Doctor of Philosophy
Online Degree Concentration in Systemic Studies
This theoretically oriented Ph.D. is uniquely designed for the clinician, counselor,
coach, clergy, healer, educator, scholar, artist and professional who desires deeper
study of the contexts that advance the practices necessary for change. The program’s
faculty comprises a learned group of scholars, educators and seasoned practitioners.
Coursework spans across academic disciplines and fields of practice and aims to study
and contribute to the ways creativity helps awaken systemic processes of change. The
program combines rigor with creativity and is subjected to universally accepted standards
of academic rigor and measurement.
What is Systemic Studies?
The Doctoral Program, with a concentration in Systemic Studies, is inspired by the
cybernetic ideas and pragmatic practices that underlie the origin of systemic family
therapy, embracing these precepts to explore diverse contexts of stability and change.
The program consists of 60 semester units (two years of full-time coursework) plus
a dissertation. Courses go beyond disciplinary limitations and are informed by a wide
range of academic interests and practices. Students will learn strategies of relevant
qualitative research, especially those methods that highlight transformative processes.
Featuring a Theoretical (Non-Clinical) Program
Please note this is a scholarly program of study in applied system theory. Nonclinical
in emphasis, this course of study does not prepare graduates to be eligible for the
Marriage and Family Therapist license, and has no formal relationship with the professional
credentialing boards or governing bodies such as COAMFTE, AAMFT, ACA, or APA. This
nonclinical Doctorate of Philosophy degree in Marriage and Family Therapy with a concentration
in Systemic Studies is granted by The University of Louisiana at Monroe, a fully accredited
public university that is part of the University of Louisiana System. The curriculum
is entirely online and students can expect to complete their coursework in two years
with an additional one to three years to complete their dissertation.
Our Learning Approach
While it is expected that students will be self-motivated and able to work independently,
they receive advisory support throughout the program. Students will work together
in a cohort, creating a learning community in which transformative skills and expressive
performance are developed and possibilities for collaboration are encouraged. All
courses are seminar-style where individuals are expected to participate in conversations
relevant to course content and its application to lived experience. The program values
the recursive interaction between theory and practice and the importance of fostering
transformation inside and outside the classroom.
Our admission deadline is February 1st.
For more information about applying to this program, contact us.
Dr. Samuel Shannon
Associate Professor
Marriage and Family Therapy
School of Allied Health
Strauss Hall 369
(318) 342-5006
shannon@ulm.edu
Systemic Studies