Program Overview

Educational Leadership Ph.D.

Overview

The Ph.D. in Educational Leadership is a doctoral degree program offered by the University of North Texas (UNT). The program prepares individuals to conduct and evaluate research that expands knowledge in educational leadership.

Program Type and Format

• Doctoral Degree
• Program type: On Campus
• Estimated time to complete: 5 years
• Credit Hours: 60

Program Description

The Ph.D. program prepares you to become a researcher and scholar. The Department of Teacher Education and Administration seeks to improve educational practice through the generation of knowledge and to prepare education professionals who serve all students in an effective, inclusive, and equitable manner.

Marketable Skills

• Lead learning organizations using research
• Produce new educational leadership knowledge
• Develop collaborative/shared learning culture
• Advocate for social justice
• Apply theory and research to practice

Program Highlights

• College of Education 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
• College of Education ranked 9th in Texas and 66th in the South by Best-Education-Schools.com
• Faculty advisors assist you in your efforts to successfully complete and earn your selected doctoral degree
• 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

Ph.D. students often have careers as a university professor, a policy analyst, or a research director in a state or local education agency.

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.

Politics of Educational Administration (3 hrs)

Focuses on politics as it impacts educational administration. Starting with an exploration of the political systems model as a means of analysis, the course examines educational policy development at the local, state, and federal levels.

Seminar in Advanced Educational Finance (3 hrs)

Problems and issues involved in financing the public schools.

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.

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. Connections are made among theory, research, and practice.