Online Doctorate (EdD) in Organizational & Nonprofit Leadership, AI, and Innovation

Dissertation Support: Traditional doctoral programs often have no dissertation structure or guidance. Our program has you working on your dissertation throughout the entire program, with a dissertation advisor to support you every step of the way. Learn more below.

Exceptional Graduation Rate: Most students graduate in three years. By year four, 76% of GMercyU EdD students graduate,compared to only 56.6% nationally over a 10-year period, according to findings by the Council of Graduate Schools’ PhD Completion Project.

Flexibility: Earn your degree without disrupting your busy schedule. Fully online, asynchronous courses are delivered one at a time in seven-week modules.

Residencies: Online coursework is complemented by three in-person residencies that allow you to deeply connect with your small cohort of fellow students and GMercyU leaders. Two are held on our beautiful Gwynedd Valley, Pa. Campus; one is an international trip for a global perspective. Costs for residencies, including our international residency, are built into tuition.

Accelerated Schedule: Complete your EdD in as little as three years.

Award-Winning Director: GMercyU's EdD program is helmed by Raymond Bandlow, PhD, who received this prestigious award for innovation in higher education.

Mission-Aligned University: Consistent with our mission and core values, this program will prepare you to successfully lead teams and organizations guided by vision, motivated by purpose, and aligned toward a shared mission.

The Doctorate in Organizational & Nonprofit Leadership, AI, and Innovation consists of 54 credit hours.

Foundations of Organizational Leadership Courses: 6 credit hours
EDU 802: Inclusive Organizations: Accessibility, Equity, and Legal Frameworks
EDU 804: Cultivating Cultural Humility – Residency 2

Organizational Leadership Concentration Courses: 24 credits 
EDU 800: Leadership in Nonprofit & Civil Society Organizations – Residency 1
EDU 826: Business Acumen & Growth Strategies for Nonprofit and Civil Society Organizations
EDU 836: Ethical Leadership in Nonprofit and Civil Society Organizations
EDU 837: Innovation to the Top and Digital Transformation for Nonprofit and Civil Society Organizations
EDU 839: Strategic Program Development & Organizational Expansion
EDU 840: Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Evidence-Based Decision-Making for Nonprofit & Civil Society Organization Leaders
EDU 846: Governmental Relations, Conflict Resolution and Negotiations for Nonprofit & Civil Society Organization Leaders
EDU 847: Global Policy Leadership & Advocacy through Nonprofit and Civil Society Organizations

Research Methods & Data Analysis Courses: 12 credits
EDU 803: Foundations of Research
EDU 807: Quantitative Research Methods
EDU 808: Qualitative Research Methods
EDU 810: Grounding Research in Literature

Dissertation Courses – 12 credits
EDU 811: Dissertation Advisement I
EDU 812: Dissertation Advisement II
EDU 813: Dissertation Advisement III
EDU 814: Dissertation Advisement IV

The following are descriptions for the Organizational Leadership Concentration. 

EDU 800: Leadership in Nonprofit & Civil Society Organizations
Introduces the core principles, theories, and practical skills of organizational leadership and systems thinking, focusing on how individuals effectively lead teams, make strategic decisions, and influence organizational success.

EDU 826: Business Acumen & Growth Strategies for Nonprofit and Civil Society Organizations
Develops financial, strategic, and entrepreneurial competencies needed to ensure organizational sustainability and responsible growth. Students analyze resource development, revenue diversification, impact measurement, and strategic positioning to strengthen long-term organizational capacity.

EDU 836: Ethical Leadership in Nonprofit and Civil Society Organizations
Examines the ethical responsibilities and challenges faced by leaders in nonprofit and civil society organizations, focusing on principles of integrity, accountability, and ethical decision-making in mission-driven contexts.

EDU 837: Innovation to the Top and Digital Transformation for Nonprofit and Civil Society Organizations
Examines how innovation and digital transformation enhance organizational effectiveness, stakeholder engagement, and service delivery. Students evaluate emerging technologies and change management strategies that enable adaptive, mission-centered innovation.

EDU 839: Strategic Program Development & Organizational Expansion
Focuses on the design, evaluation, and scaling of programs and services that advance organizational mission and community impact. Students apply systems thinking, needs assessment, and strategic resource alignment to support responsible organizational growth.

EDU 840: Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Evidence-Based Decision-Making for Nonprofit & Civil Society Organization Leaders
Explores how leaders leverage artificial intelligence, data analytics, and empirical research to inform strategic planning, market assessment, and mission-aligned program innovation. Students develop the capacity to critically evaluate AI-driven insights, apply evidence-based frameworks, and design ethically grounded, data-informed strategies to enhance organizational effectiveness and social impact.

EDU 846: Governmental Relations, Conflict Resolution and Negotiations for Nonprofit & Civil Society Organization Leaders
Examines the dynamics of governmental relations, conflict resolution, and negotiation strategies within the context of nonprofit organizational leadership. Students develop advanced competencies in policy engagement, stakeholder collaboration, and principled negotiation to effectively navigate complex intergovernmental environments and advocate for mission-driven outcomes.

EDU 847: Global Policy Leadership & Advocacy through Nonprofit and Civil Society Organizations
Explores how leaders influence, interpret, and implement public policy within diverse global political, economic, and cultural contexts. Students critically examine comparative policy frameworks and develop strategic leadership approaches to advance advocacy initiatives, foster cross-sector partnerships, and address complex transnational social challenges

While traditional doctoral programs often have no dissertation structure or guidance, at GMercyU, each newly-enrolled doctoral student is assigned a dissertation advisor in the first course.

The dissertation advisor guides you through a series of dissertation courses over the three-year program to ensure you meet benchmarks of progress. This intentional approach is a big part of why our doctoral program completion rate is so much higher than the national average.

Graduates of the program will...

• Demonstrate applied skills, knowledge, and attitudes fundamental to effective organizational leadership
• Be able to develop, grow, and lead strategic innovation initiatives
• Apply ethical and responsible AI frameworks to evaluate issues of bias, privacy, transparency, equity, and governance
• Be able to interpret data and data analytics to guide strategic planning, policy development, and performance improvement
• Evaluate emerging technologies and future trends to assess risk, opportunity, and long-term strategic impact within diverse organizational contexts