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2024-2025 Catalog Academic Catalog and Student Handbook
Ph.D. Transformative Social Change
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Overview of Program
The Ph.D. Transformative Social Change (TSC) program focuses on preparing graduates to possess the skills and capacities needed for particular types of nonprofit organizations, those with a program focus in advocacy for human rights, community building, democracy, peace, the environment and social justice. To enable graduates to be successful participants and leaders in those types of NGOs, as well as to teach in higher education, we emphasize development of the skills and capacities for employment positions in the research, policy, education and outreach areas.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Design environments that reflect and support participatory, democratic, collaborative leadership skills.
- Formulate interventions that are congruent with ethics and values.
- Synthesize and design social system transformation strategies.
- Formulate and evaluate dialogues that are inclusive of global, multicultural, multi-generational social and environmental viewpoints.
- Appraise models of compassion and connectedness with the larger community.
Career Opportunities
The Ph.D. Transformative Social Change program focuses on preparing graduates to possess the skills to become successful advocates and leaders in nonprofit organizations and educational environments-focusing on human rights, community building, peace, the environment, and social justice. Guided by faculty with years of research and advocacy experience, transformative social change graduates will be able to:
- Design environments and processes that support participation and democratic collaboration
- Design strategies that will lead to social transformation
- Articulate global, multicultural, multi-generational, social, and environmental viewpoints
- Appraise models of compassion and connectedness with the larger community
Admissions Requirements
Applicants for Ph.D. Transformative Social Change must submit the following documents:
- Application for Admissions
- An official transcript from an accredited university demonstrating successful completion of a master's degree, with a 3.0 GPA or better;
- Professional resume or CV;
- Personal statement; and
- One Letter of recommendation
University Learning Experience
Virtual Learning Experience (VLE) - Required, Community Learning Experience (CLE) - Required
All new students begin their studies with a Welcome Week. Welcome Week activities, including a degree program orientation, are held online during the week ahead of the start of the fall and spring semesters. Participation is strongly encouraged.
All students are also required to attend a 5-day Virtual Learning Experience (VLE) held online at the beginning of each semester. The VLE offers didactic/topical, research, and practice-oriented seminars, sessions introducing each core course in the program, and group meetings of the program as a whole. The virtual conferences also involve informal exchanges with other students and program faculty for mentoring and socialization to the field. Additionally, students are required to attend an in-person Community Learning Experience once every two years (fall of odd years).
Doctoral students attend until they have advanced to doctoral candidacy (upon satisfaction of essay orals).
Fieldwork
Students may choose to participate in an optional semester-long Practicum in Professional Practice (TSC 8151), where they participate in twenty hours each week in a nonprofit, educational, community or governmental setting, and write up a review of that experience at the end of the semester. Participation in fieldwork is subject to the student’s state of residence. Contact the Admissions Department for more information.
Credits/Hours
Total credits: 63
A credit hour for an online course represents 15 hours of instructional activity (e.g., engagement with web-based instructional materials) toward achieving specified student learning outcomes. For online courses, the 15 hours of instructional activity may include but are not limited to synchronous or asynchronous lectures or webinars, interactive tutorials, and online discussions. A credit hour also assumes an additional 30 hours of homework, studying, and/or research. Partial credits are not granted.
Mode of Delivery
Hybrid Online Learning Model
The Ph.D. Transformative Social Change degree program combines online learning with periodic in-person residential conferences.
For distance online or hybrid courses, the total hours of work typically required for any class of work reflects: 1) synchronous and asynchronous components that facilitate faculty-student and student-student interaction (virtual classrooms, discussion boards, and chats) and 2) independent learning components (readings, recorded lectures, written assignments, and quizzes).
Length of Program
The degree completion time for a full-time student enrolled in the Ph.D. Transformative Social Change program following the default course sequence will range from 4 -5 years. Any breaks in enrollment and/or reduced enrollment may impact completion time.
Research Course Sequence (taken in order):
Transformative Social Change Electives (Choose four):
Other Electives***: 12 Credit(s)
Unless otherwise stipulated by program, any other graduate-level coursework will apply toward Other Elective credit requirements.
Total Credits: 63
* Some courses may be waived if completed during the M.A. program at Saybrook University within the past five years. If waived, credits must be substituted with appropriate degree program electives.
*** May include up to 12 transfer credits completed during a graduate degree or certificate program in a related field from an accredited university within the last seven years. No transfer credit will be accepted from courses already applied toward another degree that was previously awarded. Transfer credits will be determined by the TSC degree program director and will be applied toward required electives.
**** Dissertation to be completed in a minimum of two semesters. Students registering for the Doctoral Dissertation with required degree coursework outstanding must complete all degree requirements within 10 consecutive semesters, inclusive of summer. Students registering for the Doctoral Dissertation with no outstanding degree requirements must complete their degree program within 9 consecutive semesters, inclusive of summer.
M.A. to Ph.D. in Transformative Social Change
While in the MA program at Saybrook University, students may decide to apply to continue to the doctoral program. Once such students have completed the admissions process to the doctoral program, they may be accepted on the condition of completion of the MA degree requirements (i.e., successful completion of the thesis/project). Such students are allowed to enroll in up to an additional 9 credits of coursework while completing the thesis/project. If the student is admitted to the doctoral program, these 9 credits will be considered toward the PhD degree. If the student does not continue to the doctoral program, those additional credits completed are awarded toward the MA degree. That is, admission into the doctoral program does not commence until the MA is complete. Such students will be required to adhere to the catalog that is in place when they matriculate into the doctoral program (i.e., after completion of the thesis/project), not the catalog in place at the time of their conditional acceptance into the doctoral program.
The following requirements apply to students who 1) earn an MA in Transformative Social Change at Saybrook University or MA in Psychology at Saybrook University within the Transformative Social Change Specialization, and 2) are currently earning an MA degree and, wish to apply for entry into the doctoral program immediately following graduation. If the student is accepted into the doctoral program and matriculates within two semesters of receiving the MA, the following program requirements apply. If more than one year elapses between finishing the MA and beginning the PhD program, the student must adhere to the standard PhD course requirements as noted above.
Research Course Sequence (taken in order):
Transformative Social Change Electives (Choose Six):
Other Electives*: 9 Credit(s)
Unless otherwise stipulated by program, any other graduate-level coursework will apply toward Other Elective credit requirements
Total Credits: 63
* Some courses may be waived if completed during the M.A. program in Transformative Social Change at Saybrook University within the past two years. If waived, credits must be substituted with Electives.
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