Finish What You Started: A PhD Completion Program at Antioch University
You’ve Come This Far. Now, Let’s Go the Distance.
You know the feeling: you’re cleaning out a closet and find a folder of coursework, or someone mentions their dissertation, and a pang of recognition hits. You think about your own doctoral research project, which still exists as a potential to be fulfilled. Maybe it was a journey interrupted–but only temporarily.
You’re not alone. Nearly half of all U.S. doctoral students pause their studies before finishing. Life happens—illness, caregiving, financial shifts, career changes. But if you’ve done the hard work of doctoral study—passed your comps, written papers, started your dissertation—you don’t have to begin again.
At Antioch University, we know that an “unfinished” doctoral journey should be thought of as “not yet finished.” You paused for a reason— that journey you embarked on can still be completed. Our PhD in Leadership and Change Completion Pathway was designed to help you return to doctoral study with dignity, flexibility, and purpose.
This is your invitation to finish your PhD and fulfill the vision you once had for a scholarly career and your contribution to the current debates in your field of research..
Why Many Students Pause Their Doctoral Journey
Doctoral programs demand sustained focus, intellectual risk, and years of commitment—often pursued in the margins of life: between meetings, in early mornings, or during late nights. But life rarely respects the academic calendar.
Maybe a partner got sick. A baby came early. A job required relocation. Committee members left. Burnout settled in.
A break in your doctoral journey often reflects resilience, not retreat. The demands of caregiving, financial stability, or career transitions don’t mean you lack dedication—they mean you were living life.
At Antioch, we understand that reality. Our doctoral completion program was built with those experiences in mind.
What Is the PhD in Leadership and Change Completion Pathway?
The PhD in Leadership and Change (PhDLC) Completion Pathway at Antioch University offers an opportunity for students who have already completed significant doctoral coursework to transfer into a mission-aligned, socially engaged program.
This PhD completion program is designed for mid- and late-career professionals who once began a doctorate and are ready to finish it—with meaning and momentum.
How It Works:
✔ Transfer up to 27 doctoral-level credits
We evaluate your previous doctoral credit—coursework, exams, even draft dissertations—to determine what can be applied toward your Antioch degree. Your work still counts.
✔ Design a personalized plan for doctoral completion
With support from faculty advisors, you’ll build a custom academic plan focused on what remains—not a full restart.
✔ Finish your PhD in as little as two years
Depending on your previous work, most students complete the PhD completion pathway in two to three years.
✔ Join a cohort of purpose-driven professionals
You’ll be part of a community committed to equity, change, and ethical leadership—educators, nonprofit leaders, clinicians, entrepreneurs.
This isn’t a shortcut—it’s a bridge. A way to return to doctoral study with structure, support, and meaning.
What Makes Antioch’s Completion Program Unique
Few doctoral programs are designed for returning students. Antioch stands apart in mission, flexibility, and respect for your prior effort.
A Mission-Driven Approach
Antioch’s PhD in Leadership and Change centers on applied research, not ivory-tower theory. Our students lead initiatives that reform education, healthcare, public policy, and nonprofit leadership. Your dissertation won’t collect dust. It will fuel real change.
Mentorship That Honors Your Experience
If you’re returning to scholarship after a long break, we’ve got you. Our faculty offer one-on-one support in research methods, writing, and project design. We meet you where you are—and help you build forward.
A Format That Works for Working Adults
Our low-residency model blends online coursework with quarterly in-person intensives. You don’t need to quit your job or uproot your life. In fact, your work often becomes your research. We know what it takes to help you finish your PhD—even years later.
Who This PhD Completion Pathway Is For
If any of these resonate, Antioch might be the right fit:
- I completed one or more years of doctoral coursework but didn’t finish.
- I began a dissertation but didn’t defend.
- I had to pause my studies for personal or professional reasons.
- I want to complete my doctorate with meaning and real-world relevance.
- I value equity, social justice, and transformative leadership.
- I need a program that fits my current life—not one that erases the past.
If that sounds like you, Antioch’s PhD completion program offers the support, flexibility, and mission alignment to help you cross the finish line.
Reconnect with Your Doctoral Dream
That spark you once had? It’s still there. The draft on your hard drive? It still matters. Your goal is to earn the title of Doctor? It’s still within reach.
We invite you to:
- Join an info session to learn more about Antioch’s doctoral completion options
- Connect with admissions to review your prior credits and get a personalized plan
- Explore our values-based approach to interdisciplinary doctoral education (link to program, TBD)
You already did the brave thing—you started a PhD. Let us help you do the brave thing again: finish it.
Ready to take the next step?
