Doctor of Education:
Higher Education Leadership

Admission Policies

Admission Decisions

Applicants to the Ed.D program must meet both the department and the university criteria for admission. Admission to the university is the first step in the process, but it does not guarantee admission to the program.

The university reserves the right to offer provisional admission to students who fail to meet all the specified admission criteria. In such cases, the program Admissions Committee specifies the additional requirements necessary for full admission and the time limit for completing them. Failure to meet these requirements may result in dismissal from the program.

Upon notification of admission, applicants have 60 days to confirm their intent to attend in writing or via email to the department.

Advisement

Upon admission, each student is assigned a faculty advisor. Academic advising is viewed as a collaborative relationship between the student and the faculty advisor; the purpose of the collaboration is to enable the student to achieve maximum benefits from his or her doctoral experience. The advisor's role is to work with the student to develop a plan for timely and successful completion of the doctorate. The student should plan to meet with the advisor at least annually; once the student selects a dissertation chair, that person usually assumes the role of faculty advisor as well.

Policy Regarding False Information

Students are advised that admission is contingent upon the truthfulness of the information contained in the application files. Discovery of false information subsequent to admission is, at the university's discretion, grounds for immediate dismissal at any point in the student's course of study. Such dismissal shall result in forfeiture of all charges paid and academic credits earned.

The full fraudulent records policy may be obtained from the Office of the Graduate Registrar in the Graduate Center.

Transfer Credit

Appropriate transfer work may be accepted toward a master's degree. Students in doctoral programs should refer to those sections in the catalog for information regarding transfer units. A minimum of 30 units of the degree requirements must be taken in residence at APU. In addition, transfer units may not exceed 20 percent of the units required for a master's degree. To be transferable, a course must meet the following requirements:

1. The course was completed at a regionally accredited institution.
2. The grade earned was a B or better. (Neither Pass in a pass/fail, Credit in a credit/no-credit course, nor a B- is acceptable for transfer credit.)
3. The course was completed subsequent to the awarding of the bachelor's degree.
4. The course was taken within eight years of the time in which the student begins work in the degree program. (More recent work may be required in some programs.)
5. The course must be applicable to a graduate degree at the institution where it was taken.
6. The course must not be professional development or extension course work.

Courses for transfer must be approved by the student's department or school, as well as by the Office of the Graduate Registrar in the Graduate Center.

Students should not assume acceptance of transfer work until they receive written notification from the registrar.

Transcripts

From Other Schools

Official transcripts are required for all degrees, certificates, and credentials earned prior to application to APU. Official transcripts for other college course work not leading to a degree, certificate, or credential may be required by the department for program acceptance consideration. An official transcript is must be received directly from the institution(s) and bears an official seal. Transcripts must indicate a B.A., B.M., or B.S. degree for an applicant to be considered for admission to a graduate program. The baccalaureate degree transcript is required even if an applicant has earned a master's degree prior to applying to APU.

International transcripts must be translated into English, certified by an authorized official, and include the posted degree. International transcripts must be evaluated by an approved agency, which creates an official Degree/Transcript Equivalency Report to verify that the international degree is comparable to a degree from a regionally accredited college or university in the United States. An official copy of this Degree/Transcript Equivalency Report is submitted with a student's official transcript for university admission consideration. Contact the Office of Graduate Admissions in the Graduate Center for a list of approved agencies.

Once filed, transcripts are subject to the provisions of applicable federal and state laws and regulations and cannot be returned to the applicant or forwarded to other educational institutions.

From APU

Graduate program applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree at APU, either through the Center for Adult and Professional Studies or traditional undergraduate programs, do not need to submit a request for official transcripts from one of the Offices of the Registrar at APU.

Conditional Admission

Some applicants have high academic ability but have not yet achieved English proficiency. For these applicants, conditional admission is offered. Those given conditional admission must either complete their English requirement prior to beginning their program at APU, or they may study in the American Language and Culture Institute (ALCI) at APU prior to studying in their program. Conditional admission is not available for the Master of Arts in TESOL and Doctor of Physical Therapy programs.

Waivers

Some departments permit waivers of certain courses. Contact the appropriate department for details on specific waiver procedures. Unlike transfer credit, waivers fulfill course requirements only; no units are awarded. Students with waived courses must choose alternate elective courses to satisfy the unit requirements of their degree program.