Program Overview

Educational Leadership Ed.D.

Program Overview

The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Innovation prepares scholar practitioners as change agents, to lead the transformation of complex systems and organizations through scholarly inquiry and the resolution of problems of practice and policy in educational settings.

Program Details

• Program Type: Doctoral Degree
• Major: Educational Leadership
• Format: On Campus
• Estimated Time to Complete: 3-5 years
• Credit Hours: 54

Program Requirements

• Graduate Profile: Graduates of the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Innovation are scholarly practitioners committed to the improvement of learning organizations at the local, regional, state, national, and international level, resulting in sustained educational achievement for all learners.
• Marketable Skills:
  • Lead district-level organizations
  • Ethically engage district-level communities
  • Advocate for social justice
  • Apply theory/research to practice
  • Develop collaborative/shared learning culture

Program Highlights

• College of Education Ranking: Ranked 1st in the North Texas region among public graduate schools, 3rd among public graduate schools in Texas, 68th among public graduate schools and 89th overall in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
• Faculty Advisors: Faculty advisors will assist students in their efforts to successfully complete and earn their selected doctoral degree. EDLE faculty possess training and experience as principals, central office administrators, assistant superintendents and superintendents.
• Scholarships: The Donald A. Buchholz Scholarship is intended for doctoral students enrolled in educational leadership. The Mike Moses Endowed Fellowship supports advanced Ed.D. and Ph.D. students with a one year campus research fellowship.

Career Opportunities

• Career Paths: The Doctor of Education degree is designed for students who plan careers as school or district-level leaders. This degree emphasizes the application of educational research related to problems of practice in the field of educational leadership. Courses for superintendent certification are embedded in the program.

Sample Courses

• Professional Learning Communities Research and Practice (3 hrs): Use of current research and practice to investigate the characteristics of professional learning community (PLC) theory and application in EC–12 school settings.
• Administration and Supervision of the Instructional Program (3 hrs): Major issues, problems and trends in the EC–12 curriculum, from an administrative and supervisory point of view.
• Statistics for Educational Research (3 hrs): Application of statistical techniques to research in education; the development of skills in interpreting statistical concepts.
• Seminar in Advanced Education Law (3 hrs): Builds on the content of the prerequisite course by focusing on legal and policy issues of particular concern to top-level educational policymakers and administrators.
• Writing and Research Design for Educational Leadership (3 hrs): Development of a proposal for research in the field of educational leadership.
• Theories of Organizational Development and Reform (3 hrs): Study of major theories of organizational development and change that provide foundations for educational administration and leadership.