Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership Ed.D.
The Ed.D. program in Higher Education Leadership is designed for leaders and administrators of colleges and universities (public and private, two-year and four-year, nonprofit and proprietary) who desire to enhance their abilities and position themselves for heightened leadership roles in a wide range of professional service areas (including student affairs, academic leadership, institutional advancement, athletic administration, or institutional assessment).
The purpose of the Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership is to prepare reflective, principled leaders for higher education who:
- Understand the individual, organizational, and societal dynamics that affect college students and their success;
- Are effective in leading positive organizational change; and
- Are actively engaged in the national and international conversations surrounding the critical issues affecting higher education.
Program Outcomes
Reflective, principled Educational Leadership doctoral program graduates will be leaders who contribute to student success by:
- Modeling moral and ethical practice;
- Leading organizational change in a diverse society;
- Establishing a caring and collaborative learning community;
- Supporting the principles of teaching and learning;
- Utilizing the principles of effective administration and technology;
- Evaluating the individual, organizational and societal contexts of education;
- Designing research that addresses educational issues.
Admission to the Doctoral Program in Higher Education Leadership
Applicants for admission to the Ed.D. Program in Higher Education Leadership should submit all application materials by January 15 for priority consideration for admission to the next summer term. Admission decisions for regular graduate standing are based on a review of the following items in the candidate’s portfolio:
- A completed application form and non-refundable application fee
- Official transcripts showing a master’s degree in education or a related field from a regionally accredited U.S. institution
- Test scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
- A personal statement explaining student’s reasons for seeking an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership
- Three letters of recommendation
- A professional resume
- A writing sample (e.g., chapter from thesis, article, paper or report)
When the application is complete the file will be reviewed and the candidate may be invited to interview with the doctoral degree admission committee.
8. Satisfactory completion of interview with the doctoral admission committee
Note: International applicants must submit the following:
- An International Student Application Form and additional required documents
- GRE and TOEFL scores if undergraduate work was completed at other than a regionally accredited U.S. institution
Requirements for the Doctoral Degree in Higher Education Leadership
The Doctoral Degree in Higher Education Leadership is a 60-unit program. Candidates are required to take nine courses in higher education leadership (27 units), three courses in research methods (11 units), and six courses in Dissertation Seminars and Research (22 units).
1. Completion of the courses listed below totaling a minimum of 60 units:
Higher Education Leadership Courses (27 units) | ||
EDLD 603 | Historical and Philosophical Foundation Of Educational Leadership | 3 |
EDLD 607 | Ethics and Values in Educational Leaders | 3 |
EDLD 614 | Policy Development and Political Influences in Education | 3 |
EDLD 617 | Leadership, Diversity and Inclusivity In American P-20 Education | 3 |
EDLD 619 | Higher Education and the Law | 3 |
EDLD 621 | International Comparative Educational Practices | 3 |
EDLD 623 | Student Success and Retention | 3 |
EDLD 624 | Leading Organizational Change and Development | 3 |
EDLD 627 | Administration in Higher Education | 3 |
Research Courses (11 units) | ||
EDLD 601 | Research Tools and Application to Practice | 3 |
EDLD 612 | Quantitative Research Design and Analysis | 4 |
EDLD 613 | Qualitative Research Design and Analysis | 4 |
Dissertation Seminars and Research (22 units) | ||
EDLD 610 | Research Seminar: Literature Review | 4 |
EDLD 620 | Research Seminar: Dissertation Proposal | 4 |
EDLD 630 | Research Seminar: Data Analysis | 4 |
EDLD 634 | Dissertation Seminar 1 | 3 |
EDLD 635 | Dissertation Seminar II | 4 |
EDLD 636 | Dissertation Defense | 3 |
Total Hours | 60 |
Note: Candidates will remain continuously enrolled until the dissertation is completed. If additional time is required, candidates must register for two dissertation units per semester until the dissertation is successfully defended (for a maximum of 7 years from the date of admission).
Advancement to candidacy is based on departmental review.
Residency - Residency will be established automatically by candidates when they continuously enroll throughout the cohort program of six semesters.
Courses
EDLD 502. Current Social, Cultural, and Political Issues in Education. (3).
An in-depth systematic study of the social,
cultural, and political issues and trends that
affect educational leaders in today's American
schools.
EDLD 504. School Law and Public Policy. (3).
Implications and trends of court decisions at the
federal, state, and local levels as they affect
the role of counselor, teacher, and
administrator; their impact on district policy
and finance, and on district and local programs
and activities. Also studied is the importance of
policy development and implementation and its
impact on K-12 education.
EDLD 510A/510B. Action Research for Practitioners. (1,1).
This course provides a systematic study and
analysis of current research and research methods
for conducting action research projects. The
objectives in this course focus on the knowledge
base (A); the techniques (B); and applications of
action research (C).
EDLD 510C. Action Research for Practitioners. (1).
This course provides a systematic study and
analysis of current research and research methods
for conducting action research projects. The
objectives in this course focus on the knowledge
base (A); the techniques (B); and applications of
action research (C).
