DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND COUNSELING
Educational Leadership
Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership
The Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership provides the highest professional degree available to students who aspire to leadership positions at either the school or college/university level. Although the degree requirements include a prescribed curriculum of required and elective courses, the doctoral degree is awarded not only on the basis of coursework completion. In addition, each doctoral student is expected to conduct a major research project resulting in the presentation and defense of a dissertation. A comprehensive examination will be taken after the completion of 29 hours of required coursework. Following the written part of the examination, an oral examination is scheduled with the student's Doctoral Dissertation Committee. Students must be enrolled during the semester the comprehensive examination is taken. After successful completion of the written and oral comprehensive examination, the student may defend the dissertation proposal.
The program design requires a concentration in educational leadership, with at least eighteen hours in the Leadership Core, twenty-one hours in the Research Component, twenty-four hours in the Specialization Area (Instructional Leadership and/or Content Fields) and twelve hours in the Cognate Electives. (See the Curriculum Outline for a listing of the courses included in the Leadership Core and Research Component.)
The Ed.D. program is a cohort program. This means that individuals are admitted to a specific cohort group who are required to take the Leadership Core and Research Components at the same time. Individuals accepted into the program will be expected to follow the schedule of the cohort group to which they are assigned. Cohort groups begin in June of each year. In the event of emergencies which require individuals to drop out of the normal schedule, they may be required to join another cohort group with a different schedule.
Admission to the program requires a commitment to devoting a significant amount of time for the period of the individual's program. The inability to devote the required time will require the individual to drop out of the program. Students who complete the doctoral degree in educational leadership will be able to: apply administrative theory to the instructional leadership function; set goals, assign responsibilities and verify how well resources are allocated and utilized in instructional improvement; plan and administer the curriculum of a school system; use appropriate communication and interpersonal skills in consultation, counseling and evaluation; interpret the relationships among federal, state and local education agencies and the laws applicable to the administration of the schools; design educational research and interpret results; and apply data to educational processing capabilities and leadership functions. Recruitment efforts will focus on attracting intelligent, highly motivated individuals.
Requirements for Admission
Students seeking admission to the graduate programs in the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling must meet the basic requirement of Graduate Studies specified in the Admission section of this catalog. Applicants for admission to the Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership must submit a completed application including transcripts of all college level work. In addition, candidates must have:
- A master's degree from an accredited institution;
- Five years of full-time professional experience in a credible school or agency;
- A 3.5 grade point average (4.0 scale) on all graduate work;
- An acceptable score on all sections of the Graduate Record Exam: verbal, quantitative and analytical writing;
- Positive recommendations from three current or previous supervisors in schools or agencies where the applicant has been employed, plus two recommendations from current or previous graduate-level professors.
- A portfolio demonstrating experience and/or potential leadership and scholarship.
Applicants meeting the above criteria may be invited for an interview with the doctoral admissions committee. A writing sample will be completed on site at the time of the interview. A candidate who fails to meet one of the criteria may receive probationary admission if he/she is sponsored by a doctoral faculty member.
After the completion of thirteen semester hours of core doctoral level coursework at Sam Houston State University, each student will be considered for full admission to candidacy. A doctoral program committee will review his/her academic progress, interpersonal skills and motivation to determine whether or not the student should continue with the program. After full admission to the program, the student's doctoral dissertation committee will be assigned by the Director of Doctoral Studies and the Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling.
Curriculum Outline
| Leadership Core: | 18 hours |
| EDL 731 Leadership Theory and Applications | 3 SCH |
| EDL 732 Instructional Theory and Applications | 3 SCH |
| EDL 733 Societal Factors Affecting Education | 3 SCH |
| EDL 734 Issues in Contemporary Education | 3 SCH |
| EDL 735 Conflict Management for Contemporary Education | 3 SCH |
| EDL 736 Educational Leadership Internship | 3 SCH |
| Research Component: | 21 hours |
| EDL 761 Accountability and Measurement for Contemporary Education | 3 SCH |
| EDL 762 Methods of Educational Research | 3 SCH |
| EDL 763 Application of Educational Research | 3 SCH |
| EDL 772 Qualitative Methodology | 3 SCH |
| EDL 833 Dissertation | 9+ SCH |
| Specialization Area: | 24 SCH |
| (At least 12 hours in Instructional Leadership; maximum of 12 hours in Content Fields including EDL 770 and EDL 710-3 hours.) (Community College Executive Leadership program includes 18 hours of Community College Leadership coursework.) | |
| Cognate Component: | 12 SCH |
| (Including STA 765, CNE 773, or CNE 774; students may choose from POL 730, MGT 765, CNE 738, CNE 736.) | |