Educational Leadership
Doctor of Education
About This Program
Purpose
The doctoral program facilitates the professional development of teachers, specialists, administrators, and other personnel committed to the concept that those responsible for the nation’s educational agenda must be innovative leaders. The program prepares students to translate research into effective systems of instruction, supervision, and leadership. It features a core of studies and a dissertation. This program of studies meets the needs of public, private, and post-secondary educators.
The program format allows for completion of course work in just over three years, even though students attend classes only once a week. Courses are taught by both full-time and adjunct faculty who are experts in their fields, providing an insight into innovative, leading-edge theories and practices.
Program Competencies
The Educational Leadership Concentration of the Doctor of Education Program is designed to produce educational leaders who have the knowledge and ability to promote the success of all students by:
- Facilitating the development, articulation, implementation, and stewardship of a school or district vision of learning supported by the school community.
- Promoting a positive school culture, providing an effective instructional program, applying best practice to student learning, and designing comprehensive professional growth plans for staff.
- Managing the organization, operations, and resources in a way that promotes a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.
- Collaborating with families and other community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources.
- Acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner.
- Understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal and cultural context.
- Providing significant opportunities for candidates to synthesize and apply the knowledge, and practice and develop the skills in Competencies 1-6 through substantial, standards-based work in real settings, planned and guided cooperatively by the institution and school district personnel.
- Demonstrate an ability to use information and information technologies to enhance the effective utilization and practice of educational research.
Program Design
The Doctor of Education program is designed to combine theory, practice, and inquiry to enhance students’ innovation and leadership skills. The program has three major features. One is a core program of 27 credit hours emphasizing Curriculum/Instruction and Supervision/Administration.
A second feature consists of field components totaling 12 credit hours. The field components provide students the opportunity to engage in problem-based experiences outside the college setting that complement their program coursework. The field component aspect of the program provides the opportunity for the student to apply the knowledge and theory learned in the core courses to the solution of specific problems in a school district.
The third feature of the program is a research component consisting of three courses and the dissertation that serves as a culminating activity for all previously completed courses and the field components. Students must be raised to candidacy before beginning the dissertation component of the program. This doctoral dissertation itself totals 9 credit hours.
This information applies to students who enter this degree program during the 2009-2010 Academic Year. If you entered this degree program before the Fall 2009 semester, please refer to the academic catalog for the year you began your degree program.
