Doctor of Education: Educational Leadership

Admission Requirements

Application Requirements

The following materials are required of each applicant to the Ed.D. Program. Each application is evaluated as a whole.

1. Completed Application for Graduate Admission
2. A $45 nonrefundable application fee (not required of students previously admitted to a graduate program at Azusa Pacific)
3. Official transcripts from all institutions leading to, and awarding, the applicant's baccalaureate degree and all post-baccalaureate study (This is not required of students for whom Azusa Pacific already has such records. To be considered official, a transcript must come directly from the Office of the Registrar of the school attended to the Graduate Center: Admissions at Azusa Pacific University. Applicant-sealed copies will not be considered official.)
4. A master's degree in education or a closely related field from a regionally accredited institution
5. Minimum graduate GPA of 3.5 on a 4-point scale
6. Applicants who have a master’s degree in a field other than education must submit evidence of satisfactory completion of graduate coursework in the corequisite areas listed for each emphasis. Corequisites not completed prior to admission must be completed by examination or coursework during the first year of doctoral study.
7. Three letters of recommendations on APU forms, two completed by the applicant's supervisor and all from persons who can attest to the applicant's potential for doctoral study and leadership
8. Evidence of five years of relevant professional experience (Ed.D. applicants who lack appropriate experience but meet the other admissions criteria may be admitted provisionally and, subsequently, complete experiences to broaden their base of practical experience.)
   For the school psychology emphasis, in place of the five years of professional experience, a minimum of two years of full-time experience as a school psychologist or the equivalent is required.
9. A current professional résumé
10. A Statement of Intent should be a double-spaced paper, five to seven pages in length, that details the applicant's 1) educational goals, 2) short- and long-term professional goals, 3) professional activities, 4) research interests to be pursued in the program, and 5) reasons for choosing the APU doctoral program.
11. A writing sample that demonstrates the applicant’s ability to write cogently and use research and professional literature effectively in developing ideas and arguments (e.g., a master’s thesis, a scholarly article published in a journal, a comprehensive course paper, or a major district report)
12. Results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) taken within the last five years should be sent directly from the testing agency to the Graduate Center. While an applicant’s entire application is considered as a whole, scores of 500 or higher on both the verbal and quantitative reasoning plus an analytical writing score of 4.5 have been predictive of success in the program.
13. For the school psychology emphasis, in addition to the GRE requirement, results of the School Psychology Praxis Exam taken within the last five years is required.
14. A valid California Certificate of Clearance (A copy of a valid California credential may be used in lieu of a certificate.)
15. Other evidence of potential for leadership as the applicant desires
16. For international applicants who have graduated from a college or university where English was not the principal language, a minimum TOEFL score of 600/250 is required. Results of the Test of Written English are required; results of the Test of Spoken English are recommended. If the latter results are not submitted prior to admission, students may be required to follow procedures described under Admission Policies in this catalog. International applicants have a separate application procedure. Please contact the International Center at (626) 812-3055 or email ies@apu.edu.

All materials should be submitted to:

Graduate Center: Admissions
Azusa Pacific University
PO Box 7000
Azusa, CA 91702-7000

Located at:

Azusa Pacific University
568 E. Foothill Blvd.
Azusa, CA 91702
(626) 815-4570
Fax: (626) 815-4545 • (626) 815-4571
graduatecenter@apu.edu

*The downloadable version of this document is provided in Portable Document Format (PDF). To learn more about PDFs or to install Adobe Acrobat Reader, follow this link.

