Program Overview
The purpose of the Doctor of Education (Ph.D) in P-12 Educational Leadership is to prepare professional educators to become change agents in the field of education and in schools. The program is fully online with coursework which will lead students through visionary planning, strategic utilization of resources, effective management and leadership, and practical application of research.
The doctorate is 43 hours above a specialist’s degree.
Program Goals and Objectives
- Effective leaders develop and articulate reasonable personal and school goals.
- Effective leaders are instructional leaders and are knowledgeable about analyzing data, identifying, securing, and organizing appropriate resources for school reform (human, technological, etc.)
- Effective leaders create nurturing and caring educational environments.
- Effective leaders are knowledgeable about safe practices regarding ethical, legal, social, and political issues.
- Effective leaders skillfully communicate with internal and external publics.
- Effective leaders emphasize the importance of literacy.
- Effective leaders skillfully practice leadership theories in real world settings.
Program Progression
To progress through the doctorate degree program, the student must:
1. Maintain a G.P.A. of 3.0 for 30 program hours as outlined in the curriculum.
2. Complete all required work within six years after enrolling in the program.
3. File with the coordinator of the Ph.D. program a signed program of study prior to completing 9 hours.
4. Only two grades lower than a B are allowed. Upon receiving a second grade lower than a B, a student is advised to repeat one of the first two grades lower than a B before continuing in the program. A student making a third grade lower than a B will be dismissed from the program.
5. Pass a comprehensive examination, successfully present a study proposal, and obtain approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
6. Progress to the research process (beginning with EDL 8110), where one will obtain a Pass (P) or a Fail (F) for the research courses (EDL 8110-EDL 8140, EDL 8160 and EDL 8400, if needed).
7. A grade of “I” (incomplete) will be assigned only when unavoidable circumstances prevent completion of the work of the course on schedule and must be approved by the instructor and the academic dean. In order to be eligible for a grade of “I,” a student must be doing passing work, must have completed 80% of the required work for the class, and must provide appropriate documentation for requesting the incomplete. Requests are made using the Incomplete Grade Request Form obtained from the registrar’s office. When the work is completed satisfactorily, the “I” may be changed to any grade assigned by the instructor. If a grade of “I” is not changed to a passing grade by the end of the next trimester, it will automatically be changed to an “F.”
8. Have 80% of the coursework completed in order to receive an “I” and enroll in EDL 8160 to complete the coursework (EDL 8160 will cost the same as a regular course). EDL 8160 may be taken repeatedly until successful defense of the dissertation and within the university allowed six years to complete the course of study.
9. Successfully complete all capstone requirements as per the guidelines, capstone coordinator, and committee. This includes successfully presenting and defending the research proposal and defense before the capstone team, having a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
10. Maintain continuous enrollment until the dissertation has been successfully defended.
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