Educational Leadership & Development

Administration

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 specialization is school administration, education policy, higher education administration, or community education leadership.

Doctoral students work individually with a member of the faculty on their research projects and take several advanced seminars focusing on policy analysis as well as a number of elective courses reflecting their special interests. They are expected, with this intensive support, to write a dissertation of publishable quality that represents a significant contribution to policy and practice in education or training.

The doctoral specialization in educational administration includes advanced coursework and a research-based dissertation in some aspect of educational policy, school or higher education administration and planning, or community-based education in the United States or other countries.

Each student must pass a comprehensive examination consisting of an extended policy analysis before proceeding to the dissertation.

Doctoral students are expected to take at least four courses in research methods, the School of Education’s doctoral core course, and the department’s doctoral sequence:

  • 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.

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.