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PhD in Leadership and Mastery of Change

Foreword  (by Prof. Jean-Pierre Bal)

A few years ago, while I was visiting an art exhibition dedicated to Rik Wouters^[1], a renowned Belgian sculptor and impressionist painter, I noticed an excerpt of a letter he had written in 1914, to one of his close friends. One paragraph caught my particular attention:

"Art transmits itself by influence. The art of a man that touches you nearly always opens a door that you had unconsciously closed by yourself  (...)  But it is then not so much a matter of influence, rather that of an awakening of dormant or new feelings. Nowadays this is highly indispensable for the continuation of art."   

Today one would be tempted to transform the last sentence into: "Nowadays this is highly indispensable for the continuation of leadership". In our 21st century numerous communities and organisations, whether large, small, public, or private ones, and around the globe, are perhaps more than ever before, in search of effective leaders. Moreover, the complex intertwining of diverse challenges that will affect our century could surpass any of those our ancestors experienced. The THIERRY PhD offers a comprehensive response to the search for seasoned leader-educators and advisors, by preparing experienced individuals to these crucial roles in our society. The average age of our PhD students is forty. While the other top-echelon programme of our Graduate School, the Coryphaeus, meets the specific needs of CEOs, the doctorate programme focuses mainly on the educational and consultative dimensions, and approached from the leadership development angle. 

"Philosophiae Doctor"

In order to establish what  the doctor of philosophy qualification actually entails we need to travel back in time, to the root-meaning of  "Philosophiae Doctor". In its colloquial academic use the term philosophy often refers to the specific discipline of philosophy. The broader meaning is that of love-of-knowledge (as in the Renaissance), or the continuous search for wisdom. In Latin the word "doctor" equals teacher, a learning facilitator. Our Ph.D. graduates could be called "knowledgeable learning facilitators in the art of effective leadership and in mastery of change". The awakening of dormant leader-talents, and the further growth of practising leaders, are cornerstones of our continuity-embracing PhD curriculum. The developmental aims, as well as the paths leading to their success, are nevertheless strewn with obstacles, steppingstones, barriers, and springboards. With these goals and realities in mind our School wishes that our doctorate candidates, our programme-participants (a term preferred over student), would be prepared as best as possible in their individual careers. Our participants and faculty therefore engage into a journey, supported by a strong mutual commitment, and by a performing doctorate programme framework and approach.

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| Foreword | Approach | Pillars | Modes | Thesis | Admission | Tuition fees |