Educational Leadership, EdD

Program Description

The Doctor of Education Degree (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership is a scholar-practitioner degree designed for leaders on all educational levels.  In support of institutional and college mission statements, the educational leadership program seeks to mediate formal knowledge and theory through disciplined inquiry and professional practice.  It is expected that graduates of the program use scholarly inquiry and practice to guide decisions on all levels of educational activity.

The program seeks to build scholarly capacity in our students, allowing them to investigate and deal with social issues of equity and democracy in their professional settings.  As a scholar-practitioner program, faculty promote and maintain the importance of the rigor, research, and data driven decisions for our students, which is reflective of local, regional, state, national, and global concerns.  The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership includes a research core and dissertation requirement to address the centrality of data for one’s job, career, and advancement of education.  The educational leadership program seeks to prepare scholar-practitioners through a combination of academic endeavors, professional experience, and prior knowledge as a basis for effective change.

Student Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the program, students should be able to demonstrate

• Exhibit aptitude of educational leadership principles;
• Apply knowledge of principals of educational leadership;
• Integrate research concepts, and;
• Demonstrate understanding of empirical research.

For Additional Information

Website:
http://gradschool.tamucc.edu/degrees/education/ed_leadership.html

Campus Address:
Faculty Center, Room 219
Phone: (361) 825-6034
gerri.maxwell@tamucc.edu

Mailing Address:
Department of Educational Leadership
Unit 5818
College of Education and Human Development
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
6300 Ocean Drive
Corpus Christi, Texas 78412-5818

Admission Requirements

Admission requires approval of an Educational Leadership admissions committee.  Criteria for admission include the following:

1. an undergraduate grade point average of 3.00 or above
2. a graduate grade point average of 3.00 or above 
3. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework indicating the completing of a master’s degree in a relevant field.

Selected applicants will be invited to campus for a personal interview with the Educational Leadership admissions committee and a writing exercise.  The committee will consider relevant qualifications, including professional and personal qualifications, in making admission decisions.  The committee may admit applicants with lower levels of the above indicators of academic history if

1. professional and personal qualifications are unusually strong and
2. a high degree of proficiency on the writing exercise.

Individuals denied admission three times are ineligible to reapply.

Program Requirements

The Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership is awarded in recognition of the attainment of independent and comprehensive scholarship in the field.  To qualify for the degree, the student must meet the following requirements:

1. Residence: Three consecutive terms of enrollment in six semester credit hours must be completed at some point in the program (e.g., summer, fall, spring). The time to completion must be in accordance with the standards set forth by the College of Graduate Studies.
2. Coursework: Sixty semester hours of coursework are required, inclusive of the dissertation courses.  Up to one-fourth of the credits for the degree plan may be transferred from another regionally accredited college or University.  The transfer credit must be post master’s level graduate coursework, must not exceed ten years at the time of conferral of the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi degree, and may not have been applied to a degree conferred.  Likewise, up to one-fourth of the credits for the degree plan may be transferred from post master’s level work taken at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.  The transfer credits must be approved by the program faculty (normally the advisor).  The degree requires the following:
   Educational Administration/Leadership Cognate

   General Requirements

   Requirements	Credit Hours
   Core Courses	18
   Research Tools	15
   Dissertation	3-6
   Educational Administration/Leadership	18
   Electives	6
   Total Credit Hours	60-63

   All courses applied to the doctoral degree plan must have a grade of B or higher.
   Specialization

   General Requirements

   Requirements	Credit Hours
   Core Courses	18
   Research Tools	15
   Dissertation	3-6
   Approved Subject Area	15
   Electives in EDLD/EDAD	9
   Total Credit Hours	60-63

   Required Average. The student needs to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. A grade of B or better must be obtained in all core, research tools, and courses applied to the degree plan. Students who receive a grade of C in a core, research tool, cognate, specialization, or elective course can choose to RETAKE the course, or in case of an elective, a different course. Please note that both grades will be factored into the GPA. Upon receiving a second C in the same course, the student may be put on probation if the GPA falls below a 3.0; however, students who receive a third C or who receive two failing grades are exited from the program.

3. Candidacy/Comprehensive Examinations: Students are eligible for comprehensive exams when 18 credit hours in the core leadership courses and 15 credit hours in research tools are complete with grades of B or better. Advancement to candidacy for the degree requires passing both written and oral comprehensive examinations.

4. Dissertation and Defense: The dissertation is developed under the supervision of a dissertation adviser, who serves as Chair of the dissertation committee. The committee is composed of four members, including the Chair.  Students must pass an oral defense of the dissertation. 

Educational Administration/Leadership Cognate 

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Course selection to be decided upon with a Faculty Advisor if career path does not align with one of the tracks.

Specialization

¹

Course selection to be decided upon with a Faculty Advisor if career path does not align with one of the tracks.