Program Description | Admission | Degree Requirements | Courses
Program Description
The doctoral program in Educational Leadership provides the highest professional degree available to students who aspire to leadership positions at the school or college/university level. The degree includes a prescribed curriculum of required and elective courses for a minimum of sixty hours of graduate credit. However, the doctoral degree is awarded both on the basis of successful completion this coursework and the completion of a major research project resulting in the presentation and defense of a dissertation.
Graduates of the doctoral degree in Educational Leadership will have the knowledge 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
Admission
Admission to the program requires devoting a significant amount of time to the program. The inability to devote the required time will require the individual to drop out of the program.
The Educational Leadership program follows a cohort model. This means that individuals are admitted to a specific group, called a cohort, and are required to take their coursework at the same time as the other individuals in the cohort. In the event of emergencies which require individuals to drop out of the normal schedule, they may be required to join another cohort with a different schedule.
Application Deadlines
| Cohort | Classes Begin | Application Deadline |
| Higher Education Administration | Spring (January) | October 1 |
| K-12 Administration | Summer (June) | February 1 |
Applicants seeking admission to the doctoral program in Educational Leadership must submit the following directly to the Office of Graduate Studies:
- A Graduate Studies Application with the application fee
- Official transcript(s) showing receipt of a baccalauarete degree and a master's degree from an accredited institution
- Official GRE scores
- Five Reference Forms, three from current or previous supervisors in schools or agencies where the applicant has been employed and two from current or previous graduate-level professors who hold terminal degrees
- Program application with fee
- Personal statement (1000 words maximum)
Applicants should hold a master's degree in a related field, and the student's graduate GPA should be 3.5 or higher. In addition, five years of full-time professional experience in a credible school or agency is required.
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.
Degree Requirements
The program requires a minimum of sixty hours of graduate credit, successful passing of a comprehensive examination, and completion of a dissertation.
After the completion of twelve semester hours (two semesters) of doctoral level coursework in the program, 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 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.
A comprehensive examination will be taken after the completion of forty-two 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.
Plan 1 - EdD in Educational Leadership
| Notes: |
| 1 | EDL 710 <EDLD 7110> must be taken three times for a total of three hours. |
| 2 | Selections must be made in consultation with the Graduate Advisor. |
| 3 | EDL 833 <EDLD 8333> must be taken at least three times for a minimum total of nine hours. Once enrolled in this course, the student must enroll in it until graduation. |