Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
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 credit hours
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundational Coursework | 18 | |
Select 18 hours | ||
| Major Focus Area Coursework | 12 | |
Select 12 hours | ||
| Research | 12 | |
Select 12 hours | ||
| Dissertation | 12 | |
| Dissertation | ||
Foundational Coursework (18)
Coursework 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). Coursework in this category may be counted from the EdS program if courses meet Graduate School regulations and are approved by the student’s doctoral committee.
Major Focus Area Coursework (12)
Coursework 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 coursework include the following:
Organizational and Leadership Studies
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELC 662 | Power, Politics, and Schools | 3 |
| ELC 688 | Contemporary Problems Seminar | 1-3 |
| ELC 691 | Urban School Organizational Leadership: Best Practices | 3 |
| ELC 752 | Theories in Educational Administration | 3 |
| ELC 754 | Personal Leadership Assessment and Enhancement | 3 |
Law, Policy and Finance
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELC 659 | Education Finance | 3 |
| ELC 688 | Contemporary Problems Seminar | 1-3 |
| ELC 751 | Cases and Concepts in Educational Leadership | 3 |
| ELC 755 | Law and Policy in Special Education | 3 |
Curricular and Instructional Leadership
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELC 615 | Foundations of Curriculum | 3 |
| ELC 672 | Technology and Administrative Leadership | 3 |
| ELC 673 | Principal Leadership for Special Education | 3 |
| ELC 675 | Schools as Centers of Inquiry | 3 |
| ELC 686 | Curriculum Theory | 3 |
| ELC 688 | Contemporary Problems Seminar | 1-3 |
| ELC 709 | Introduction to Critical Pedagogy | 3 |
Social, Cultural, Historical, and Ethical Foundations of Educational Leadership
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELC 604 | Moral Dimensions of Education | 3 |
| ELC 616 | Culturally Responsive Leadership | 3 |
| ELC 661 | Ethics and Education | 3 |
| ELC 663 | Educational Administration in Historical Perspective | 3 |
| ELC 683 | Engaging the Public in Education | 3 |
| ELC 688 | Contemporary Problems Seminar | 1-3 |
| ELC 697 | Selected Critical Issues in American Education | 3 |
| ELC 721 | Social and Cultural Change and Education | 3 |
Research (12)
Coursework 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 course:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ELC 665 | Approaches to Qualitative Inquiry | 3 |
| or ELC 664 | Introduction to Qualitative Inquiry: A Social Justice Approach | |
| Select 9 additional hours from the following: * | 9 | |
| Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis | ||
| 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 hours 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 688 | Contemporary Problems Seminar | 1-3 |
| ERM 604 | Methods of Educational Research | 3 |
| ERM 605 | Educational Measurement and Evaluation | 3 |
| ERM 642 | Evaluation of Educational Programs | 3 |
| ERM 668 | Survey Research Methods in Education | 3 |
| ERM 680 | Intermediate Statistical Methods in Education | 3 |
| ERM 682 | Multivariate Analysis | 3 |
| ERM 732 | Hierarchical Linear Modeling | 3 |
| ERM 750 | Case Study Methods in Educational Research | 3 |