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The request to revise Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and create ADMN 8173, 8174, and 8175

Memo Date: 
Friday, November 20, 2015
To: 
College of Education
From: 
Office of Academic Affairs
Approved On: November 4, 2015
Approved by: Graduate Council
Implementation Date: Summer 2016

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs.  Insertions are underlined.

Catalog Copy

2015-2016 Graduate Catalog: Ed.D. in Educational Leadership

The mission of the Department of Educational Leadership is to prepare educators as leaders.  The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership is designed to prepare educational administrators who can assume mid-level and senior-level leadership positions in public school and post-secondary pre-collegiate educational or non-public school settings.  The program includes three two concentrations:specializations, a school specialization with superintendent, and curriculum/supervision foci, and a higher education. specialization with adult and higher education and educational research foci.

Program Objectives

Graduates of the program are prepared to:

  1. Exhibit a broad understanding of their roles as educational leaders in the organizations they serve
  2. Demonstrate leadership competencies and skills necessary to accomplish the goals of complex organizations
  3. Interact successfully with the numerous institutions and interests that influence their organizations
  4. Understand theoretical concepts that undergird organizational theory and behavior, leadership, social psychology, policy, educational administration, and research
  5. Address issues that face educational leaders, including resource acquisition and management; policy development and analysis; program management; community relations; curriculum development; and personnel selection, development, and evaluation

School Specialization

Superintendent Focus and Curriculum/Supervision ConcentrationsFocus

The school programspecialization is designed to serve the needs of those interested in the study of issues regarding the administration of PK-12 public and private educational institutions.  These students pursue careers as superintendents and senior level administrators. In addition to the program requirements regarding leadership experiences (see below), these prospective students must hold a Master of School Administration, Master of Education in Curriculum Supervision, Master of Education in Instructional Technology, or a comparable degree.  These students must already have a valid “M” level certificate in an appropriate field. Appropriate PK-12 North Carolina licensure will be recommended at the completion of the program.  A Superintendent Focus or Curriculum / Supervision Focus may be chosen by working with the advisor and selecting the appropriate courses and experiences.

Note to Students in School Specialization:  The Department of Educational Leadership follows the North Carolina Standards for Superintendents as approved by the State Board of Education, September 6, 2007.  A complete copy of the standards and guidelines is available online.

Higher Education

Community Specialization

Adult and Higher Education Focus and Educational Research Focus

The higher education concentration community specialization is designed for those interested in careers as senior level leaders in post-secondary non-school settings, including higher education, adult education, and research.  To ensure the effectiveness and competence of individuals in such positions, coursework within the program is comprised of foundational work in educational leadership, research, and higher education with further a specialization available area in adult and higher education or educational research.  Prospective students should already have a Master’s degree in an appropriate and related field.  They are neither required to hold North Carolina PK-12 licensure nor will any license or certificate be recommended upon graduation.

Additional Admission Requirements

School Specialization

In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, applicants must have a master’s degree from an accredited institution.  Candidates must have an entry-level license in educational administration or supervision; and they must have a minimum of three years of successful leadership experience, which may include the full-time internships.  Applicants must also submit a personal essay of purpose; a description of their previous relevant employment, highlighting their leadership experiences in school-settings; and recommendations from school administrators and former university instructors.

Admission decisions are based on a comparison on of applicant profiles and are made by a departmental admissions committee that includes program faculty.  Applicants with the highest profile rankings are invited to participate in interviews that are conducted by the Ed.D. Admissions Committee.  It is designed to provide evidence of an applicant's academic strength, leadership potential, and personal characteristics.  Admission decisions are based not only on the comparative profiles of all applicants, but also on the commitment of the Admissions Committee to achieve diversity among the students admitted in each year's cohort group.  Admission decisions are made in the Spring and Fall prior to each semester.

Higher EducationCommunity Specialization

In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, applicants must have a master’s degree from an accredited institution.  Applicants should have a minimum of three years of documented successful work-related experience.  The applicant should provide a statement of purpose, description of previous relevant employment, and the nature of previous educational experiences in the essay. Recommendations from employers and former University instructors are required. 

Admission decisions are competitive.  These decisions are made by a departmental admissions committee that includes program faculty.  Applicants with the highest profile rankings are invited to participate in interviews that are conducted by the Ed.D. Admissions Committee.  The interview is designed to provide evidence of an applicant's academic strength, leadership potential, and personal characteristics.  Decisions are based not only on the comparative profiles of all applicants, but also on the commitment of the Admissions Committee to achieve diversity among the students admitted each year.  Admission decisions are made in the Spring and Fall prior to each semester. 

