Doctoral Degree

Doctoral Program

The Doctor of Education (D.Ed.) is the usual doctoral degree offered in Educational Leadership. The career goal of one pursuing a D.Ed. should be the professional practice of educational leadership. The career goal of one pursuing a Ph.D. should be research and scholarly work. See  information on The WEDNESDAY PROGRAM.

Doctoral Degree Admission Requirements

All graduate students must complete the Graduate School admission application, http://gradsch.psu.edu/portal/, and complete the necessary program requirements listed under each area. Prospective students should complete all application procedures during the semester prior to the one in which they wish to enroll.

D.Ed. Program Requirements

Students who pursue the D.Ed. in Educational Leadership must:

• complete 75 credit hours of graduate work, plus at least 15 hours of 600 level work for dissertation (included in the 75 hours of course work is a graduate minor embracing 15 credits in a field other than education or 15 credits in general studies);
• complete a minimum of 18 credit hours in Educational Leadership coursework, a minimum of 15 credit hours in a supporting field, a minimum of 9 credit hours of research coursework and complete thesis research credits as needed;
• complete a graduate major embracing a minimum of 45 semester hours in or related to that professional field;
• offer evidence of competence in the field of educational measurement, statistics, and research;
• successfully complete comprehensive written and oral examinations;
• complete a doctoral thesis representing not less than 15 semester hours of on-campus and/or off-campus research (EDLDR 600/610);
• and complete a full-time residence of two semesters. Participation in the Wednesday Program would fulfill the residency requirement.
• A total of at least 90 credits must appear on the student's PSU transcript which must include the 15 credits from outside of EDLDR coursework(minor area)) and the 15 dissertation credits.
  
  The Wednesday Program
  The Wednesday Program at The Pennsylvania State University is designed for school administrators in practice. It is offered every-other year (i.e., in the 2000-2001 academic year but not the 2001-2002 academic year). The program operates all day on Wednesdays during the fall and spring semesters, providing credit toward the D.Ed. in Educational Leadership.

   

  Ph.D. Program Requirements

Students who pursue the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership must:

• complete the course work planned in conjunction with the advisor (approximately 45 hours past the master's degree constitutes a typical program);
• complete a sequence of six courses in research and interdisciplinary studies to satisfy the Language Skills and Communications competencies;
• successfully complete comprehensive written and oral examinations;
• complete a doctoral thesis appropriate to the academic degree;
• and complete a full-time residence of a complete academic year (fall and spring consecutive semesters).
• Ph.D. course requirements. transfer credits and program plan will be agree upon between advisor and student.

Applying to the Program

(click here for additional information about the application process)

• Nonrefundable $65 electronic application fee
• Apply on line through the Graduate School http://gradsch.psu.edu/portal/
• Two official transcripts from each institution attended (undergraduate and graduate)
• Upload three letters of recommendation
• Upload Personal Statement of goals
• Upload Vita
• Doctoral applicants must submit Miller Analogies Test (MAT) score or GRE scores (GRE scores preferred)
• Up load a writing sample of a critique of an education article or a recent paper
• International students must supply a passing official TOFEL score report of 80 or higher with 20 or above on all sections of the TOFEL or a passing official score of 6,5 is required on the IELTS exam.