An applied doctorate for scholar-practitioners — take rigorous research and put it to work on the most complex problems of your city, organization, and calling.
The Doctor of Transformational Leadership is for accomplished leaders who want to apply research to practical problems and develop solutions to complex challenges in real-world settings. Rather than removing you from your context, the DTL equips you to study, lead, and transform the very place God has already planted you.
You'll join a global cohort of pastors, executives, founders, and community leaders, guided one-to-one by scholar-practitioners. Your work culminates in a doctoral project that makes a tangible difference in your city, organization, or movement.
Read your city, organization, and culture with theological and analytical depth — and design interventions that actually move them.
Master applied research methods and use them to solve the complex, on-the-ground problems your leadership faces.
Integrate a Christ-centered ethic of stewardship across the people, places, and resources entrusted to you.
Produce original, applied scholarship — a dissertation or doctoral project that creates measurable transformation.
Twice during the program you'll travel with your cohort to one of BGU's global immersions — Addis Ababa, Amsterdam, Accra, Seoul, the Triangle Cities, and beyond — to study urban transformation by walking the streets, meeting local leaders, and discerning where God is already at work.
The DTL is designed for mid-career and senior leaders — in ministry, business, nonprofit, and the public square — who hold a master's degree and are ready to bring scholarly rigor to the transformation work they're already leading.
The DTL is also delivered as a fully contextualized Korean-language program for leaders serving Korean communities worldwide.
The DTL admissions process is personal. We read every application in context and look for leaders ready to grow.
Full admissions guideA completed master's degree (or equivalent) from a recognized institution.
Demonstrated leadership in ministry, business, nonprofit, or the public square.
An online application, references, and a conversation with an admissions guide.
Join scholar-practitioners from across the world in BGU's flagship doctorate.