As a college student in Canada, Dr. Mikaela Polman wasn’t sure what career she wanted to pursue until something clicked during her last year of school.  

“I took two classes in organizational development, and I really loved it,” says Dr. Polman, who went on to earn a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, Learning and Innovation from Wilmington University. 

“You just have so much more leverage with that doctoral degree — not just from a candidate perspective, but whatever work you’re doing, you’re able to apply that knowledge,” she says. WilmU ensures “when you graduate and you’re out in the field, you really are an expert.” 

Now a senior organization development consultant at Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, Dr. Polman calls her WilmU doctoral degree “100% worth it.”  

Which Doctoral Degree Program Is Right for You? 

With accredited doctoral degree programs in business, education, nursing, and social and behavioral sciences, Wilmington University has academic paths to match your career goals. Designed to accommodate working adults, WilmU’s schedule and course format options provide flexibility to fit your life for doctoral study without career disruption.  

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) 

Created for managers, leaders, consultants and educators, WilmU’s Doctor of Business Administration program integrates theory with practice, emphasizing critical thinking, disciplined inquiry, leadership management, communication skills and ethics. Available 100% online, the DBA program will help you make significant management and leadership contributions to your organization.  

“The relationship with the instructors, the relevancy of the curriculum, the cost and the cohort model” are what sets WilmU’s DBA program apart, says Dr. Amy Danley, the DBA program chair. “It really prepares practitioners in the field to take that next step.” Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) 

Created for managers, leaders, consultants and educators, WilmU’s Doctor of Business Administration program integrates theory with practice, emphasizing critical thinking, disciplined inquiry, leadership management, communication skills and ethics. Available 100% online, the DBA program will help you make significant management and leadership contributions to your organization.  

“The relationship with the instructors, the relevancy of the curriculum, the cost and the cohort model” are what sets WilmU’s DBA program apart, says Dr. Amy Danley, the DBA program chair. “It really prepares practitioners in the field to take that next step.” 

Doctor of Education (EdD) 

Wilmington University’s three Doctor of Education programs incorporate hands-on learning and cohort models, which foster collaboration with fellow candidates. You can customize your degree with concentrations and complete it in as little as three years.  

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership  

Featuring artfully designed courses, a hybrid online/face-to-face schedule and accelerated learning options, the EdD in Educational Leadership for K-12 teachers and administrators supports you at the classroom, school or district level.  

“This is a program that can transform and change you, how you even think and talk about the field of education,” says Dr. Todd Hackett-Slimm, chair of the Educational Leadership program. “People often get promotions or change positions while they’re in the program. It opens up doors and opportunities for people.”  

Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership   

The EdD in Higher Education Leadership, available 100% online, allows you to meet the challenges of today’s colleges and universities. Individualized, student-driven guided study coursework puts theory and research into practice, and WilmU’s culture of care encourages you every step of the way. 

The doctoral candidates, “we’re there for them,” says Dr. Stephanie LoBiondo, chair of the Higher Education Leadership program. “The culture in the HEL program is transformative and supportive; it ensures candidates are successful from start to finish. Our candidates work with and learn from highly qualified higher education leaders who ensure they have the skills necessary to be an agent of change and a force for good in their communities.” 

Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, Learning and Innovation  

With flexible online and hybrid formats designed for today’s busy professional, the EdD in Organizational Leadership, Learning and Innovation (OLI) equips leaders from all sectors with the competencies to address the complex challenges facing today’s organizations, using a curriculum that combines theory and practice. 

“I think diversity is one of the hallmarks of the OLI program,” says Dr. Anthony Buffone, chair of the OLI doctoral program, which includes students from around the country and the world. “I always say you could be sitting next to a fire chief from Oregon, who’s next to a superintendent from South Jersey and someone working in the federal government.” 

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) 

Wilmington University’s flexible and affordable Doctor of Nursing Practice program prepares advanced practice nurses and nurse leaders with integrated clinical and leadership skills. Available 100% online or in a hybrid format, courses examine the relationships between health policy, informatics, population health and health care economics while caring for individuals, families and communities.  

“The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Wilmington University was designed to bridge the gap between research and practice,” says Dr. Aaron Sebach, dean of the College of Health Professions and Natural Sciences. “DNP graduates have made a tremendous impact across the country by implementing evidence-based practice and improving care models. Our graduates are poised to ensure that care provided across the continuum is rooted in the evidence.” 

WilmU also offers accelerated nursing programs and dual degrees. You can combine a DNP and Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Health Care Administration or a DNP and MS in Management in Health Care Administration. 

Doctor of Social Science in Prevention Science (DSocSci) 

Wilmington University has the nation’s only 100% online practical DSocSci in Prevention Science, which integrates theories and methodologies from public health, education, behavioral sciences, economics, epidemiology and other disciplines. By researching and evaluating risk and protective factors, you can help create program and policy solutions. 

“This degree focuses on applying science to real-world problems for individuals, families, communities and organizations — looking to build up strength, enhance assets and address concerns,” says Dr. Debra Berke, the director of WilmU’s psychology programs and Center for Prevention Science. “If we move upstream to the root causes and address the root causes of things, then we don’t continually put Band-Aids on existing problems.”