Degree Requirements

The Ed.D. program consists of a minimum of 60 credit hours beyond the master’s degree:

Superintendent

  • 12 semester hours in RSCH Prefix Courses:
  • RSCH 8110  Descriptive and Inferential Statistics (3)
  • RSCH 8111  Qualitative Research (3)
  • RSCH 8120  Advanced Statistics (3)
  • RSCH 8210  Applied Educational Research (3)
  • 33 semester hours of foundations and/or specialization coursework which includes one of the following areas of focus: Educational Leadership/Superintendency; Curriculum and Supervision; Adult and Higher Education; or Educational Research.  See complete listing of courses for each focus.
  • 6 semester hours of electives*
  • 3 semester hours of dissertation proposal design
  • ADMN 8699  Dissertation Design Seminar (3)
  • 6 semester hours of dissertation credits**

*Elective Courses: An elective course must be at the 8000 level and offered within the University.  Permission of the department offering the course and approval by the student’s advisor and doctoral coordinator is required.

**Students continue to enroll in dissertation study until the completion of the degree.

School and Community Specializations Degree Requirements

School Specialization - Superintendent Focus

Foundations and Specialty (33 hours)

  • ADMN 8101  Perspectives on Adult Learning Theory (3)
  • ADMN 8110  Organization Theory and Behavior (3)
  • ADMN 8120  Advanced School Law (3)
  • ADMN 8121  Doctoral Seminar in Curriculum Design (3)
  • ADMN 8130  Educational Government and Policy (3)
  • ADMN 8140  Advanced School Finance (3)
  • ADMN 8150  Human Resources and Development (3)
  • ADMN 8160  Introduction to Educational Administration (3)
  • ADMN 8410  Advanced Internship in Educational Leadership Part 1 (3)
  • ADMN 8420  Advanced Internship in Educational Leadership Part 2 (3)
  • ADMN 8610  Interdisciplinary Seminar (3)

Research Courses (12 hours)

  • RSCH 8210  Applied Educational Research (3)
  • RSCH 8110  Descriptive and Inferential Statistics (3)
  • RSCH 8111  Qualitative Research (3)
  • RSCH 8120  Advanced Statistics (3)

Proposal Design (3 hours)

  • ADMN 8699  Dissertation Design Seminar (3)

Dissertation (6 hours)

  • ADMN 8999  Dissertation* (6)

Electives (6 hours)**

*Students continue to enroll in dissertation study (a minimum of 6 hours) until the completion of the degree. 

**An elective course must be at the 8000 level and offered within the University. Permission of the department offering the course and approval by the student’s advisor and doctoral coordinator are required.

School Specialization - Curriculum & Supervision Focus

Foundations (33 hours)

  • ADMN 8101  Perspectives on Adult Learning Theory (3)
  • ADMN 8110  Organizational Theory and Behavior (3)
  • ADMN 8120  Advanced School Law (3)
  • ADMN 8121  Doctoral Seminar in Curriculum Design (3)
  • ADMN 8122  Advanced Curriculum Theory and Development (3)
  • ADMN 8125  Doctoral Seminar in Instruction (3)
  • ADMN 8140  Advanced School Finance (3)
  • ADMN 8160  Introduction to Educational Administration (3)
  • ADMN 8489  Practicum in Staff Development (3)
  • ADMN 8610  Interdisciplinary Seminar (3)
  • ADMN 8660  Instructional Leadership Seminar (3)

Research Courses (12 hours)

  • RSCH 8110  Descriptive and Inferential Statistics (3)
  • RSCH 8111  Qualitative Research (3)
  • RSCH 8120  Advanced Statistics (3)
  • RSCH 8210  Applied Educational Research (3)

Proposal Design (3 hours)

  • ADMN 8699  Dissertation Design Seminar (3)

Dissertation (6 hours)

  • ADMN 8999  Dissertation* (6)

Electives (6 hours)**

*Students continue to enroll in dissertation study (a minimum of 6 hours) until the completion of the degree. 

**An elective course must be at the 8000 level and offered within the University.  Permission of the department offering the course and approval by the student’s advisor and doctoral coordinator are required.

Community Specialization – Adult and Higher Education or Educational Research

Core Foundations Coursework (9 15 hours)

  • ADMN 8101  Perspectives on Adult Learning Theory (3)
  • ADMN 8110  Organizational Theory and Behavior (3)
  • ADMN 8160  Introduction to Educational Administration (3)
  • ADMN 8121  Doctoral Seminar in Curriculum Design (3)
  • ADMN 8660  Instructional Leadership Seminar (3)

Specialty Coursework in Adult and Higher Education, or Educational Research (158 hours)

ADMN 8171: The American College Student

ADMN 8172: Higher Education in the United States

ADMN 8173: Legal Issues in Higher Education

ADMN 8174: Higher Education Finance and Budgeting

ADMN 8175: Non-traditional Approaches to Higher Education

Research Courseworks (12 hours)

  • RSCH 8110  Descriptive8110 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics (3)
  • RSCH 8111  Qualitative Research (3)
  • RSCH 8120  Advanced Statistics (3)
  • RSCH 8210  Applied Educational Research (3)

Electives (15 hours)

Students must take 15 hours of elective courses.These courses must be at the 8000 level, approved by the student’s advisor, and geared toward one’s doctoral dissertation and/or professional pathway. Recommended courses will include other higher education,other higher education, adult education, advanced educational research, educational instructional systems technology, and related courses.

