Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

The Department of Educational Leadership in the Watson College of Education is a diverse and dynamic group of educators and scholars committed to improving leadership at all levels of education. Through our teaching, scholarship, and service, we facilitate understanding, research, and implementation of practices that promote social justice, global perspectives, creativity and innovation, and capacity building—practices we believe are essential to educational leadership. We enact our commitment by: 1) providing well-designed programs in educational administration, curriculum and instruction, higher education, and leadership studies; 2) making scholarly contributions to education practice, policy, and theory; and 3) engaging in service that benefits our local, national, and international communities of practitioners and scholars.

Students will be admitted to the Ed.D. Program in Educational Leadership by a recommendation of the Ed.D. Admissions Committee based upon eligibility requirements and available resources. Admissions decisions are based on several factors. Under most circumstances, students admitted to the program will have met the following requirements:

A Master’s degree in school administration, supervision, curriculum, instruction, higher education, or related field from a regionally accredited university (official transcripts from undergraduate and graduate school are required)
An overall graduate grade point average of at least 3.0 out of 4.0 in undergraduate and graduate coursework
A score of at least 79 on the internet-based (TOEFL) version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a score of 6.5 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for applicants whose native language is not English or that did not earn their baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited US institution. TOEFL scores are good for two years from the date the test is administered.
A minimum of three years of documented leadership experience
Completion (within the last five years) of a graduate-level introductory research class (such as EDL 523) or successful completion of a research competency module provided by the EL department. This must be completed prior to the first semester of study.

Fall 2024:

Space Available Deadline: May 15, 2024