ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
PETERSON HALL
206.281.2214
GRADADMISSIONS@SPU.EDU

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program is a 90-quarter-credit (post-master's) interdepartmental degree offered by ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ's School of Education. It is designed and intended largely for educators from a variety of settings, including public and private schools, and institutions of higher education. The degree is for active professionals interested in leadership and teaching positions in education. It can be tailored to meet varied professional needs and interests.

The core requirements of the degree are designed to develop instructional leaders by focusing on knowledge applicable to all fields and levels of education.

The program uses a cohort approach for core doctoral classes because of the many educational benefits of collaborative and cooperative learning, and continued professional association. Students admitted to the program are expected to proceed though these cohort courses as a group on a defined schedule and sequence. Cohort courses are noted with an asterisk in the following listings.

This is an interdepartmental degree; thus, students select courses and learning experiences, with the assistance of the director of doctoral studies, from a variety of areas and opportunities in the School of Education. They may also select graduate courses from other schools within the University.

This component of the program is designed jointly by the student and the doctoral director, and is subject to approval by the School of Education Doctoral Committee.

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
The specialization/elective component provides the opportunity to develop an area of expertise appropriate to the student's professional and academic goals. Areas of specialization include curriculum and instruction; school counseling and school psychology; educational leadership (superintendent and principal); reading/literacy; educational technology; special education; and self-designed specialization.

Earning an ESA certification as a principal, superintendent, or school counselor is also possible while working on the doctorate degree. Course Requirements Suggested Three-Year Program Sequence

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The doctoral program requires considerable faculty time and resources; thus, a limited number of students will be admitted to the program each year. It is expected that all applicants will have at least a bachelor’s degree (135-credit doctorate) or a master’s degree (90-credit doctorate) from a regionally accredited college or university. Admission decisions will be based on the following:

1. Previous academic preparation and areas of study.
2. Overall undergraduate and graduate GPA.
3. GRE or MAT scores.
4. Professional experience.
5. Future professional plans.
6. Letters of recommendation.
7. A formal interview with School of Education faculty.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Cohort classes begin each summer. Screening applicants for admission is an ongoing process, and students may be admitted to the program throughout the year so they can begin needed prerequisites, foundations, and elective courses.

The following items are to be submitted to The Graduate Center. Items two, three, and four listed below should be included in the packet with the graduate application. After they have been received, the applicant may be contacted to schedule a formal interview with faculty in the School of Education. When a decision is reached, students will be notified of their status by letter.

1. A .
2. A $50 processing fee.
3. Official transcripts from any institution where an academic degree was conferred, including any post-master’s degree graduate coursework.
4. A personal statement discussing future profes­sional plans and goals. This should not exceed 300 words and should also include the rationale for pursuing a doctoral degree.
5. Scores from the GRE or the MAT. Test scores must be less than five years old.
6. Four recent letters of recommendation. Two of these must be of an academic nature (from graduate professors, for example). Two must be of a professional nature, from supervisors.

PROGRAM AND ENROLLMENT POLICIES

At the time of admission, a student may transfer up to 15 post-master’s degree credits into the doctoral program with the approval of the director of doctoral studies. Courses transferred must be graduate-level, from a regionally accredited institution, and relevant to the student’s course of doctoral study. They must have been taken within the three years prior to admission, and must have been part of a planned program leading to a graduate degree or a professional certificate. Courses with grades below a 3.0 (“B”), or those receiv­ing “pass” or “satisfactory” grades, cannot transfer into the program. Finally, transferred classes may be substi­tuted for degree requirements if the student can docu­ment in writing that the transferred classes are comparable to required courses offered through ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ. Modifications to these transfer policies may be made at the discretion of the director of doctoral studies in consultation with the Doctoral Admissions Committee.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS

Students are expected to complete the required cohort courses (7000-level) in sequence during the first two years of the program. Once students begin their classes, continuous enrollment must be maintained throughout the program. Students who interrupt the residency requirement may be dropped from the program.

GRADE POINT AVERAGE

A 3.2 overall GPA is required for graduation.

DEGREE COMPLETION

All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed within five years from the quarter the first post-admission course was taken. Students needing more than five years to complete the degree must file a time-extension petition with the director of doctoral studies.

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