Saint Martin’s University to offer its first doctorate program
Saint Martin’s University in Lacey will launch its first doctorate program this summer, it announced Tuesday.
Applications for the Ph.D. program in leadership studies will open next month, according to a news release, and the university is looking for “individuals who come from diverse professional backgrounds.”
“We are looking for students who have a desire to lead, but who also want to develop a deeper understanding of leadership,” Chantelle Marker, director of graduate admissions, said in the release.
The program adds to the university’s current line-up of 29 majors, 11 graduate programs, and five certificate programs.
“This program in many ways is a culmination of our varied master’s program offerings, all of which — with programs in education, business, counseling and engineering — ultimately focus on how we can better serve our community,” Genevieve Chan, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, wrote in an email to The Olympian.
Chan wrote that the background of Kathleen Boyle, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, “greatly informed” the program’s development. At the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, Boyle worked as chair of the department of leadership, policy and administration, taught in the leadership doctoral program, and directed a master’s program, according to the news release.
Admission to the new Saint Martin’s program requires a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, the GRE or MAT exam, at least three letters of recommendation, a written statement, a written response to an article about leadership, and an interview process, Boyle wrote in an email to The Olympian.
A student who has completed a master’s degree in the last five years and takes on a full graduate load may complete the program in three years — but, the university expects most students in the program will have full-time jobs and it will take longer, according to Boyle.
The first cohort will be made up of 15 to 30 students, she wrote.
Boyle said graduates of the program could pursue careers as professors, education administrators, policy analysts, ministers, consultants, executive coaches, and business leaders.
“Being located near the state capitol will allow for us to provide leaders to contribute to our greater community across a variety of sectors, “ she wrote.
Saint Martin’s is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and is one of 13 Benedictine colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. It has more than 1,300 undergraduate and 250 graduate students at its Lacey campus, plus additional students at its extended campus at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
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