Educational Leadership & Development
Doctoral and CAGS Programs
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 policy, planning, and administration includes students whose field of interests include educational leadership themes related to school administration, education policy, higher education administration, or community education leadership. Licensure as a principal or superintendent may be acquired at either the EdM 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 which is as follows:
- SED AP 701 Doctoral Colloquium
- SED AP 702 Research Colloquium in Administration, Training, and Policy Studies
- SED AP 761 Organizational Analysis
- SED AP 771 Advanced Policy Seminar
- *SED AP 998 Proposal Development Seminar
- SED AP 999 Dissertation Advisement
- *SED RS 654 Foundations of Educational Inquiry
*One qualitative research course
*One quantitative research course
*Marks required research courses.
Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS)
Students may also be awarded the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) upon completing 30 credits beyond the master’s and passing a CAGS comprehensive examination, which consists of a supervised, work-related project and a series of reports relating it to educational and organizational theory. Students whose work in the CAGS sequence is outstanding may transfer to the EdD program with approval of the faculty.
