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 the SPU School of Education. The Ed.D. program serves school practitioners who are primarily interested in preparing for a variety of leadership positions in educational systems, including superintendent, district office, school counseling, and other areas.

In addition, the program also serves students interested in other related careers in education, including nonprofit and higher-education administration, and other education-related professions. It can be tailored to meet varied professional needs and interests. This degree is for active professionals interested in leadership positions in all fields and levels of education.

For additional program information, see the (PDF).

COURSE OF STUDY

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

Because this is an interdepartmental degree, you 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, or from other schools within ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ (subject to approval by the School of Education Doctoral Committee).

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

The specialization/elective component provides you the opportunity to develop an area of expertise appropriate to your professional and academic goals. Areas of specialization include the following:

• Superintendent
• Principal
• Program administrator
• Curriculum and instruction
• Global education
• Literacy education
• Educational technology
• School counseling
• Self-designed specialization

Earning Washington State certification as a superintendent, principal, program administrator, or school counselor is possible as an area of specialization while working on the Ed.D. degree.

PREREQUISITE COURSWORK

Depending on your educational background, the following prerequisites may be required for the doctoral degree:

• EDU 7300 Introduction to Educational Research and Statistics
• EDU 6975 Interpreting & Applying Educational Research I
• EDU 6976 Interpreting & Applying Educational Research II
• EDU 6655 Human Development & Principles of Learning
• EDU 6524 Curriculum Design
• EDU 6526 Survey of Instructional Strategies
• EDU 6613 Standards-Based Assessment

LEADERSHIP COLLOQUIUM AND COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS

After approximately one year of coursework (24 credits), you may register for the leadership colloquium (EDU 7990). This requires you to write a scholarly paper and present that paper in a formal setting to the educational community.

Graduate faculty of the School of Education conduct an evaluation of the scholarship and colloquium. The leadership colloquium must be taken before you can take the comprehensive exams.

Upon completion of all courses, you must pass written comprehensive examinations. These examinations will cover the foundations, professional and research components of the core, and your area of specialization. Successful completion of the comprehensive examination advances you to the doctoral candidacy.

THE DISSERTATION

Under the direction of a faculty dissertation advisor and committee, you complete a dissertation project during the final phase of the degree program. The dissertation is designed to integrate theories and tools learned throughout the program, and should demonstrate your mastery of concepts and methods. As a final demonstration of scholarly competence, you prepare a written dissertation report and conduct an oral presentation/defense.

The dissertation requirement may be demonstrated by a study of an educational problem such as curriculum evaluation, development and evaluation of administrative models, field testing of a diagnostic tool or curricular material, or development and evaluation of educator training models. It may also take the traditional form of a research study. You are encouraged to take additional research courses linked to your specific dissertation methods and design.

You will choose problems of practice originating from external practitioners and policymakers, generated through the suggestion and review of faculty members. External practitioners may include school districts, educational service districts (ESDs), universities, state agencies, and research groups.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Because the doctoral program requires considerable faculty time and resources, 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.

Submit the following items to  to be considered for admissions:

• A doctoral .
• A $50 processing fee. Make checks payable to "ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ."
• Official transcripts documenting excellent undergraduate and graduate GPAs.
• Academic degree(s) in education or related field from an accredited university.
• Minimum of three years successful experience as an educator.
• GRE-Revised Test score (preferred minimum combined score of 299/51st percentile GRE-Revised on verbal + quantitative or 1100 on old GRE test) taken within five years of application.  A Miller Analogies Test score (preferred minimum scaled score of 400) taken within five years of application may be substituted.
• Four (4) letters of recommendation (two academic and two professional).
• Personal statement — including goals and proposed area of study (no more than 500 words).
• Personal interview with at least two SPU core doctoral faculty members.

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

PROGRAM AND ENROLLMENT POLICIES

At the time of admission, you 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 your course of doctoral study.

The courses 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 you can document in writing that they are comparable to required courses offered through SPU. Modifications to these transfer policies may be made at the discretion of the director of doctoral studies in consultation with the Doctoral Admissions Committee.

You may transfer up to 24 quarter credits of graded coursework (excluding internship credits) from a regionally accredited superintendent certification program into the specialization/electives portion of the Ed.D. program. You must take one executive leadership/superintendent course as an elective at SPU and you must also pass the Executive Leadership/Superintendent Specialization comprehensive exam.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT

You are expected to complete the required cohort courses (7000-level) in sequence during the first two years of the program. Once you begin your 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

You must complete all requirements for the doctoral degree 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.

APPLICATION AND ADMISSIONS QUESTIONS

Ted Hiemstra
Associate Director of Graduate Admissions

ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ
3307 Third Avenue West, Suite 111
Seattle, WA 98119-1922

hiemstra@spu.edu
206-378-5478
800-601-0603

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