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MONARCH BUSINESS SCHOOL

Doctor of
Leadership

EXPERIENCE · INFLUENCE · ACHIEVEMENT

You’ve earned your leadership experience. Now earn your doctorate. Strengthen your authority, credibility and influence through flexible, faculty-guided study at Monarch Business School Switzerland.

PROGRAMME BROCHURE · SEPTEMBER 2026

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MONARCH BUSINESS SCHOOLDOCTOR OF LEADERSHIP · APPLIED DOCTORAL STUDY

YOUR EXPERIENCE. YOUR LEADERSHIP AMBITION.

Become the leader
you aspire to be.

Build on your experience of guiding people and change. Develop the professional distinction and depth of expertise you want for your next chapter.

Study alongside your work

Fully online, asynchronous study with individual faculty guidance supports your research milestones.

A pathway that fits

Choose the standard 24-month or extended 48-month pathway. Rolling admissions allow programme starts on the first day of each month, subject to admission.

Strengthen your professional voice.

Your professional experience provides the foundation; program study, applied research and faculty guidance help you develop insight into people, culture and change. Focus your doctoral project on a leadership challenge that matters to you.

An applied doctoral contribution.

The DOL focuses on leadership inquiry and its contribution to professional practice. A PhD places its primary emphasis on an original theoretical contribution to knowledge. Both involve doctoral-level research, with different intended contributions.

Lead with greater confidence.

Develop a distinctive area of leadership expertise and a doctoral contribution you can bring into practice. Earn a qualification that reflects your achievement and strengthens your professional voice.

What will define your next chapter?

Whether you want to take on greater leadership responsibility, strengthen your standing as a coach or consultant, or fulfil a long-held ambition to earn your doctorate, your next chapter starts with the experience you already bring. Develop your own area of leadership expertise—and a contribution you can be proud of.

DOL · SEPTEMBER 2026 / 8
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MONARCH BUSINESS SCHOOLDOCTOR OF LEADERSHIP · APPLIED DOCTORAL STUDY

PLAN YOUR NEXT STEP

Programme facts

Your leadership experience is the starting point for your next achievement. The Doctor of Leadership at Monarch Business School Switzerland offers a fully online, part-time route to deepen your expertise, strengthen your professional voice and pursue your doctorate without stepping away from your career. With individual faculty guidance, develop a project centred on the people, culture or change challenges that matter to you. The key facts below help you plan that next step.

Doctor of Leadership — programme at a glance
InstitutionMonarch Switzerland
DepartmentMonarch Business School
AwardDoctor of Leadership (DOL)
Study modeFully online, including the doctoral defence
Study formatPart-time
Standard pathway24-month minimum registration
Extended pathway48-month minimum registration
Designed forExperienced leaders, managers, coaches and consultants
ResidencyNo relocation required
LanguageEnglish
Institution locationSwitzerland
EntryMonthly entry; starts on the 1st
Faculty supportIndividual mentoring through research milestones
Additional awardMA in Business Research upon conferral of the DOL

Study alongside your career

Complete the programme fully online, including the doctoral defence, with no relocation required. An in-person defence may be selected when offered by Monarch.

Minimum registration periods are not guaranteed completion times or tuition caps. Completion depends on research progress and fulfilment of programme requirements.

DOL · SEPTEMBER 2026 / 8
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MONARCH BUSINESS SCHOOLDOCTOR OF LEADERSHIP · APPLIED DOCTORAL STUDY

YOUR DOCTORAL JOURNEY

From question to contribution.

You do not need a finished research proposal to apply. Once you choose a professional doctorate the faculty will guide you in developing your research proposal. Clear milestones support your progress.

01 · Prepare

Build foundations in leadership inquiry, research design and reflective academic writing through Research Skills I and II.

02 · Frame

Refine your leadership question, conceptual approach and methodology. Academic approval marks entry into the research stage.

03 · Investigate

Gather and interpret evidence within organisational, consulting or community settings, using an appropriate research design.

04 · Synthesise

Develop your manuscript, connecting findings with leadership models, reflective frameworks and applied recommendations.

05 · Present your contribution.

Present your completed research, findings and professional implications before the Review Committee. This doctoral program may be completed fully online, including the doctoral defence. No relocation is required. Candidates may select an in-person doctoral defence when offered by Monarch.

Stay connected through mentorship.

Individualised faculty guidance supports research development, reflective practice and academic progress. Optional doctoral workshops in Switzerland offer opportunities for research support and community engagement.

Recognition along the journey.

Candidates who successfully complete all DOL requirements receive the MA in Business Research in passing upon conferral of the doctorate. Other exit awards require the applicable academic requirements and approval; they are not automatic.

DOL · SEPTEMBER 2026 / 8
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MONARCH BUSINESS SCHOOLDOCTOR OF LEADERSHIP · APPLIED DOCTORAL STUDY

FACULTY EXPERIENCE. PERSONAL GUIDANCE.

Meet your leadership faculty.

Connect your leadership ambitions with faculty who bring academic insight and professional experience to doctoral study.

