Doctor of Global Leadership

Program learning outcomes:

• Cultivate a theologically grounded understanding of global leadership issues and practices in alignment with a global vision. 

• Contextualize leadership philosophy and practice within both local and global ministry settings. 

• Integrate Christ-centered, gospel-driven leadership principles with their unique ministry focus areas. 

• Embody gospel-centered transformation in personal life and global leadership roles. 

• Engage collaboratively with peers and global leaders, fostering networks aligned with a spirit of unity and partnership. 

• Demonstrate doctoral-level research proficiency, communicating ideas effectively in both written and oral forms to inspire reflection and action.

Applicants for the Doctor of Global Leadership (DGL) program must possess an Association of Theological Schools’ (ATS) accredited MDiv or a comparable two-year master’s degree in appropriate intercultural, biblical, and theological disciplines with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and present at least two years of effective intercultural ministry experience relevant to the proposed DGL program focus. 

In addition to the standard application process, applicants to the DGL must provide a 10 page or longer, research-oriented writing sample which demonstrates grammatical and compositional competency. Please send the writing sample to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

The DGL is a partnership program between Western Seminary and the Lausanne Movement. As such, Lausanne leadership evaluates all applicants before they apply to Western to ensure they meet Lausanne’s criteria for involvement in the DGL. All DGL applicants are asked to fill out a pre-application which will be reviewed by Lausanne’s leadership or designated representatives. Once Lausanne has approved a prospective student they will be invited to apply to the DGL at Western Seminary. Students must meet all Western Seminary admissions criteria. The final admissions decision will be made by Western Seminary’s Admissions Committee.

There are no requirements for DGL students to come to Western’s Portland campus. This program plans to conduct three courses as one-week intensive modules in conjunction with Lausanne meetings that will be happening outside the U.S.

The DGL program includes a total of 36 credits and consists of core required courses (27 credits), one  elective (3 credits), dissertation coursework (6 credits), including a comprehensive examination.

Four components are included in the program: program focus, competency modules, comprehensive examination, and dissertation.

Program Focus: The program focus expresses the student’s opportunities or concerns in ministry leadership and will become the focus of their dissertation.

Competency Modules: Competency modules include lectures, seminars, practical assignments, and fieldwork intended to introduce the student to a specific area and, through student-faculty interaction, chart the applications to the individual student’s leadership in ministry. These modules are comparable to what is often called “courses” in post-graduate studies.

General Education and Specialization Studies: All students are required to receive general education in intercultural leadership by earning 27 credits. Each student will be guided by his/her program focus throughout the DGL program. Development in an area of specialization is facilitated by a three-credit elective, six credits of research methodology (included in the 27 credits), and six credits of dissertation research.

Comprehensive Examination: The written comprehensive examination is an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding and application of intercultural leadership and practical insights into the program focus of their choice.

Dissertation: The DGL dissertation is the result of research, reading, reflection, and fieldwork centered around the program's focus. It contains recognition and clarification of a major topic in mission leadership  and a process to research the topic at hand, leading to implementation in ministry or career advancement. The dissertation brings together work done in the competency modules and the refining of thought through interaction with faculty and field research.