Executive Ph.D. in Leadership

Residency Session dates are determined by the course that you are registered for. It is very important that you make note of the class you registered for, as well as the designated residency weekend for that course as each course will only meet one weekend for the duration of the semester.

You can view your semester schedule in your self-service portal in your Student Profile. Once you log into your MyUC account, click on Academics, then click on Current Schedule. Your schedule details will indicate the date and location of your residency weekend.

You can find information on the residency site locations on our website.

Attendance to each executive residency class session is mandatory. Students may make up no more than one (1) residency session throughout the duration of their academic program. Missing a second residency will result in the student being dismissed from the university.

A missed session will result in the student attending a make-up session, and paying a $300 residency make-up fee. In addition, the student may be asked for documentation from the program department providing an explanation as to why the scheduled residency session was missed. Make-up sessions must be completed prior to the end of the term. Noncompliance with this policy will result in dismissal from the executive program.

The Department of International Graduate Services will contact you via your UC student email as registration for the next term approaches. Please remember that you are required to register for (one) main class, (one) online class, and Applied Learning Practicum each semester in order to maintain your F1 status – late registration will not be accepted and can result in the termination of your student status. 

Once you register for a class you will want to make note of the residency weekend that your class is scheduled, as that is the only session for that class that will be scheduled for the semester. You will need to be sure to plan your travel accordingly to ensure that you are in attendance for the full residency session.

Registration is done on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once a course is full, there will not be additional seats added, as we cannot exceed classroom seating capacity; therefore, it is advised that you register for classes as much in advance as possible. As a reminder, students cannot register for future semesters until their current tuition balance is paid in full.

*Please note all times are in local time zone*

Friday

Facility will open at 4:00 p.m.

Saturday

Facility will open at 7:00 a.m.

Sunday

Facility will open at 7:00 a.m.

We ask that you please take note of the above-mentioned times and schedule your travel accordingly.

*These dates have been set; however, if any changes are made, they will be made prior to registration for that semester. Not all dates are available at each residency location.

Fall 2024 (August 26th – December 13th)

• September 27 – 29
• October 4 – 6
• October 11 – 13
• October 18 – 20
• October 25 – 27
• November 1 – 3
• November 8 – 10
• November 15 – 17
• November 22 – 24 

Spring 2025 (January 6th – April 30th)

• January 31-February 2
• February 7-9
• February 14-16
• February 21-23
• February 28-March 2
• March 7-9
• March 14-16
• March 21-23
• March 28-30
• April 4-6
• April 11-13

Yes, residency weekend sessions are mandatory. You must attend each session in full to receive credit. If you miss any part of the session, you will be counted absent for the entire session. No exceptions. 

All programs at University of the Cumberlands are offered at some of the lowest rates in the nation – and we even include free textbooks through our One Price Promise! For more information on how affordable this program would be for you, visit our Financial Aid page.

Many upper-tier career opportunities are available to you if you have completed an executive PhD in leadership. Among other options, you may choose to pursue a career as...

Management Analyst - If you choose to pursue a career as a management analyst, there’s good news. The job rate in the field is projected to grow 14 percent while the median income is currently at $93,000 annually.

Postsecondary Instructor - As a graduate of this Online Leadership Doctorate Degree, you’ll also have the skills to pass your knowledge and experience on to the next generation of leaders. The median annual salary for postsecondary instructors is $79,640, and employment opportunities are projected to grow 12 percent by 2030.

Postsecondary Administrator - Leaders are needed at the university and college administrative ranks, as well. Wages for postsecondary education administrators in colleges, universities, junior and community colleges as well as technical and trade schools currently average $96,910 in annual salary. And the prospects are looking up with job growth rates projected to rise to 8 percent over the next decade.

• Application
• Submit official transcripts from all applicable colleges/universities attended; must be received directly from the issuing college or university.
• Doctoral degree admission requires a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0* on a 4.0 scale from the conferred master’s degree as well as in any subsequent graduate study. Admission to a Doctoral degree requires a master’s degree or higher from a US Department of Education recognized accredited institution, in a field related to the doctoral degree of application.
• Any international course work completed must have official transcript evaluations completed and submitted to the University by the evaluation firm. Evaluations MUST include GPA for admission. Approved Evaluation Firms are:
  • World Education Services (WES)
  • Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
  • International Education Research Foundation (IERF)
  • Educational Perspectives (EP)
  • SpanTran
• Documentation of language fluency for non-native speakers of English, such as a score report from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the 8 International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or a report from Duolingo. This requirement is waived for students who have completed bachelor’s or master’s level coursework in the U.S. at an accredited institution. The minimum acceptable TOEFL or IELTS scores for admission are: 
  • Paper-based TOEFL (PBT) - 550 
  • Internet-based TOEFL (IBT) - 79 
  • IELTS - 6
  • Duolingo - 100
• Students applying for residency and an F-1 VISA must provide a copy of their current passport.
• Admission to the Executive Program is completed by a review of the above documents
• Upon admittance into the Executive Program, a non-refundable $300 processing fee is required for course registration

All admissions materials should be submitted to International Graduate Admissions:

Students in our executive programs experience being on campus more than other graduate students, given this program is hybrid and has residency requirements.