EdD in Educational Leadership & Development

Each year, the department admits a limited number of students who have earned the master’s degree and are seeking a demanding program of coursework and supervised inquiry into important questions.

The doctoral program in educational leadership and development includes students whose field of interests are P-K leadership, education research and policy, or higher education administration.

Licensure as a principal or superintendent may be acquired at either the EdM, CAGS, or EdD levels with additional coursework.

Doctoral students take several advanced seminars focusing on policy analysis and research methods as well as a number of elective courses reflecting their special interests. Each student must pass a comprehensive examination consisting of an extended policy analysis before proceeding to the dissertation and is expected to write a dissertation of publishable quality that represents a significant contribution to policy and practice in education or training.

Doctoral students are expected to take at least four courses in research methods, one of the School of Education’s Intellectual History of Education courses, and the program’s doctoral sequence.

Requirements

Core Coursework (40 cr)

• SED AP 701 Doctoral Colloquium (2 cr)
• SED AP 702 Research Colloquium in Educational Leadership and Development (2 cr)
• SED AP 761 Organizational Analysis (4 cr)
• SED AP 771 Advanced Policy Seminar (4 cr)
• SED AP 999 Dissertation Advisement (8 cr)
• SED RS 654 Foundations of Educational Inquiry (4 cr)
• SED RS 750 Proposal Development Seminar (4 cr)
• One graduate course on the Intellectual History of Education (4 cr)
• One graduate course in Quantitative Research Methods (4 cr)
• One graduate course in Qualitative Research Methods (4 cr)

Elective Coursework (16 cr)

Students select four elective courses for a total of 16 credits. Elective coursework is chosen in consultation with an academic advisor.

Residency Requirement

Every doctoral candidate must spend a minimum of two consecutive semesters in residence at Boston University. Residence is defined as registration for a minimum of 12 credit hours at the University during each of two consecutive semesters. Summer terms may be considered one semester.

Research Dissertation

Each candidate must demonstrate the ability to make a significant contribution in his or her field and to report this contribution successfully in a doctoral dissertation. The dissertation, written under the supervision of a faculty committee, must be based upon original research about a significant topic in the field. Students enroll in 3 credits of dissertation advisement each semester.