Contact: Jack Bailey
(304) 766-4109
Jbaile19@wvstateu.edu
 
 

 
INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State University (WVSU) is launching its first doctorate degree program in May, a new Doctorate of Education in Leadership Studies.

The fully online, two-year program is the first doctorate degree in the history of WVSU and is designed forworking professionals from a variety of fields such as education, the non-profit sector and government.  The inaugural cohort will enroll in May 2024.  The program emphasizes fairness, diversity, and social justice with threads related to these concepts embedded in the content coursework. 

“This is truly a historic moment in the 133-year history of our university. Today, we can proudly say that we are now a doctoral degree granting, land-grant university,” said WVSU President Ericke S. Cage. “This Doctorate of Education in Leadership Studies program will serve a vital need for the work force in West Virginia by providing executive level education that will allow organizational leaders to continue to grow in their professional careers.”

The program utilizes a cohort model, in which a group of students moves through the program together, taking all classes in sequence as a group. Cohorts offer mutual academic, emotional, and logistical support and provide opportunities for members to learn from and study with one another. 

Cohorts establish personal and professional ties that often last beyond the Doctoral Program itself. Such networks are valuable for career development, professional growth and support, as well as future collaborative projects and initiatives across organizations. 

For more information about the Doctorate of Education in Leadership Studies visit the program website here, or contact Dr. Emily Waugh at (304) 766-5192 or ewaugh@wvstateu.edu.

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West Virginia State University is a public, land-grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.