EDLD 550. Focusing on Student Achievement. (3).
An emphasis on using the California Standards for
the Teaching Profession to guide instructional
practice and the development of coaching and
mentoring skills to promote student achievement.
EDLD 568. Organizational Leadership and Public Education. (3).
An overview of curriculum; theory, development,
organization, evaluation, improvement and
implementation; historical background and
comparative educational patterns; the social,
psychological, and philosophical roots.
Candidates learn how to evaluate curricular and
instructional programs for their effective use
and implementation. Candidates learn to apply,
model, and analyze both formative and summative
assessment strategies and demonstrate an
understanding of standards-based accountability
systems.
EDLD 570. Curriculum Leadership and Program Evaluation. (3).
An overview of curriculum; theory, development,
organization, evaluation, improvement and
implementation; historical background and
comparative educational patterns; the social,
psychological, and philosophical roots.
Candidates learn how to evaluate curricular and
instructional programs for their effective use
and implementation. Candidates learn to apply,
model, and analyze both formative and summative
assessment strategies and demonstrate an
understanding of standards-based accountability
systems.
EDLD 572. Managing Resources. (3).
The processes of managing human and fiscal
resources with a focus on student achievement,
including the selection and hiring of employees,
supervision and evaluation techniques, fiscal
resources, and grant writing.
EDLD 580. Organizational Transformation and Leading for Learning. (3).
A focus on school culture and its implications
for student achievement. Candidates learn
formative approaches to supervision practices
that increase student achievement as well as how
to evaluate instruction for school improvement.
Current practices such as Response to
Intervention (RTI) and Professional Learning
Communities (PLCs) are studied.
EDLD 591A/591B. Fieldwork Practicum. (1,1).
EDLD 591C. Fieldwork Practicum. (1).
EDLD 592. Professional Induction Plan Development And Assessment a and B. (2).
The course is designed to assist and support the
candidate in the development and assessment of the
Personalized Induction Plan (PIP) to support the
candidate in his or her professional and personal
growth. The plan is developed in collaboration
with candidate's supervisor (or designee), the
candidate, and the candidate's faculty advisor.
Prerequisites: The candidate holds a Preliminary
Administrative Credential; The candidate is
currently placed in an administrative position as
found on the CBEDS document for his/her district.
EDLD 598. Action Research Project. (3).
This course is a culmination of EDLD 510 a, b, c
coursework. The candidate completes a
five-chapter paper of the action research project
developed in EDLD 510 a, b, and c, including the
following: introduction; literature review;
methodology; discussion of data; analysis and
findings.
EDLD 599A. Seminar: Professional Development Portfolio. (1).
These one-unit courses, each designed to be taken
over the period of one year, introduce the
candidate to the electronic portfolio system and
tools the candidate will need to successfully
navigate course work and create an electronic
portfolio for defense at the culmination of all
course work. Topics covered will include
developing professional goals based on
self-assessments, presentation skills, developing
a Web page, uploading to the electronic
portfolio, and choosing learning activities to
showcase benchmark assessments.
EDLD 601. Research Tools and Application to Practice. (3).
An introductory course that equips candidates
with basic library, writing, technology, and
research skills to be used in all courses in the
program. Strategies and ethics of research
provide the basis for designing research
questions, selecting data collection strategies,
and conducting basic data analysis. Candidates
begin a comprehensive literature review in the
course.
EDLD 603. Historical and Philosophical Foundation Of Educational Leadership. (3).
A historical survey of the competing
philosophical bases for the creation and
implementation of educational policy and
practice, with particular attention to questions
of equity and excellence in a multicultural
society.
EDLD 605. Instructional Leadership in Modern Complex Organizations. (3).
This course explores several major theories of
learning, group process and organizational
development, and the implications of those
theories for diagnosis and action to influence
learner outcomes. It includes emphasis on the
problems, dilemmas, and opportunities for leaders
in educational, public and human service
organizations.
EDLD 607. Ethics and Values in Educational Leaders. (3).
This course guides candidates to understand and
articulate individual and organizational values
that shape the dynamic learning organization.
Students make the connection between articulated
values and ethical practices in our diverse
communities.
EDLD 610. Research Seminar: Literature Review. (4).
A comprehensive review of the research literature
related to designated themes and a general topic
of research interest, with a focus on literature
review of the anticipated dissertation topic.
Candidates will complete the integrative
literature review and begin framing research
questions for further pursuit.
EDLD 612. Quantitative Research Design and Analysis. (4).
The use of data-based decision-making in modern,
diverse organizational settings. The course
builds on the prerequisite basic research methods
course and includes problem posing and
presentation and analysis of data.
EDLD 613. Qualitative Research Design and Analysis. (4).
An overview of qualitative research assumptions,
characteristics, approaches, and techniques.
Candidates will conduct a small-scale field-study.
EDLD 614. Policy Development and Political Influences in Education. (3).