International Graduate Admissions

Azusa Pacific University is authorized under federal law by the U.S. CIS and the U.S. Department of State to enroll nonimmigrant, alien undergraduate and graduate students. APU issues and administers both the I-20 and DS 2019 (F-1 and J-1 status documents respectively). To apply to be a graduate student at APU, please submit the following in addition to program specific requirements:

1. Application for International Graduate Admission
2. $65 nonrefundable application fee
3. Affidavit of Financial Support (included in application form) and bank statement* proving ability to pay for educational costs through personal, family, or sponsor resources
4. Certified English proficiency (See TOEFL Requirements.)
5. Letters of recommendation
6. Letter of intent (statement of educational and professional goals)
7. Résumé
8. Official transcripts sent directly from the previous school(s) attended to APU (Transcripts must be translated officially into English and include the degrees earned by the student. Both English and original language transcripts must be submitted.)
9. One photo

*One year’s tuition may be required in advance prior to issuing the United States immigration document.

To be considered for graduate admission, the applicant must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited, officially recognized university with a minimum grade-point average (GPA) equivalent of 3.0. Applicants with a GPA of 2.75-2.9 may be considered for provisional admission.

In addition, all international applicants are expected to read and comply with the policies listed in the Graduate Catalog.

International applicants must submit all application materials and direct all questions to:

International Center
Azusa Pacific University
PO Box 7000
Azusa, CA 91702-7000 USA
(626) 812-3055
Fax: (626) 815-3801
Email: ies@apu.edu
www.apu.edu/international

Application Deadlines

Completed applications with all supporting documentation must be received by June 1 for September admission and November 1 for January admission.

Interview

Upon invitation, doctoral applicants interview with at least one member of the doctoral faculty. The purpose of the interview is to meet the applicant, discuss educational and career goals, evaluate the match of the program to the applicant, and determine the applicant’s potential for success in the program.

Computer Requirement

Students must own or have ready access to a computer during their tenure in the program. The SPSS statistical software package is required of students in their research courses throughout the program. The University Bookstore makes arrangements to enable students to purchase
computers and software at economical rates on convenient terms. Often, the required purchase of the laptop and software can be budgeted into student loans. For further information, please contact the Office of Graduate Student Financial Services in the Graduate Center at (626) 815-4570.

Residence Requirement and Study Load

Doctoral students are expected to complete a minimum of nine units per year.

Students must meet a residence requirement by completing a minimum of 36 units in the program.

Full-time students who want to enroll in more than 12 units per term should meet with their advisor, program director, or department chair.

English Proficiency Requirements

All students graduating from non-English speaking institutions and applying for university graduate admission, with the exception of APU-approved bilingual programs, must submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score sent by ETS. The university minimum required score for graduate study is 550 (213 for the computer-based test). The minimum required score may be higher for a specific graduate program. Please see the applicable program information for its minimum TOEFL score requirements.

An Internet-based TOEFL (IBT) score can also be used as a verification of English proficiency. Please contact ISS for specific scoring requirements.

An International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score can be used as a verification of English proficiency. For regular admission, a minimum score of seven (7) is required.

Applicants studying full time and earning 48 units (not including ESL units) in an English-speaking university immediately prior to applying to APU may be eligible to waive the TOEFL requirements. Verification of English as the language of instruction will be required.

In addition, students must enroll in TESL 500 English for International Students during their first term at APU regardless of TOEFL score. During the first class session, an opportunity will be given to demonstrate proficiency in English. If this is met, the student can waive the class.

A student's ability to speak English well and use clear pronunciation is an important part of a graduate education. It is assumed that a student's spoken English will be at a high enough level to communicate and participate competently in classes. If, while in classes, it is determined that the student's ability to communicate and participate in English is below the necessary standard, a teacher may refer him/her to the department chair who can require him/her to enroll in a noncredit program, at the student's expense. This program will be specifically designed to enable the student to raise his/her English communication ability.

American Language and Culture Institute

Applicants who are not able to take the TOEFL test may apply to APU's American Language and Culture Institute (ALCI). Upon arrival at the ALCI, English testing will be provided to determine the level of English proficiency. Students who pass all the English testing can proceed directly into the university at the next available starting date without studying in the ALCI (provided they have already been accepted to the graduate program at the university). When a student has been placed in or advanced to level six (6) of ALCI, they may take one graduate class concurrent with their intensive English studies.