Educational Leadership, EDD

• The Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership Studies prepares scholar-practitioners to assume leadership roles in diverse educational settings.  

• The Doctor of Education (EdD) is an executive, cohort-based program with online courses, qualifying examinations, and dissertation defense. 

• The degree consists of 42 minimum course credit hours and a minimum of 4 credits of dissertation residency (does not need to be completed in Kentucky).  

• Mixed Methods Action Research (MMAR) design utilized for the dissertation.  

• Applicants who plan to seek administrator certification (e.g., school principal, superintendent) can use up to two electives to partially fulfill requirements.  However, they must meet all additional requirements imposed by the Kentucky Educational Professional Standards Board. 

Admission Requirements 

• Earned Masters, from a fully accredited institution, with a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale.  

• Transcripts from previous post-secondary institutions.  

• Professional Resume 

• Personal Statement 

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement 

• 3 Recommendations, with at least one academic from practicing scholar, one leadership based from practitioner.  

• On-demand writing sample Completed graduate-level basic statistics course by August 15 of the semester of program start.  

Degree Requirements 

• 42 minimum credits of coursework, 4 minimum credits of dissertation residency. Minimum of 46 credits total.  

• 16 courses (eleven 3-credit hour; three 1-credit hour required, two 3-credit hour electives) of pre-dissertation coursework typically earned over 8 semesters including summer.  

• Qualifying examination utilizing the MMAR framework. 

• Student must remain enrolled in EDL 767   Dissertation Residency Credit from the semester they sit for their Qualifying Examination through semester they defend their dissertation.  

• Final dissertation defense.