Leadership in Community Mental Health, Treatment of Addiction Disorders, and Generalist.
