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Doctor of Global Leadership

School of Mission and Theology

Fuller’s Doctor of Global Leadership is an applied 4-year intercultural studies research degree that equips leaders to strengthen organizations and drive transformative change. Building on Fuller’s rich legacy of missiological and intercultural scholarship, the program integrates rigorous academic study with practical, real-world application. Through a hybrid, cohort-based experience, students craft and implement research initiatives that empower their leadership and expand their missional reach.

The DGL is also fully available in Korean.

Holistic Formation

Benefit from supportive, formational guidance toward your growth as a leader

Individually Tailored

Customize your research to accomplish concrete change in your specific context

Stay in Your Context

Develop your ministry effectiveness without leaving your context of service

Collaborative Community

Be sharpened, challenged, and supported by peers within your cohort

DGL Overview

The Doctor of Global Leadership (DGL) is designed for ministry leaders with a master’s degree and at least three years of field experience in missiology or intercultural work. This applied research degree equips students to pursue meaningful change in their ministry context through research, contextualization, and the development of a practical, action-oriented dissertation. Each student’s journey is guided by experienced faculty mentors who offer personal support through every stage of the process.

Structured annual nine-month modules, the DGL leads students step-by-step toward the completion of their dissertation, requiring an average commitment of 12–16 hours per week. The program equips students to make an impact on a significant issue, problem, or opportunity in their context to effect change. After completing relevant literature reviews, students begin investigating gaps and gathering the information necessary to bring meaningful impact to their specific context. Through thoughtful integration of missiological and theological principles, students address real needs in their ministry setting, culminating in a dissertation that is both contextually grounded and designed for lasting impact.

  • Year One: Missiological Foundations & Research Design (14 units)
  • Year Two: Contextual Analysis (14 units)
  • Year Three: Leadership and Organizational Change (14 units)
  • Year Four: Dissertation Completion (12 units)
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Upcoming DGL Cohorts

DGL students progress through the program with the same cohort of 10–15 students, led by faculty members who are scholar-practitioners. Students are able to stay in their contexts and study in various formats including fully online, or, depending on the cohort, online with an annual in-person intensive. Either way, the program’s cohort model allows students to further sharpen and support one another, creating lasting relational bonds and expanding their ministry network as they journey together in a learning community.

2025

Developing Flourishing Communities Cohort: Gender, Power, & Organizational Dynamics

Fall 2025 Application Deadline: August 15, 2025
Class Starts: September 2025

Discovering Missional Paradigms for the Next Generation
Fall 2025 Application Deadline: August 15, 2025
Class Starts: September 2025

2026

Missiology and Leadership for the Future of the Church
Spring 2026 Application Deadline: February 20, 2026
Class Starts: March 30, 2026

Redemptive Imagination in the Marketplace*
Fall 2026 Application Deadline: July 31, 2026
Class Starts: September 2026
*Applicants holding a professional master's degree (i.e. MBA, MSW, JD, etc.) qualify for the cohort directly without additional leveling coursework.

Past Cohorts

Missiology for the 21st Century Cohort (Fall 2024)
Class Starts: September 2024

Bible Translation and Scripture Engagement in Today's World (Fall 2024)
Class Starts: September 2024

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Adapt

After losing his leg in a car accident, doctoral student Chris Ng finds a new, unexpected mission field

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Financial Aid and Scholarships

The DGL is a 54-unit program. Current tuition is $602 per unit

  • Total tuition for the 54-unit program is $32,508 USD.
  • Tuition due for year 1-3 is $8,610 USD per year;
  • Tuition due for year 4 is $7380 USD.
  • Student fee: $105 USD per registered course.
  • One-time new student fee: $140 USD

Please check the Tuition and Fees schedule for current per-unit tuition rates and additional fees. Students should also consider the cost of books, as well as travel and lodging for the annual intensives (if applicable). 

New Student Scholarships vary by program and quarter. Contact your Admissions Counselor for more information about institutional scholarships you may qualify for. US Citizens and Permanent Residents may also apply for US federal aid and work study. Additionally, missionaries from these partner mission agencies are eligible to receive a 10 percent tuition discount, which can be combined with institutional scholarship. 

"In our dramatically changing world, we need to reimagine how the gospel is shared in our unique settings. The Doctor of Global Leadership degree creates an environment where missional leaders like you, serving in churches and other organizations, can develop missiological frameworks that lead to dynamic change in their unique contexts."
– Kurt Fredrickson, Associate Dean for Professional Doctoral Programs and Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry

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Contact Us

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