The EdD in Educational Leadership program prepares mid-career leaders for advanced leadership positions in educational institutions. It is designed to be completed in three years, and is for students who also work full-time. This program prepares education leaders with scholarly dispositions and skills to enable them to effectively lead, lift, inspire, and educate their colleagues and followers. The program aims to instill in its candidates the desire to make education institutions places of learning that equip students from all backgrounds to be contributing members of the human family.

• Credit hours: 88 credit hours (with up to 36 hours of credit for completion of an appropriate master's or comparable degree), including 39 hours of coursework, 12 dissertation hours and no required electives. 
• Required EDLF courses: 
  
  • 645 (Quantitative Inquiry 1)
  • 646 (Qualitative Inquiry 1)
  • 655 (Social History of American Education)
  • 700 (Strategic and Organizational Leadership)
  • 701 (Collaborative Leadership for Change)
  • 714 (Multicultural Education)
  • 721 (Economics of Education)
  • 722 (Constitutional Law and Education)
  • 750 (Education Policy and Politics)
  • 768 (Philosophy and History of Western Education)
  • 776 (Quantitative Inquiry 2)
  • 777 (Qualitative Inquiry 2)
  • 791R (Doctoral Seminar)
  • 799R (Dissertation)
• Memorandum of Understanding.  Students are required to attend all class sessions.  Given that the program is designed for students who are also employed full time, students will provide a memorandum of understanding from their employer agreeing to their attendance at the scheduled course sessions, some of which will occur during the normal work week.
• Program of Study: To be submitted by the end of the first semester. 
• Performance Evaluation. Three times during the academic year, students will be evaluated by the faculty based on their performance and progress in the program.
• Comprehensive Examination. The completion of the written comprehensive examination lays the foundation for the dissertation prospectus.
• Dissertation. In the first summer term, students will be placed with a dissertation chair to help develop and focus their dissertation research.  The dissertation will include the preparation of an article that is ready for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.
• Requirements for Minimum Registration.  Following admission to the EdD program, the university requires that students complete at least 6 semester hours of approved program credit during each academic year (September 1 to August 31).

For a more detailed description of the EdD program requirements, see the EDLF Department's website and online program handbook.