Program Overview

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Organizational Leadership, Doctor of Education

The goal of the professional doctorate (Ed.D.) in organizational leadership is to develop effective leaders in organizational contexts, cutting across many different paradigms to build greater professional coordination between different service organizations and varied global perspectives. Through rigorous scholarship and application of interdisciplinary content knowledge, graduates with an Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership will excel in strategic leadership, human organizational development, social justice knowledge, interdisciplinary collaboration, and development and change in different organizational contexts.

Program Description

This professional doctorate in organizational leadership is designed to connect classroom and professional practice through internships, collaborative projects, and field-based research. Students will work with practitioners in the field using research to identify needs and assess existing programs and applying theory to develop and implement innovative programs. All classes are based on current and critical issues and include opportunities for application in the field.

Admission Terms and Application Deadlines

Before an applicants file can be reviewed for full program admission, all application documents must be received in Graduate Admissions by the semester deadlines listed below.

• International applicants: deadline May 1st
• Students are admitted in the fall semester only. Applications will be accepted until July 15 for the following fall semester.

Application Requirements

To be considered for graduate admission, applicants must submit all Graduate Application Requirements and additional department requirements by the published application deadlines:

1. Graduate Application Requirements
2. Additional department application requirements:

• A masters degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4-point scale (or equivalent)
• A minimum of two years of professional experience
• A current professional resume/vita
• 2 letters of recommendation speaking to applicants leadership capacity
• A written narrative of goals for obtaining the Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership

Admission Review and Assessment

Admission to graduate school at Oakland University is selective. In making admission recommendations to Oakland University Graduate School, each department assesses the potential of applicants for success in the program by examining their undergraduate records, goal statement, letters of recommendation, prerequisite courses, and any other admission requirements established by the academic department. Finalists will be selected based upon a review of the criteria below, as well as the personal statement:

• Graduate grade point average (minimum of 3.0)
• Undergraduate grade point average
• Quality of writing in goal statement
• Appropriateness of goals to the degree
• Evaluation scores of letters of recommendation

Degree Requirements

The Professional Doctorate in Organizational Leadership degree is awarded upon satisfactory completion of a minimum of 60 credits beyond the masters degree in an approved program of study: 16 credits in the doctoral common core, 12 credits in field experience, 20 credits in the cognate, and 12 credits in research training for the capstone project.

Course Requirements (60 credits)

a. Doctoral Common Core (16 credits)

• Choose four courses from the following:
  • ED 8410 - Philosophical and Ethical Issues of Organizational Leadership (4 credits)
  • ED 8420 - Advanced Politics and Policy in Organizational Leadership (4 credits)
  • ED 8430 - Promoting Diversity and Social Justice in Organizations (4 credits)
  • ED 8440 - Organizational and Adult Learning Theories and Building Professional Capital (4 credits)
  • ED 8450 - Motivation, Change and Innovation for Organizational Leadership (4 credits)
  • ED 8460 - Principles of Organizational Leadership (4 credits)

b. Field Experience (12 credits)

• Required courses:
  • ED 8953 - Organizational Leadership Internship I (4 credits)
  • ED 8954 - Organizational Leadership Internship II (4 credits)
  • ED 8955 - Organizational Leadership Internship III (4 credits)

c. Capstone Research (12 credits)

• Required courses:
  • ED 8610 - Program Evaluation in Organizational Leadership (4 credits)
  • ED 8620 - Gathering, Reading, Assessing and Communicating Evidence for Program Evaluation (4 credits)
  • ED 8630 - Capstone Project Completion (4 credits)

d. Cognate (20 credits)

Students who have been awarded a post-masters Graduate Certificate from Oakland University or another accredited university may reduce the cognate credit requirement up to 16 credits for the Ed.D. degree. Graduate credits that are not part of an awarded post-masters degree or graduate certificate will be reviewed individually according to Oakland Universitys transfer credit policy. Cognate plans are available in the areas of K-12 School Leadership, Leadership in Higher Education, Non-Profit Administration, Health Care Administration, Human Diversity and Social Justice, Lean Leadership, Central Office Administration, and Human Resources Development.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a students successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress for all financial aid recipients each semester. Students who fall behind in their coursework, or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal, state, and university aid.

Good Academic Standing

All graduate students are expected to remain in good academic standing throughout the entire course of their graduate program. To be in good academic standing, a graduate student must make satisfactory progress toward fulfilling degree requirements, including the completion of critical degree milestones as set forth by the academic program. The student must also maintain a minimum semester and overall GPA of 3.0. Good academic standing is a requirement for:

• Holding a Graduate Assistantship
• Receiving a fellowship or scholarship
• Advancing to candidacy for a graduate degree
• Going on a leave of absence
• Obtaining a graduate certificate or degree from Oakland University.

Related Program Information

Academic Advising

Student advising will be the responsibility of the Program Coordinator in the Department of Organizational Leadership. Students who select a cognate outside of the department will also be advised by a faculty member from the appropriate department. The role of the advisor will be to assist the student in selecting the appropriate courses and provide guidance for the appropriate cognate area of study with support from individual departments.

Capstone Project

The completion of quality capstone research is a requirement for the professional Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership degree from Oakland University. In addition to the research courses embedded in the curriculum, students register for Capstone Project (ED 8630). Students will undertake original capstone research that will be conducted usually starting at the end of their first year and continue throughout the time in the program, culminating with an original formal written and oral presentation to the client and to a juried review committee.

Continuous Enrollment

The continuous enrollment policy for doctoral students requires continuous registration of graduate students for at least 1 credit each semester in the academic year to maintain an active graduate student status. This includes semesters in which the comprehensive qualifying examination and the preliminary dissertation proposal oral defense are completed, and for each subsequent term (fall and winter) until all the degree requirements are met and the dissertation is submitted to Oakland University Graduate School.

Time Limits

The maximum time limit for completing an Ed.D. degree is no more than ten years from the term of the first course enrollment in the doctoral program.