The
Ed.D. degree helps current and future leaders develop the knowledge, skills,
and dispositions to solve problems of practice and improve instructional
quality. Graduates will learn to be change agents who improve the lives of students
and their families and communities. The program is specifically designed for
working professionals, providing a sequence of coursework and hands-on
leadership experiences along with individualized mentoring.
Students
will learn how to be change agents in educational settings by:
- recognizing and valuing multiple
perspectives;
-
using theory and research to frame,
diagnose, and respond to problems of practice;
- developing a professional knowledge base that integrates
practical and research knowledge;
-
conducting research to guide
improvement and inform policy, programs, and practice;
- identifying instances and patterns
of discrimination and inequality and advocating for social justice; and
- communicating
and collaborating to build partnerships
within
and across communities.
The Ed.D. is designed with full-time working professionals in mind. The program may be completed in three years plus one summer and features early evening courses. Alternatively, a five-year timeline is possible. Students begin with a cohort of colleagues and are encouraged wherever possible
to work with their cohort throughout the program. By the end of the second
year, most students will have completed coursework, identified a dissertation
topic, and filed a preliminary plan for completing the dissertation--i.e., topic
and dissertation committee--with the Office of Student and Academic Services. As close as possible to the
beginning of the fall semester of the third year, the student will have
completed the dissertation proposal and held a proposal defense. The student will conduct and report on the study during the final year of the program.
Degree Requirements 
