Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership is designed to offer K-12 educational administrators and other K-12 educational leaders a unique and research-based experience. The program combines authentic scholarly inquiry with exposure to site-based best practices. The Ed.D. requires commitment to the pursuit of four ambitious goals:
- In-depth inquiry and research on issues and topics related to educational administration and leadership,
- Leadership for improvement in teaching and learning,
- Equity and social justice for all students, and
- The development of schools as democratic communities.
For information regarding deadlines and requirements for admission, please see the Guide to Graduate Admissions.
In addition to the application materials required by The Graduate School, the applicant must submit a resume or curriculum vitae and a personal statement (see departmental website for topic and details).
Degree Program Requirements
Required: 54-66 credit hours
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundational Course Work (18 credits) | ||
| Select 18 credits | 18 | |
| Major Focus Area Course Work (12 credits) | ||
| Select 12 credits | 12 | |
| Research (12 credits) | ||
| Select 12 credits | 12 | |
| Dissertation (12-24 credits) | ||
| ELC 799 | Dissertation | 12-24 |
| Total Credit Hours | 54-66 | |
Foundational Course Work (18 credits)
Course work from the areas of administration and leadership, curriculum and instruction, social and cultural foundations, or research that provides a foundation for the student’s in-depth inquiry in the major focus area (see below). Course work in this category may be counted from the Ed.S. program if courses meet Graduate School regulations and are approved by the student’s doctoral committee.
Major Focus Area Course Work (12 credits)
Course work in this category should be carefully selected to help the student develop scholarly expertise in her/his chosen area of focus within educational leadership. Focus areas and supporting course work include the following:
Organizational and Leadership Studies
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELC 723 | Urban School Organizational Leadership: Best Practices | 3 |
| ELC 731 | Power, Politics, and Schools | 3 |
| ELC 734 | Theories in Educational Administration | 3 |
| ELC 745 | Contemporary Problems Seminar | 1-3 |
| ELC 754 | Personal Leadership Assessment and Enhancement | 3 |
Law, Policy, and Finance
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELC 733 | Cases and Concepts in Educational Leadership | 3 |
| ELC 745 | Contemporary Problems Seminar | 1-3 |
Curricular and Instructional Leadership
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELC 709 | Introduction to Critical Pedagogy | 3 |
| ELC 714 | Curriculum Theory | 3 |
| ELC 715 | Foundations of Curriculum | 3 |
| ELC 717 | Technology and Administrative Leadership | 3 |
| ELC 718 | Principal Leadership for Special Education | 3 |
| ELC 719 | Schools as Centers of Inquiry | 3 |
| ELC 745 | Contemporary Problems Seminar | 1-3 |
Social, Cultural, Historical, and Ethical Foundations of Educational Leadership
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELC 711 | Ethics and Education | 3 |
| ELC 716 | Culturally Responsive Leadership | 3 |
| ELC 742 | Engaging the Public in Education | 3 |
| ELC 745 | Contemporary Problems Seminar | 1-3 |
Research (12 credits)
Course work in this category should be carefully selected to help the student develop research expertise that facilitates the completion of a high-quality dissertation. Courses may be selected from a single or multiple methodological perspectives.
Students pursuing a qualitative track would typically complete the following courses:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELC 765 | Approaches to Qualitative Inquiry | 3 |
| or ELC 764 | Introduction to Qualitative Inquiry: A Social Justice Approach | |
| Select an additional 9 credits from the following: * | 9 | |
| Contemporary Problems Seminar | ||
| Writing Preparation and Proposal Development | ||
| Directed Doctoral Research ** | ||
| Select other research courses pre-approved by the advisor committee | ||
| * | Selected by the student in consultation with her/his committee chair. |
| ** | ELC 775 Directed Doctoral Research should not be taken until 9 credits of research courses have been completed. |
Students pursuing a quantitative track would typically select, in consultation with their committee chair, from courses such as the following:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELC 745 | Contemporary Problems Seminar | 1-3 |
| ERM 605 | Educational Measurement and Evaluation | 3 |
| ERM 704 | Methods of Educational Research | 3 |
| ERM 732 | Hierarchical Linear Modeling | 3 |
| ERM 741 | Evaluation of Educational Programs | 3 |
| ERM 750 | Case Study Methods in Educational Research | 3 |
| ERM 780 | Intermediate Statistical Methods in Education | 3 |
| ERM 782 | Multivariate Analysis | 3 |
| ERM 788 | Contemporary Problems Seminar | 1-3 |