Educational Leadership, Ed.D - General

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For further information: EducationalLeadershipGrad@southernct.edu

Application Deadline

March 1

Doctorate In Educational Leadership — Ed.D.

The doctoral program in Educational Leadership is a part-time program designed to prepare leaders to meet the challenges of the 21st century. We seek to develop a cadre of reflective educational professionals whose mastery of application and oriented research informs the school systems and policy arenas of Connecticut and the nation. 

Admission Requirements

Ed.D. Program application deadline is March 1 for Fall Admission. Apply using the Office of Graduate Admissions' online application process:
 
     Overview of the Graduate Application Process
     The Graduate School Application 

IMPORTANT:  Students may upload most documents to the admissions website.  Official transcripts and recommendations must be sent via regular mail to the processing center in New Hampshire (click the link above for the address).

Admissions to the doctoral program is selective and requires the following materials: 

1. A completed SCSU Office of Graduate Admissions application with $50 application fee

2. Official BA, MA or other official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended by the applicant demonstrating a completed Masters Degree with a GPA of 3.2 or better on a 4.0 scale. Official transcripts should be mailed directly from the registrar of the institution to the location indicated by the Office of Graduate Admissions’ admissions process.  International transcripts require an external transcript evaluation

3. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (http://www.ets.org/gre/)

4. A current resume

5. A "statement of interest" of up to 1500 words describing professional aspirations, current and desired knowledge/skill sets, and how the Ed.D will contribute to these

6. A writing sample (an article, class paper, report or other document that demonstrates your research and/or academic writing ability)

7. Three (3) letters of recommendation

8. Effective written and verbal communications skills and seriousness of purpose as evidence in an in-person interview and on-site writing exercise (if invited to interview)

Students pursuing Intermediate Administrator certification in conjunction with the Ed.D. Program must meet criteria listed for those certifications.  In addition, SCSU students “rolling” their 092 or 6th year classes into the doctorate must apply for admission as outlined here. SCSU will upload its transcripts for these students. 

Ed.D. Program Elements

The Ed.D. Doctorate consists of 63 course credits (39 core and 24 elective), a Comprehensive Examination, a Dissertation Proposal Defense, and a Dissertation Defense.

Program Sequence-63 credits

As sequencing changes, it is highly recommended that students meet with their program advisor to finalize a list of requirements for graduation.  
Students must maintain an Overall GPA and a Program GPA of a 3.2 or higher.

Core Course Sequence
Students must complete all degree requirements within seven years and maintain a 3.2 GPA.

Foundation Courses (27 Credits total)
EDL 801 – Leadership in Organizations – 3 credits
EDL 803 – Leading Organizational Change – 3 credits
EDL 808 – Leadership for Social Equity – 3 credits
EDL 811 – Educational Policy: Context and Inquiry – 3 credits
EDL 802 – Applications of Leadership & Organizational Development – 3 credits
EDL 804 – Quantitative Methods in Educational Leadership – 3 credits
EDL 805 – Qualitative Methods in Educational Leadership – 3 credits
EDL 825 – Advanced Research Methods – 3 credits
EDL 822 – Research Design & Evaluation I – 3 credits

Area of Specialty (24 Credits)
8 courses at the graduate level with the consent of the student’s faculty advisor. These courses may be from any subject.

Capstone (12 credits)

Proposal Preparation and Defense
EDL 830 – Doctoral Inquiry Seminar I – 3 credits
EDL 831 – Doctoral Inquiry Seminar II – 3 credits (Pass/Fail)
If needed: EDL 901 (1 credit) Continuing Enrollment - not considered part of the 63 credits requirement for the degree.

Doctoral Dissertation
EDL 900 - Dissertation Advisement 1 - 3 credits (Pass/Fail)
EDL 900 - Dissertation Advisement 2 - 3 credits (Pass/Fail)
If needed: EDL 901 (1 credit) Continuing Enrollment - not considered part of the 63 credits requirement for the degree.

Dissertation Proposal, Doctoral Candidacy, the Dissertation, and the Ed.D. Degree

Writing and defending a dissertation proposal is a required component of the doctoral program.  Once a student passes the comprehensive examination and defends the proposal, s/he is granted Doctoral Candidacy and may begin dissertation research.  The dissertation is the culminating component of the doctoral program. Successful defense of the dissertation before a dissertation committee advances a student to graduation eligibility and, if everything is in order, conferring of the Ed.D. Doctoral degree.