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Educational Leadership, Ed.D.

• About the Program
• Coursework
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• Admission
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*All stated financial information is subject to change. The At a Glance provides Base Cost (cost per unit x program units) to aid in program comparison only. For a detailed cost estimate or more information, contact APU's Graduate Student Financial Services.

Coursework

• Prerequisites
• Course Requirements
• Emphases
• Course Sequence
• Additional Requirements
• Advancement to Candidacy

Prerequisites

Students who do not have a master’s degree in an education-related field are expected to complete master’s-level coursework or pass a competency exam in the following areas prior to enrolling in specific courses in the doctoral program. All students are required to pass the statistics review examination prior to enrolling in EDUC 740 Intermediate Statistics.

• Educational Psychology is a prerequisite for EDUC 730 Theories of Learning.
• Curriculum Foundations is a prerequisite for EDUC 733 Seminar in Research on Curriculum Research.
• Educational Research and Statistics is a prerequisite for EDUC 740 Intermediate Statistics.
• History and Philosophy of Education is a prerequisite to enrolling in the second year of doctoral study.

Competency in these courses can be demonstrated through a master’s-level course or a competency examination. A review packet is available to students who wish to take a competency exam to demonstrate mastery in any of these requirements.

Course Requirements

Courses are offered in a specified sequence of two courses per term, three terms per year. Students take all of the required courses, choosing between EDUC 734 and EDUC 737, for a total of 33 units. Each student selects an emphasis of 15 units of coursework: Leadership, Teaching and Learning, or School Psychology. Students must determine their choice of emphasis by the second term in order to register for the appropriate courses.

Emphases

As specified in the required courses above, students must select an emphasis from one of the following:

Course Sequence

The program is designed in a cohort model making it possible for students to complete 6 units (usually two courses) per term with their cohort in a specified sequence. The following sequence is subject to change.

Additional Requirements

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 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 Guided Inquiry Mentor, that person usually assumes the role of faculty advisor.

Residence Requirement and Study Load

Doctoral students are expected to complete a minimum of 9 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.

TaskStream

Students are required to submit assignments to TaskStream, an online assessment management system during doctoral courses taken. Students have the option of paying an annual fee or multi-year fee to submit coursework through TaskStream.

Grading and Grade-point Average

Throughout higher education, and particularly at the doctoral level, commitment to learning should outweigh the pursuit of grades. Nonetheless, grading and the grade-point average continue to play a crucial role in students’ studies. For doctoral students, the grade of B- is considered minimally acceptable. Courses graded lower than B- and below are not applied toward doctoral degree requirements and must be repeated.

A doctoral student whose cumulative grade-point average falls below 3.0 may be disqualified from further doctoral studies, or placed on academic probation and given one enrollment period to raise the cumulative grade-point average to the satisfactory level. Students on probation for more than a total of two terms throughout their doctoral study may be dismissed from the Ed.D. Program.

A doctoral student whose grade-point average falls between 3.0 and 3.2 is required to meet with his/her advisor to identify academic skills that may need strengthening and to take appropriate action.

Early Review

To evaluate success in meeting program goals, the program design includes an Early Review to be completed when students have finished 12 units in the program at the 700 level. The first-year review calls for a self-assessment, a portfolio of coursework, and a written qualifying exam. The student’s academic performance is also reviewed. Students must have passed EDUC 740 Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis before participating in the Early Review. Continuation in the program is contingent upon successfully passing the Early Review.

Guided Inquiry Project

Upon passing the Early Review, students begin the Guided Inquiry Project, enroll in EDUC 748, and select a faculty mentor to oversee the project. The Guided Inquiry Project provides the doctoral student the opportunity to demonstrate the ability to prepare a review of literature that focuses on an approved topic and identifies, analyzes, and synthesizes relevant research. As an exploratory review of literature, the Guided Inquiry Project may help establish the foundation for the student’s chapter two of the dissertation. Students enroll in EDUC 749 to complete the Guided Inquiry Project. They may enroll for a maximum of two semesters in order to complete the Guided Inquiry Project. Students must complete the Guided Inquiry Project before enrolling in EDUC 790.

Issues in Education Conference / Ethics Symposium

Christian perspectives and moral and ethical issues in educational leadership form an essential strand in the doctoral program and are embedded within many courses and activities. The course specifically dedicated to this topic, EDUC 705, is required of all students. Students present at one and attend a total of two student symposia where papers developed in EDUC 705 are shared.

In addition, students must attend two annual program conferences.

Advancement to Candidacy

Following successful completion of all coursework and the Guided Inquiry Project, approval of the dissertation proposal, and recommendation by appropriate advisors, students are advanced to doctoral candidacy status.

Dissertation

The final step in the doctoral program is to design, conduct, and write a report of a research study completed by the student. Standards and procedures for the dissertation are defined by the doctoral faculty who provide students with the APU Standards and Dissertation Handbook.

The student defends the dissertation in a meeting with the faculty committee. Subsequently, the student participates in a public presentation of the research.

Students who have completed all program requirements, successfully defended their dissertation, and fulfilled all obligations to the university will have their doctoral degree posted and then will be entitled to use the term ‘doctor.’

Faculty-Student Authorship Arrangements

It is expected that all doctoral faculty and students will observe the standards published by the American Psychological Association (APA) for the determination of authorship on any joint publications, as found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5^th edition).

Time Allotted for Degree Completion

Doctoral students are permitted eight years from the date of initial enrollment to complete all requirements for the Ed.D. degree. Extensions beyond the eight-year limit may be granted at the discretion of the department chair and the dean of the School of Education. Students needing an extension due to unusual circumstances must make their request in writing, stating the reasons for the extension, a timetable for completion of requirements, and the expected date of degree completion.

Leaves of Absence

Students in good standing and making satisfactory progress toward their degrees who must interrupt their studies for a compelling reason (e.g., illness, study abroad, family conditions, or crises) may petition for a leave of absence for a stated period of time not to exceed two years. Requests for a leave must be in writing and state both the reasons for the leave and the semester in which the student will re-enroll. Leaves of absence must be approved by the chair of the Department of Doctoral Studies in Education and the dean of the School of Education in advance of the semester for which the leave is requested.

Students who fail to return to enrolled status at the end of an approved period of leave, or after two consecutive semesters of non-enrollment, will be considered no longer in pursuit of an advanced degree and must petition for re-admission if they choose to continue their program at a later time. If re-admitted at a later date, student must meet any new program requirements.