Dissertation Proposal Design (3 hours)

  • ADMN 8699  Dissertation ProposalDesign Seminar (3)

Students may take ADMN 8699 only after all coursework is completed or during the final semester of coursework.

Dissertation Coursework (at least 6 credit hours)

  • ADMN 8999  Dissertation Research

Students must take ADMN 8999 only after all other coursework in the program is complete. Students must maintain continuous enrollment in ADMN 8999, to include at least one summer session, until degree completion and must be enrolled during the semester in which they graduate. Failure to maintain continuous enrollment in ADMN 8999 will result in dismissal from the program.*

Electives (6 hours)**

*Students continue to enroll in dissertation study (a minimum of 6 hours) until the completion of the degree. 

**An elective course must be at the 8000 level and offered within the University. Permission of the department offering the course and approval by the student’s advisor and doctoral coordinator are required.

Internships

All students (in the School Specialization) seeking licensure are required to complete an internship or practicum in a K-12 school district. The internship is based upon identified objectives and organizational areas within the school system of the internship assignment. Students are also required to complete a project based upon a current educational leadership topic related to student achievement.  Higher EducationCommunity Specialization students may choose to include a practicum in their course of studies.

Advising

Doctoral students will have the benefit of three phases of advising as they pursue their degree.

Phase l

The doctoral coordinator or an assigned faculty member serves as the "temporary advisor" when students enter the program.  During this phase, the advisor plans a course of study with students during the initial stages of the program. A Program Planning Sheet is used to document tentative plans for projected coursework. The planning sheet should be kept by the student and a copy should be provided to the advisor.

Phase 2

By the end of the first year of the program, students select a "program advisor" to serve as a guide through the completion of the coursework.  This person also serves as the coordinator of the process to complete the Qualifying Examination.  This advisor also helps the student identify faculty whose research interests and expertise are congruent with the student's probable area of inquiry for the dissertation.  This advisor in consultation of the student has the responsibility for creating a "doctoral committee" that is made up of the faculty who prepares and evaluates the written and oral comprehensive qualifying exam. (See Qualifying Examination section of the Handbook.)

The responsibility of the doctoral committee members includes:

  1. the approval of the student's course of study;
  2. approval of the dissertation proposal; and
  3. evaluation of the final dissertation and oral defense.

Phase 3

Upon successful completion of the Qualifying Examinations, students are recommended for admission to candidacy. They may then select a "dissertation advisor" and a dissertation committee and complete a "Change of Advisor Form" if needed.  These committee members are appointed to serve on the committee with mutual consent between the student and each faculty member.  The committee consists of four members of the Graduate Faculty: the Chairperson and two other members from the Department and one member appointed by the Graduate School from outside the Department of Educational Leadership.

The purpose of this process is to provide students with an opportunity to develop a direct working relationship with several faculty members. At the same time, it provides an individualized and personalized approach to the advising process.  For example, some students may choose to keep the same faculty member to serve as both the program advisor and the dissertation advisor.  Likewise, the doctoral committee and the dissertation committee could include some or all of the same faculty.

Qualifying Examination

Students are required to successfully pass a written and oral examination.  The examination is based upon the core areas of the respective specializations.

Dissertation

Students must complete and defend a dissertation focused on a specific problem or question relevant to their specialization. Students must be continually enrolled in ADMN 8999 (Fall, Spring, and Summer) for dissertation research credit, beginning with the semester following completion of the comprehensive examination and continuing through the semester of their graduation.  Defense of their dissertation is conducted in a final oral examination that is open to members of the University community.

Application for Degree and Application for Candidacy

Students may submit an Application for Degree and an Application for Candidacy during the semester in which they successfully defend their dissertation proposal.  Adherence to Graduate School deadlines is expected.  Degree requirements are completed when a student successfully defends the dissertation and files the final copy of the dissertation in the Graduate School.

Program Certification/Accreditations

  • National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
  • North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI)

 

  • Courses for Course Section:

 

  • ADMN 8173. Legal Issues in Higher Education. (3) This course examines the legal context of American higher education and current legal issues of importance to higher education leaders including legal requirements, legal rights, and legal allowances. (Offered on Demand)

 

  • ADMN 8174. Higher Education Finance and Budgeting. (3) An examination of issues at the center of contemporary discussions of higher education finance and the challenges facing the financing of higher education.  Topics include the economic environment of higher education, tuition and affordability, regulations and compliance, budgets, and policy implications. (Offered on Demand)

 

  •  ADMN 8175. Non-Traditional Approaches to Higher Education. (3) This course addresses new approaches to higher education that vary from the traditional higher education model. Examples are online, for-profit, competency-based credit, corporate educational institutions, and satellite campuses in other states and countries. Access, funding, cost, quality, size, performance, and future directions of these non-traditional approaches are examined. (Offered on Demand)