Dr. Donald York

Dr. Donald York

Professor of Leadership Studies · Dean of Student Development

Dr. York holds a D.Phil. and M.Phil. in Business Research with distinction from Monarch, an M.A. in Counselling & Spirituality from Saint Paul University, and a B.A. in Behavioural Neuropsychology from McGill University, where he also completed a Graduate Diploma in Leadership. His interests include organisational culture and group dynamics. He brings experience supervising doctoral research and working in critical care and healthcare education.

View full faculty profile →
Dr. Louise Delaney

Dr. Louise Delaney

Professor of Leadership

Dr. Delaney holds a dual PhD in Business Research / Doctorate in Leadership and an M.Phil. from Monarch, alongside an M.Sc. in Innovation and Technology Management from Dublin Institute of Technology. With more than twenty years of leadership experience in U.S. multinational technology companies, she connects leadership practice with research on innovation culture and organisational performance.

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Dr. Karina Ochis

Dr. Karina Ochis

Professor of Management · Associate Dean of Student Development

Dr. Ochis holds a dual PhD / Doctor of Applied Leadership and an M.Phil. from Monarch, an M.A. in Political Marketing from Rome Business School and a B.A. in Politics from Queen Mary, University of London. Her interests include multigenerational management, leadership and succession management, with a particular focus on intergenerational conflict and the integration of younger generations into the workforce.

View full faculty profile →
DOL · SEPTEMBER 2026 / 8
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MONARCH BUSINESS SCHOOLDOCTOR OF LEADERSHIP · APPLIED DOCTORAL STUDY

OUR DOL COMMUNITY

Leadership experience.
Individual ambitions.

Meet graduates and candidates who bring different professional perspectives to leadership study.

Dr. Kerstin Jatho

Dr. Kerstin Jatho

Graduate · Dual PhD / DOL

Dr. Jatho examined the relationship between positive psychology, leadership behaviour and organisational well-being. Her experience in executive coaching and team development connects her doctoral work with the practical challenges of leading people.

Read profile →
Amineh Khajehpour

Amineh Khajehpour

Candidate · DOL

Amineh brings more than fifteen years of international experience at the intersection of neuroscience-based coaching, executive leadership and advanced engineering. She is a Certified Brain Coach and NeuroLeadership Consultant.

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Catherine Echeozo

Catherine Echeozo

Candidate · Dual PhD / DOL

Catherine holds an MBA from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from the University of Nigeria. Her dual doctoral studies connect her professional background with the study of leadership.

Read profile →
Vumile Msweli

Vumile Msweli

Candidate · DOL

Vumile holds a B.Comm. in Accounting from the University of Pretoria, a B.Comm. in Finance from the University of Johannesburg and an MBA from the University of London. She brings this business background to her Doctor of Leadership studies.

Read profile →
DOL · SEPTEMBER 2026 / 8
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MONARCH BUSINESS SCHOOLDOCTOR OF LEADERSHIP · APPLIED DOCTORAL STUDY

YOUR NEXT STEP

For the leader
you want to become.

Designed for experienced leaders, senior managers, executive coaches and consultants—including those working in government, education, NGOs and communities.

Your next step begins with a conversation.

Applicants normally hold a master’s degree from an accredited institution. Experienced professionals with a bachelor’s degree and substantial leadership responsibility may also be considered. Academic review considers readiness, intended inquiry and supervisory fit.

Experience and individual assessment.

In exceptional circumstances, applicants without formal academic qualifications may be considered at the Dean’s discretion on the basis of significant professional achievement, specialised expertise or recognised professional certifications. Admission is subject to individual assessment.

Plan your study and tuition.

Choose the standard 24-month or extended 48-month pathway around your professional commitments. Review current tuition, payment arrangements and continuation conditions before applying. View tuition and payment options →

Explore the programme in detail.

Doctor of Leadership programme webpage →

Begin a conversation.

Tell us about your experience and what you want to achieve next. Contact Admissions →

Programme details, admissions conditions and fees are subject to current institutional requirements. Consult the programme webpage and Admissions Office before applying.

DOL · SEPTEMBER 2026 / 8
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YOUR EXPERIENCE. YOUR NEXT CONTRIBUTION.

Your experience brought you this far.
Your ambition can take you further.

Picture your next chapter: deeper expertise, greater professional credibility and the pride of earning your doctorate. Pursue your DOL alongside your career, with individual faculty guidance from Monarch Business School Switzerland.

Start a conversation →

Apply for the DOL →

MONARCH SWITZERLAND
Vorderbergstrasse 34 · CH-6318 Walchwil, Zug · Switzerland
umonarch.ch · administration@umonarch.ch

DOCTOR OF LEADERSHIP · / 8

Latest Announcement

Monarch Switzerland Proudly Announces the Doctoral Graduates of 2025

Meet the accomplished professionals who successfully completed their doctoral studies in 2025, bringing deep leadership experience and rigorous scholarship to Monarch Switzerland.

View the Announcement

Latest Announcement

Monarch Switzerland Proudly Announces the Doctoral Graduates of 2025

Meet the accomplished professionals who successfully completed their doctoral studies in 2025, bringing deep leadership experience and rigorous scholarship to Monarch Switzerland.

View the Announcement