Indiana U. Offers Ph.D. on Philanthropy

The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, in Indianapolis, has added a doctoral program in philanthropic studies to its academic offerings — the first traditional Ph.D. program dedicated solely to that discipline.

The new graduate program was authorized this month by the state’s Commission for Higher Education and will begin enrolling students in fall 2004, say Center on Philanthropy officials.

The university was the first in the nation to offer a master’s in philanthropic studies, a multidisciplinary program that encompasses 21 academic departments, including business, history, law, religious studies, and sociology.

About a dozen other doctoral programs in nonprofit management or related disciplines nationwide allow students to concentrate or minor in philanthropic studies, which emphasizes philanthropy’s history and role in society over pragmatic management skills, says Dwight Burlingame, the center’s director of academic programs, who will be directing Indiana’s new doctoral program.

The new Ph.D. will require 90 hours of academic credit, including seminars in the ethical, moral, and religious aspects of philanthropy; historical and cultural perspectives; and the role of philanthropy in society. It will emphasize original research by its degree candidates and require an internship and a dissertation.

The program, which is expected to attract midcareer and senior-level nonprofit executives and research scholars, was created in response to requests from Indiana alumni and prospective students, says Mr. Burlingame. It was also intended to respond to the expansion of the nonprofit field and the growing demands for professionals who hold advanced degrees, says Eugene R. Tempel, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy.

For more information about applying to the program, contact Charlie Johnson, the center’s assistant director of student services, at (317) 684-8927, or via e-mail at chajohns@iupui.edu.