Capella University

Develop the advanced the skills and knowledge to lead organizations, educate the next generation of business leaders, or provide high-value consulting services. This doctoral specialization features a comprehensive core curriculum of leadership, research, strategy, technology, and ethics, plus intensive course work designed to help you develop skills in systems thinking, critical thinking, creative thinking, reflective thinking, and statistical thinking that enable leaders to build productive relationships and strengthen an organization’s viability. Synthesize established theory with your own values and goals to build leadership skills that benefit your organization and the broader business community. Explore a systemic view of business leadership to grow your ability to develop leaders at all levels of an organization. Expand your opportunities for collaboration, enrich your learning experience, and grow your professional network through meaningful connections with faculty and fellow students—in your courses, through specially designed social networking opportunities, and at face-to-face residencies. An optional international field experience offers further networking opportunities and provides firsthand experience of the many ways culture impacts the global business operations. A prescribed course sequence, built-in dissertation milestones, and focused mentoring create a clear path toward completing the degree in three years. People who choose this specialization are often pursuing leadership, consulting, or faculty positions in the field of business leadership.

Review Pending: AL, KS, KY, ND, SC, WA and WI

Prepare yourself for leadership in the fast-growing field of Information Technology, while adding to the body of knowledge in the IT discipline through your own doctoral research. This online General Information Technology PhD specialization provides busy IT professionals the opportunity to design a doctoral program to meet specific interests and career goals. Choose course work in a particular IT discipline, such as information security or network architecture and design, or focus on IT within a specific industry, while also developing advanced research and scholarly writing capabilities. People who choose this specialization are often pursuing leadership, research, consulting, or higher education faculty positions in the field of Information Technology.

The residential colloquia experience:

As a doctoral learner, you will attend three five-day colloquia at specific stages in your program, in addition to your online courses. These energizing residencies provide you with insights and knowledge that will be valuable during your doctoral studies and beyond.

Data and system security have become critical concerns in nearly every industry and government sector, creating a demand for high-level Assurance and Security expertise. This Information Security PhD specialization provides opportunities for advanced skill development and doctoral research in such topics as information confidentiality, integrity, governance, compliance, and risk management. People who choose this specialization are often pursuing senior leadership, consulting, or faculty positions in information security within military, government, education, and private sectors.

The residential colloquia experience:

As a doctoral learner, you will attend three five-day colloquia at specific stages in your program, in addition to your online courses. These energizing residencies provide you with insights and knowledge that will be valuable during your doctoral studies and beyond.

Position yourself to meet the growing demand for leadership expertise in reading and literacy, a skill area that plays a pivotal role in individual student success. Designed around national education standards in the field, this EdD Reading and Literacy specialization is one of few available online. The curriculum covers such topics as program development and management, assessment and evaluation, data-driven decision making, and district, state, and national policies that can affect how reading is taught. In addition to online course work, field experiences provide opportunities to apply your newly gained knowledge in diverse educational settings and identify a reading and literacy challenge to address in an action dissertation project. The specialization is designed to be completed in just over three years, with all courses taken in sequence, allowing you to learn and build professional relationships with the same cohort of students. Convenient electronic textbooks are available for most courses, which lowers costs and provides immediate access to course materials. People who choose this specialization are often P-12 teachers and administrators interested in pursuing reading and literacy leadership roles in schools, districts, and other educational organizations.

North Carolina residents are currently not eligible to enroll in this program.

This specialization is not currently state-approved and will not lead to endorsement until state approval is received.

Project managers play an increasingly strategic role within their companies and are being recognized as "leadership track" employees. This IT-focused Project Management doctoral specialization offers the opportunity to develop the advanced IT, project management, and business knowledge of a leader. The specialization is also designed to help you develop solid research skills, culminating in a dissertation that advances the body of knowledge in this field. People who choose this specialization are often pursuing leadership, consulting, or faculty positions in IT project management.

