Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership

The education doctorate (Ed.D.) with a specialization in educational leadership provides 66 semester hours of study beyond the master’s degree for persons who hold or seek leadership positions in education, higher education, human development, business, nonprofit, government and religious organizations that focus on teaching and learning.

Doctoral students participate as a cohort in a six-course core that focuses on the foundations of leadership (18 semester credits), select courses in professional education and a collateral field (24 credits), and complete a research and dissertation component (24 credits). This doctorate, designed for professionally employed adults, can be completed in not less than three-and-one-half calendar years and must be completed within seven years.

Outcomes

During their doctoral studies, students learn the foundations of leadership by:

• Contributing to a culture of intellectual challenge and support within a community of learners
• Deepening their understanding of leadership and organizational theory
• Analyzing critical issues in education related to equity, global interdependence, conflicting cultural values, and accelerating social and technological change
• Examining ethical dimensions of policy and decision making
• Utilizing research, critical analysis and imagination in planning, problem solving and evaluation
• Increasing knowledge and understanding in specialized areas of education and leadership

Admission to the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership Program

The doctoral program seeks intelligent, highly motivated individuals who have demonstrated leadership skills in education from a wide variety of organizations and show the probability of success in doctoral study and in future leadership roles. Decisions made by a faculty admissions committee are based on a wide range of information, including:

1. One official transcript of undergraduate and graduate work with evidence of a master’s degree (preferred cumulative GPA of 3.5 when GPA for graduate work is averaged with GPA for undergraduate work)
2. Miller Analogies Test (minimal score of 35 for acceptance, 45 preferred); or GRE score (1450 minimal score); or GMAT score (510 and 50th percentile)
3. Recommendation for doctoral study from a master’s degree major adviser or from a major adviser for either the master’s or education specialist degree if that degree has been earned
4. Evaluation of leadership skills, including communication, decision making, initiative and creativity by an immediate work supervisor and a colleague
5. Three years of professional experience with at least one year in a leadership position
6. Application, including a statement of purpose
7. A written analysis of a professional article
8. An interview with doctoral faculty members.

Applications are accepted once a year. The deadline for submitting all of the above is Feb. 1. Notification of admission is April 15.

Transfer of Credit

For those who have a master’s degree but not an education specialist (Ed.S.) degree, up to 12 semester hours post-master’s “A” or “B” degree credits may be transferred into the program. For those who have earned an Ed.S degree, up to 12 semester hours of credits of “A” or “B” work from a completed Ed.S degree may be transferred into the program. All transfer credits must have been completed within seven years of the degree. There are specific conditions concerning transfer of credits for each program.

Course of Study

The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership degree program is designed for working professionals who seek to expand their leadership abilities. This degree requires three areas of work: core courses, research and professional education-collateral.

Core Courses (18 credits)

EDLD 910 Multidisciplinary Perspectives I--2 cr.
EDLD 911 Multidisciplinary Perspectives II--3 cr.
EDLD 912 Critical Issues--4 cr.
EDLD 913 Power Freedom and Change--3 cr.
EDLD 914 Ethical Dimensions of Leadership--3 cr.
EDLD 915 Leadership Narrative--3 cr.

Research Courses (24 credits)

(Prerequisite: CIED 500, Principles of Educational Research, or its equivalent)

Basic:

EDLD 902 Survey Research--3 cr.
EDLD 904 Qualitative Research--3 cr.

Advanced:

Select one:
EDLD 625 Educational Statistics--3 cr.
EDLD 903 Historical Methodology--3 cr.
EDLD 905 Analysis of Qualitative Data--3 cr.

Proposal and Dissertation:

EDLD 920 Framing the Research Question--2 cr.
EDLD 921 Proposal Design--1 cr.
EDLD 922 Dissertation--3 cr.
EDLD 923 Dissertation--3 cr.
EDLD 924 Dissertation--3 cr.
EDLD 925 Dissertation--3 cr.

Professional Education - Collateral (24 credits)

Each student, working with faculty, will outline a program of concentrated study. If the student does not have a master’s degree in education, 12 credits of the professional-collateral area must be taken in Education. If the student has a master’s degree in education he/she must take 14 credits in education or a collateral field and nine credits in a collateral field from the following graduate programs at the university: business communication, business administration, international management, computer software design, counseling psychology, social work or divinity.

Total: 66 credits

Dissertation Proposal

EDLD 920, Framing a Research Question, introduces students to the dissertation proposal. As part of this course, students complete a rough draft of their proposals. Instructors assist students in identifying areas of literature for initial review and guide each student in the selection of the most appropriate methodology to carry out research. EDLD 921, Proposal Design, is graded when the proposal is accepted by the committee.

The Dissertation

An applied research study must be completed by each student with the guidance of a three-person dissertation committee. The dissertation must demonstrate mastery of an area of specialization and the ability to investigate a question in an analytic, creative and scholarly fashion. The dissertation committee will be chaired by a member of the doctoral core faculty or by an Leadership, Policy and Administration Department faculty member who has an earned doctorate and expertise in the research problem under consideration. Other committee members must be faculty or community members who have the doctoral degree. The student must make a formal oral presentation of the dissertation proposal and of the completed dissertation before the committee. The chair of the dissertation committee will review and approve the final copy. Refer to the Doctoral Student Guidebook (e-mail soe_edlead@stthomas.edu to request copy).

Residency

Residency, which is required of all doctoral students, has two components: participation with a student cohort in 18 semester credits of core courses and registration for four consecutive semesters. This requirement ensures students intense periods of study under faculty direction and collegial support for learning and research.

Continuous Enrollment

Students are required to be in continuous enrollment from the time of admission until the doctoral program is completed. A student must register for EDLD 928, Doctoral Enrollment (noncredit) any semester he or she is not taking another course. A special tuition rate has been assigned for EDLD 928.

Degree Candidacy

Degree candidacy is attained when:

1. A student has successfully completed 15 credits of core course work and 12 credits of research, professional education or collateral courses at St. Thomas (does not include transfer credits)
2. A student’s program of studies has been approved by a faculty adviser
3. A student’s proposal has been approved by a faculty panel