Provides an introduction to the various phases of
policy making in education, including problem
identification, policy development, policy
analysis, political decision-making, policy
implementation, and policy evaluation. The course
includes study of organizational structures for
educational decision-making at the federal,
state, county, and local levels, with emphasis on
how and where influence can be exerted.
EDLD 617. Leadership, Diversity and Inclusivity In American P-20 Education. (3).
This course examines the social ecology of
American P-20 education through a lens of
inclusion, social justice, diversity and equity.
The course will focus on best practices as they
inform policy and practice from early childhood
education to postsecondary institutions. It will
also concentrate on the influence of diversity,
culture and society and politics on P-20 American
education.
EDLD 619. Higher Education and the Law. (3).
This course examines legal problems and issues as
they affect students, faculty members, and
administrators in American colleges and
universities. Distinctions in the legal
environments of public, private, and
church-related institutions will be made.
Emphasis will be placed on constitutional issues,
contract law, federal and state regulation,
liability, faculty and staff employment, and
community relationships.
EDLD 620. Research Seminar: Dissertation Proposal. (4).
In this course, candidates receive the direction
and guidance needed to develop their dissertation
research proposals. At the end of the course,
students will have a draft of their proposal,
which must be presented to their dissertation
committee.
EDLD 621. International Comparative Educational Practices. (3).
This course will provide students with the
opportunity to examine educational policy and
practice through an international and
cross-cultural lens. The focus of the course
will be on (1) comparative educational policies
and practices and their relationship with
economic development, and (2) educational
quality, standards, accountability, and reform.
The course will involve a critical examination of
relevant literature and the option of
international travel to visit educational
institutions and agencies of the selected country
or countries.
EDLD 622. Program Evaluation. (3).
The application of quantitative and qualitative
skills to guide the improvement of policymaking
and practice in organizations. Candidates will
conduct an evaluation study as part of this
course.
EDLD 623. Student Success and Retention. (3).
This course will examine the current research and
best practices relative to college student
success and retention. Particular attention will
be given to the demographic trends, co-curricular
institutional practices, public policies, campus
environments, and educational practices that
contribute to student success and persistence.
EDLD 624. Leading Organizational Change and Development. (3).
Candidates examine approaches to studying and
influencing organizational effectiveness. The
course includes a study of leadership styles,
conflict management, group dynamics, and change
process.
EDLD 625. Colloquium in Principles-Based Educational Leadership. (3).
This is a colloquium; that is, class discussion
based on close reading of common texts. The focus
of the course is on the concept "principles-based
educational leadership." Candidates will be
required to read a variety of texts which propose
versions of principles-based educational
leadership, to clearly and coherently define the
meaning and implications of principles based
educational leadership, to examine the potential
for application of principles-based educational
leadership in actual educational situations, and
to inquire into the connection between their
dissertations and the principles of
principles-based educational leadership.
EDLD 626. Managing Resources in Support of Organizational Vision. (3).
A focus on human and material resources and the
organizational patterns of education at the
federal, state, county, and local levels.
Emphasis is on the interrelationship of the
educational bureaucracy as it relates to the
framework of decision-making and the functions at
the local level in meeting individual student
needs. The course includes techniques and
strategies for grant writing and managing grant
funds.
EDLD 627. Administration in Higher Education. (3).
This course will focus on the best practices in
college and university management and
administration with an emphasis on planning,
resource acquisition, resource allocation, human
resource development, and organizational
communication. Distinctions will be made among
public, private, and church-related institutions
of higher education.
EDLD 630. Research Seminar: Data Analysis. (4).
This course is intended to guide candidates
through the organization and analysis of their
dissertations data. Advanced topics in data
analysis will be introduced, including
multivariate statistics; factor analysis; and
multilevel modeling. Other advanced qualitative
topics including the use of computer programs for
qualitative data analysis will be presented.
Candidates will be expected to present a draft of
the problem statement, literature review, and
methods sections of their dissertations by the
end of the summer seminar.
EDLD 631. Collaborative Research Groups. (3).
The purpose of this course is to provide support
and direction for candidates at the dissertation
stage. The course is organized for small groups
of candidates to act as peer reviewers of their
dissertations. Candidates meet online, in person,
and in formal class settings to critique their
work. Candidates act under the supervision of the
course instructor and are expected to make weekly
class presentations.
EDLD 634. Dissertation Seminar 1. (3).
NOTE: Candidates will remain continuously
enrolled
until the dissertation is completed. If
additional
time is required, candidates must register for
two
dissertation units per semester until the
dissertation is successfully defended.
EDLD 635. Dissertation Seminar II. (4).
NOTE: Candidates will remain continuously enrolled
until the dissertation is completed. If additional
time is required, candidates must register for two
dissertation units per semester until the
dissertation is successfully defended.
EDLD 636. Dissertation Defense. (3).
NOTE: Candidates will remain continuously enrolled
until the dissertation is completed. If additional
time is required, candidates must register for two
dissertation units per semester until the
dissertation is successfully defended.