| Foreword | Approach | Pillars | Modes | Curriculum | Admission | Tuition fees | Doctoral track |  

Twin Curriculum: Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Leadership Studies, 

and the PhD Degree in Leadership (and Mastery of Change)

Foreword  (by Prof. Jean-Pierre Bal)

Some years ago, while visiting an art exhibition dedicated to Rik Wouters^[1], a renowned Belgian sculptor and impressionist painter, I glanced at 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."   

In our current times 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 and the world at large could surpass any of our ancestor societies and civilisations had experienced in their own times. 

Our institution offers the postgraduate Twin Curriculum in leadership as a response to the search for seasoned leader-educators and advisors, and prepares experienced individuals to these crucial roles in our society. 

Postgraduate Twin Curriculum, and Single Track

The doctoral Twin Curriculum programme focuses mainly on the educational and consultative dimensions in leadership development and organisational change. The other top-echelon programme of our graduate school, called Chronos, meets the specific needs of Chief Executive Officers (CEO). (>> More: all programmes)

The Twin Curriculum leads to a Postgraduate diploma in Advanced Leadership Studies (acronym: PALS, or PGD), as well as to a PhD degree. The twinning concept takes its root in the reality that prior to the successful completion of doctoral research and PhD thesis (dissertation), a very comprehensive knowledge will need to have been acquired and mastered. Moreover, the field of leadership studies having evolved  substantially in the past decade, the knowledge and practice requirements have grown accordingly. 

The postgraduate curriculum can also be attended on a 'single track' basis, leading to the postgraduate diploma only. The PhD can then eventually be undertaken at a later stage in one's career. The 'single track' possibility may also occur when the subject, environment, or circumstances of the doctorate research and thesis will be defined or known only after the postgraduate diploma coursework has been completed.     

The PhD degree:  the Philosophiae Doctor

To establish what the doctor of philosophy qualification actually entails one needs 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), and by extension that of the continuous search for wisdom. In the Latin language the word doctor equals teacher, or learning facilitator. 

By successfully completing our postgraduate diploma curriculum, and subsequently earning the Ph.D. degree, our programme graduates become knowledgeable learning facilitators in the wise art of effective leadership and in the mastery of change.

The awakening of dormant leader-talents and the further growth of practising leaders are cornerstones of our continuity-embracing 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 hopes that our postgraduate programme's participants (a term preferred over student) be prepared as best as possible in order to achieve their heightened professional goals. Our participants and faculty therefore engage into a journey , supported by a strong mutual commitment, and articulated with the vortex programme and its educational approach.

Next page in the flow, go to  Approach

| Foreword | Approach | Pillars | Modes | Curriculum | Admission | Tuition fees | Doctoral track | PhD Thesis |

|  All programs  |  Homepage  |  Institutional Mission | Online programs |