Bushnell University and Pepperdine University Launch Innovative Doctoral Leadership Degree Partnership

Eugene, Ore.—Mar. 6, 2023 — Graduate students in Bushnell University’s School of Business, Leadership & Technology in Eugene, OR will have the opportunity to try out an esteemed Leadership Doctoral Program at Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, CA beginning this Fall, as part of an innovative Leadership Degree Partnership started between the two universities.

Through the partnership, Bushnell University’s MBA and Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) students would be able to co-enroll beginning in August of 2023 as nondegree status students through Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) Doctorate in Organizational Leadership program while they are completing their master’s degrees at Bushnell. This would allow them to get a jumpstart on their doctoral degrees and explore whether this is a good pathway for them and their future goals.  Bushnell University students could take up to two doctoral level courses at Pepperdine University as part of their master’s program and earn credit for these as part of the new Accelerated Graduate Degree Pathway.

In exchange, top performing Pepperdine Leadership Doctoral students would have the opportunity to potentially teach a course as a supervised adjunct instructor through one of Bushnell’s internationally accredited Business or Leadership programs, building online teaching experience.

“With this innovative partnership, Bushnell University can build on our strong history of collaboration. Working with Pepperdine University, which shares common values and vision, we’ll be able to do more together, offering Bushnell graduate students an opportunity to engage a prestigious doctorate program while providing supervised teaching opportunities for Pepperdine doctoral candidates through the courses we offer. It is a win-win for both institutions, and the kind of thinking we need more of in these challenging economic times,” explained President Joseph D. Womack, Ed.D., Bushnell University.

“It is rare that two universities that share the same commitment to faith and academic excellence can partner to create a new opportunity to serve the students of both schools. I am looking forward to celebrating the success of this venture for years to come,” said Dr. Farzin Madjidi, Interim Dean, Professor of Leadership, Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Pepperdine University.

Bushnell University and Pepperdine University share a similar faith fit and missional calling. Pepperdine offers a number of doctoral degrees in Leadership, including the Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership, which is a hybrid multidisciplinary doctorate attracting graduate students in business, health care, education, and other disciplines. Bushnell University offers fully online Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) degrees. Bushnell University’s School of Business, Leadership and Technology recently had its long-standing accreditation with the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE), approved and extended until 2028. Pepperdine University’s Organizational Leadership Doctorate program has consistently been ranked one of the top doctoral leadership programs in the country.

Bushnell University students interested in the new partnership should contact Dr. Latrissa Lee Neiworth, Dean of the School of Business, Leadership and Technology, to enroll in the Accelerated Graduate Degree pathway. Students must have a cumulative GPA requirement of 3.00 and meet the other requirements of graduate admissions.