All students must meet the Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Overview

The Ph.D. in Transdisciplinary Leadership & Creativity for Sustainability (TLCS) program will prepare students to sustain rigorous, collaborative, and original scholarly knowledge production practices across community, organizational, ecological, and social movement settings to address complex challenges from a place of creativity. This Ph.D. program is rooted in a tradition of engaged scholarship that recognizes the inseparability of environmental and social challenges, as well as the interdependence of cultural and biological diversity. Anchored by the wisdom and experience of a global community, the TLCS program is made up of practitioner scholars who embody relational leadership and knowledge generation practices rooted in lineages and traditions that stand for love, relationship, reciprocity and solidarity.

Specific Requirements

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO GRADUATE STUDIES FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Applicants must have already obtained a master’s degree to apply to the Ph.D. in TLCS program. In addition to the Graduate College Application, applicants must submit a Statement of Purpose, Leadership Portfolio, three letters of recommendation, college transcripts, and a resume or C.V.

MINIMUM DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

The Doctor of Philosophy requires 75 total credits (including NR 6110: Leadership for Sustainability, NR 6880: Ecological Leadership Seminar, NR 6120: Power, Privilege, and Catalyzing Change, NR 6720: Transdisciplinary Leadership & Creativity, and NR 6730: Transdisciplinary Methods and Modes of Inquiry). Students may transfer up to 24 approved master’s credits. Of the remaining 51 required credits, 15 total graded course credits are required. At least 9 graded credits must be at the 6000- or 7000-level.  Credits must include no less than 20 and no more than 45 credits of dissertation research. In addition, students must complete a public proposal defense, an approved research proposal, a written and oral comprehensive examination, and a teaching/professional skills requirement. An oral defense of the dissertation is required of all students.

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION

Following the completion of the dissertation proposal (at the beginning of year 3) students will take their Comprehensive Exam which will be overseen by each student’s studies committee.  The examination will be comprised of a 3-part written exam and an oral exam and must occur at least 6 months before the dissertation is submitted.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADVANCEMENT TO CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

It is ordinarily expected that a student will complete the following requirements for advancement to candidacy:

• at least 12 credits of dissertation research (NR 7491).
• at least 30 credits at the graduate level acceptable to the student's graduate studies committee, with a minimum of 15 of the course credits graded and taken at UVM after matriculation into the degree program.