Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Studies

Discover the Creative & Intellectual Legacy

Union’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Studies Specialization supplements your primary work in Educational Studies, Ethical & Creative Leadership, Humanities & Culture or Public Policy & Social Change to explore Dr. King’s ideas, ideals, practices and their meaning for today’s complex world. You will be encouraged to be visionary in your thinking, and research about our world and how it might be changed for the better.

the curriculum overview

MLK scholars take core and advanced seminars on MLK’s leadership and legacy, encompassing intellectual, spiritual, moral, political, psychological and policy dimensions. They conduct a semester-long internship related to MLK’s legacy of social change and culminate their studies with the MLK capstone seminar. A required workshop and presentations by students and faculty enrich every Ph.D. residency.

Internships of our Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Studies Students

  • Interviewing civil rights icons
  • Researching the MLK Papers collection at Morehouse College
  • Developing a boys-to-men program for African American adolescents
  • Policy review and advocacy for felons returning from prison
  • Initiating a local food bank & developing area church feeding programs
  • Researching the Underground Railroad & collecting video interviews
  • Leadership program for lay leaders in a local church
  • Advocacy work for women's reproductive rights
  • Academic skill-building for challenged youth
  • Poetry and creative writing for high school students

Hear What Our Students Are Saying

"My very valuable experience in the MLK Studies Program challenged me not just to know and teach MLK Studies, but to commit to contribute to the continuum of vital works which improve the quality of life for those impacted by oppression."

Audrea Nanabray

Student in Ethical & Creative Leadership & MLK Specialization

"The MLK program has provided me with the opportunity to think deeply about ways that I might unite theories of social justice to real world advocacy and activism. Most importantly, it has distinguished my academic course work among others who study theories within black intellectual traditions."

Marlon Smith

Student in Humanities & Cultures & MLK Specialization

"Out of my Ph.D. studies, I developed Heroes and Dreams Academy, currently serving nearly 250 families in at-risk environments. Union afforded me the opportunity to reflect on my own "heroic journey" and to add robust scholarship to understand the impact of America's greatest social prophet, not only to my life, but to the lives of those I serve."

Owen Cardwell

Student in Ethical & Creative Leadership & MLK Specialization