The residential colloquia experience:

As a doctoral learner, you will attend three five-day colloquia at specific stages in your program, in addition to your online courses. These energizing residencies provide you with insights and knowledge that will be valuable during your doctoral studies and beyond.

Develop the advanced skills and knowledge to lead organizations, provide high-value consulting services, or educate the next generation of accounting professionals.  In this DBA specialization, you will evaluate advanced theoretical constructs, standards, and techniques of accounting practice; analyze strategic implications of accounting issues; and conduct scholarly research that contributes to the field of accounting. With intensive instruction in electronic research technologies, specialized courses, and in-person learning experiences, you’ll prepare to conduct efficient, effective global research. You will also explore global perspectives of business leadership, including an opportunity to participate in an international field experience. Online courseroom discussions, specially designed networking sites, and face-to-face weekend residencies provide ongoing opportunities to build professional relationships and share knowledge with other business leaders around the country. People who choose this specialization are often seeking advancement in accounting research, practice, teaching, management, or consulting.

This online psychology PhD specialization offers you the opportunity to create an individualized, academic-track program designed to meet your professional goals and research interests. Choose established areas of psychological study such as addiction, family, or health psychology, or design an interdisciplinary program that blends psychology with education, business, or human services courses. People who choose this specialization are often pursuing faculty or administrative training positions in higher education, business or the military, or careers in consulting, institutional research, or program evaluation or administration.

The residential colloquia experience:

As a doctoral learner, you will attend three five-day colloquia at specific stages in your program, in addition to your online courses. These energizing residencies provide you with insights and knowledge that will be valuable during your doctoral studies and beyond.

Conduct your own doctoral research in the challenging, growing field of K-12 administration, and develop the skills to translate theory into effective, innovative leadership practices. This specialization is one of very few online programs that is state-approved, a requirement for principal or superintendent licensure in a number of states. It is also aligned with standards of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC). Throughout the program, you will develop a professional portfolio that demonstrates your doctoral competencies to current and future employers. People who choose this specialization include those pursuing leadership positions such as principal, director, or superintendent at the district level, or higher education faculty positions.

The residential colloquia experience:

As a doctoral learner, you will attend three five-day colloquia at specific stages in your program, in addition to your online courses. These energizing residencies provide you with insights and knowledge that will be valuable during your doctoral studies and beyond.

Conduct your own doctoral research in the challenging, growing field of K-12 administration, and develop the skills to translate theory into effective, innovative leadership practices. This specialization is one of very few online programs that is state-approved, a requirement for principal or superintendent licensure in a number of states. It is also aligned with standards of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC). Throughout the program, you will develop a professional portfolio that demonstrates your doctoral competencies to current and future employers. People who choose this specialization include those pursuing leadership positions such as principal, director, or superintendent at the district level, or higher education faculty positions.

The residential colloquia experience:

As a doctoral learner, you will attend three five-day colloquia at specific stages in your program, in addition to your online courses. These energizing residencies provide you with insights and knowledge that will be valuable during your doctoral studies and beyond.

Unlike many DNP programs, Capella’s online DNP focuses on administrative, organizational, and systems leadership competencies to prepare you for a variety of nursing leadership positions. Topics covered in this program include leadership and ethics, health care management, policy and advocacy, health care information systems, and health promotion and disease prevention for global populations. Capella’s curriculum also incorporates The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice established by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). Convenient electronic textbooks are available for most courses, which lowers costs and provides immediate access to course materials. Field experiences allow you to apply what you are learning and focus on your areas of interest, culminating in a final project that produces a practice- and evidence-based solution to a problem you encountered in the field. This program would be a strong choice for advanced practice nurses who want to move into leadership positions, nurse administrators who want to expand their leadership responsibilities, or nurse leaders who want to design and implement new health care delivery programs.  RN license verification required.   

The DNP degree program is not a clinical degree program and is not designed to prepare advanced practice registered nurses for roles as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse midwives, or certified nurse anesthetists.

North Dakota residents are not eligible to enroll in this program at this time.