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PHD in Educational Leadership Conscentration

Chapter 6 Graduate Program Requirements/Course Description
College of Education and Human Development

Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership

The primary objective of the doctoral degree program is to provide advanced academic training in educational leadership, particularly in the area of administrative and instructional leadership. Graduates should gain an advanced understanding of theories of education and learning; extensive theoretical background and experiences in emerging paradigms of organizational leadership; high-level research skills for developing, analyzing, and evaluating educational programs; and in-depth training for the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity of contemporary education. Students may pursue an emphasis in administrative leadership or instructional leadership. Administrative leadership focuses on managerial skills for improving educational effectiveness. Instructional leadership focuses on innovative programs to help solve critical literacy, technological, and sociocultural educational issues

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Program Admission Requirements. Applications are screened by the doctoral program faculty or a representative selection committee thereof. Applicants must meet or, as applicable, submit the following criteria to be considered for admission:

  • a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
  • a Master’s degree in education or other appropriate field
  • a grade point average of 3.5 or better out of a possible 4.0 in a Master’s degree program submission of an official score on any of the following three graduate
  • admissions examinations: (a) Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (verbal and quantitative sections required, analytical section recommended), (b) Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), or (c) Miller Analogies Test (MAT);
  • for applicants whose native language is not English, a score of at least 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL);
  • demonstrated experience in a work environment where education is the primary professional emphasis (teaching, administration, curriculum development in elementary, secondary, postsecondary, governmental, or private industry settings)
  • three letters of recommendation from professionals who can discuss the applicant’s potential administrative or instructional leadership capabilities; and
  • a statement of purpose outlining, at a minimum, (1) the applicant’s reasons for pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership, (2) a biographical sketch of the applicant’s experiences relevant to the field of education, (3) career plans, (4) scholarly interests, and (5) views on and roles in current and future educational reform efforts .
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Applicants who meet initial screening requirements will be interviewed using a standardized format to determine their qualifications as prospective leaders in administration or instruction. Interviews are conducted by the Doctoral Program Committee. Those who pass the second-level screening requirements will be admitted to begin the coursework portion of their program. The number of students admitted to this program may be limited.

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Degree Requirements. Degree candidates must complete 36 semester credit hours of core courses:

A. Culture (9 hours). The social, cultural, and linguistic dynamics of current and future school populations; historical and cultural contexts of schooling in Texas and the Southwest; issues related to language and linguistic policies and education; and issues related to leadership within culturally diverse communities
B. Methodology (12 hours). Research design; qualitative and quantitative research methods; uses of technology for data collection and analysis; and the role of research in school change
C. Leadership (15 hours). Procedures and techniques of inquiry-based organizational development and leadership; effective leadership of culturally diverse school personnel; issues related to leadership of majority-minority schools; the ethics of leadership; and a doctoral internship

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After completing the core requirements, students take an additional 15 semester credit hours of courses toward fulfilling the administrative leadership or instructional leadership emphasis and cognate requirements:

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A. Area of emphasis (9 hours). Development of knowledge and skills in administrative leadership or instructional leadership

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B. Cognate support (6 hours). Students select a cognate area of support to enhance their emphases and the research for their dissertations. Courses are selected from graduate offerings throughout the University, and students must meet prerequisites for enrollment

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Dissertation Requirement. Upon completion of the required 51 semester credit hours, students must pass a written and oral qualifying examination. They must also take 9 semester credit hours of Dissertation. The dissertation must meet these objectives:

  1. The dissertation format creates strong ties between the University and the selected educational setting
  2. The dissertation’s research team consists of a doctoral student and faculty member who work in collaboration with an educational institution to focus on a single issue
  3. Dissertation topics are linked to the goal of improving program effectiveness
  4. The dissertation demonstrates the scholarly capabilities of the student working with his or her committee
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In addition, each student must:

  1. Pass an oral defense of his or her doctoral proposal, conducted by the Dissertation Committee, that addresses the dissertation’s potential for scholarly research as specified by University-wide requirements
  2. Maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) each semester for the entire doctoral program, as specified by University-wide requirements
  3. Complete an on-campus residency as a full-time student for two consecutive long semesters, or two full summer terms and one long semester (consecutively), or three full summers. No transfer students will be admitted to the program. However, up to 6 hours of transfer credit toward the degree may be accepted, provided that the graduate courses were taken at an accredited institution within the past three years and were not part of a program that culminated in the award of a degree.

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