Educational Administration EdD (90 hr)

Master's

The Master's of Education in Educational Administration is a 30 hour program.  Students will need to apply and gain admission to the Master's program in order to have the degree conferred.  In addition to program coursework, the master's degree program requires the satisfactory completion of EDAD 595 and satisfactory completion of the department’s comprehensive examination. The Department of Educational Leadership provides degree plans for obtaining a Master's in Educational Administration and includes Texas Principal Certification as well as a Certification Only degree plan for students who already have a Master's Degree.  We do not offer Probationary Principal Certification.  

Doctorate 

The Doctor of Education degree in Educational Administration is designed specifically for persons who already have a master's degree, are certified principals, and have K-12 practical administrative experience.  Building upon the master's degree, the program requires a major course of study of 36 semester hours (not including the dissertation) 12 semester hours of research tools, and successful completion of a dissertation.

Students are assigned a curriculum advisor from the Doctoral Faculty that assists them with course selection and developing a Residency Plan.  After successfully completing twelve credit hours, students may select a dissertation advisor (chair) and begin working on their dissertation research proposal.  

The dissertation committee includes (minimally) 3 faculty members.  Two faculty members will be from the department, including the chair, and one faculty member from outside the department.  These individuals guide the doctoral student in the dissertation proposal and the dissertation.

The research tools courses develop proficiency in quantitative and qualitative research methodology.

Application packets are reviewed for admission November 1 for the spring and July 15th for fall.

Students admitted to the doctoral program begin with classes as a cohort group in the semester following admission and are required to progress as a cohort group through a sequence of doctoral-only core courses and research tools courses.  The cohort program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to progress through the program in a logical and sequential manner with a group of colleagues pursuing similar professional goals. 

Residency/Candidacy/Dissertation Chair 

11.99.99.R0.17: The purpose of residency is to enhance the professional development of doctoral students. Each department is responsible for the development of a residency plan that is consistent with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools guidelines for residency and the Texas Administration Code rule for New Doctoral Programs; and is developed with the professional standards of the discipline in mind. The residency plans are applicable to all new and current doctoral programs.

The Residency Program is required for all doctoral students at Texas A&M University-Commerce. The Residency Program allows students to acquire  intellectual experiences above and beyond the coursework of the doctoral program by providing students additional opportunities to master intellectual principles, and develop original scholarly contributions to their chosen disciplines. Students will collaborate with the faculty members in the doctoral program in the development and presentation of their research in a statewide/national setting.

The Graduate School expects all graduate programs to encourage and provide opportunities for immersion of doctoral students in scholarship.  Residency goals will be achieved by multiple means, including but not limited to individual and group research training; providing access to resources such as libraries, research equipment, scholarly materials, providing networking opportunities with A&M University-Commerce faculty, external scholars and doctoral students; participation in scholarly conferences and symposiums.

Dissertation Chairs are selected after completion of 12 hours of coursework.  The residency may begin after dissertation chair is selected. Residency requirements and doctoral comprehensive exams are directly overseen by the Dissertation Chair.  Chairs are responsible for ensuring residency presentations are observed and residency requirements are completed. 

Doctoral Residency Requirements: 

  • Student attends 2 conferences (one regional/state and one national/international)
  • Presentation at one conference (one regional/state or one national/international)

Students are eligible for Doctoral Candidacy when both Residency and Comprehensive Exam requirements have been met. 

The student will complete a residency plan outlining proposed residency activities with the approval of their dissertation chair.

Doctoral Residence Seminar

All candidates are required to complete EDAD 699 Resident Doctoral Seminar.

Research Proficiency

All candidates must meet Graduate School research tools requirements for the Doctor of Education degree (see Office of Graduate Studies for more information).

Dissertation

A dissertation of at least 12 semester hours must be completed to the satisfaction of the major department.  After a doctoral candidate is admitted to candidacy (completion of all course work, successful completion of doctoral comprehensive exam, and residency) he/she will be required to enroll in at least three hours of Dissertation 718 each fall and spring semester until the dissertation is completed and approved by the advisory committee and Dean of the Graduate School. 

Student's progress toward dissertation completion will be evaluated a minimum of once each year by doctoral faculty.  Each doctoral student will receive a dissertation research and writing evaluation for EDAD 718 of "S" (satisfactory) or "U" (unsatisfactory).

Doctoral students who earn three grades below B or  "U" (unsatisfactory) grades in EDAD 718 courses results in permanent suspension from the program.  The competitive nature of admissions and access to faculty chairs makes it imperative that students avoid being declared inactive.  There is no guarantee that inactive student's will be approved to reenter.

Doctor of Education in Educational Administration (90 hr)

Major Courses 36 semester hours (12 courses)
No course in which a grade lower than a B was earned can be credited on the degree plan.
EDAD 515Leading Effective Schools (*^)3
EDAD 526Using Law in Educational Practice (*^)3
EDAD 556Building Capacity for Powerful Learning (*)3
EDAD 519Designing Curriculum (*^)3
EDAD 561Culturally Responsive Campus Leadership for 21st Century Schools (*)3
EDAD 569Instructional Leadership (*^)3
EDAD 507Using Evaluation and Data to Improve Learning (*^)3
EDAD 601Foundations of Educational Administration3
EDAD 671Governance and Politics of Educational Organizations3
EDAD 637Advanced Organizational Behavior in Education3
EDAD 554GLB/Leading the Learning Community (*^)3
EDAD 510Leading Learning Communities Reflective Practicum (*^)3
EDAD 639Educational Program Evaluation for School Leaders3
EDAD 655Executive Communications3
EDAD 641School District Instructional Leadership: Curriculum3
EDAD 647Ethics and Philosophy of Educational Administration3
EDAD 634Examining the Dynamics of Change and Conflict Resolution in Educational Systems3
EDAD 658School Crisis Leadership3
EDAD 664Doctoral Writing - Prospectus Development3
EDAD 654Culturally Responsive Leadership3
EDAD 699Resident Doctoral Seminar3
EDAD 620School District Instructional Leadership: Human Resources3
Research Tools 12 semester hours (4 courses)
EDAD 695Research Methodology3
EDAD 603Introduction to Graduate Statistics3
EDAD 604Intermediate Graduate Statistics3
EDAD 698Qualitative Research Methods3
Dissertation Writing - No less than 12 semester hours (4 courses)
EDAD 718Doctoral Dissertation3-12
Total Hours90

Note: *required for 30 hr MED-EDAD degree with satisfactory completion of EDAD 595.  See MED-EDAD section of the graduate catalog for all degree requirements.  ^Indicates the course is part of the Principal Certification program.  Remaining courses are Doctoral Courses only. 

Note: Superintendent Certification information can be found online at: Superintendent Certification

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