Educational Leadership

Joint Degree Program between The Pennsylvania State Dickinson School of Law (J.D.) and the Educational Leadership Program (M.S., M.Ed., D.Ed., Ph.D.)

Joint Degree Program

The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law (DSL) and the Educational Leadership (EDLDR) Program are offering a joint degree program leading to a Juris Doctor (J.D.); and a Master of Science (M.S.), a Master of Education (M.Ed), a Doctor of Education (D.Ed) or a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Educational Leadership.

Admissions Requirements

The number of openings in the joint degree J.D./M.S., M.Ed, D.Ed or Ph.D program will be limited to students with an outstanding academic record who have successfully completed the first-year curriculum at the Dickinson School of Law. Applicants to the joint degree program:

1. must have been admitted to the Dickinson School of Law
2. should have successfully completed two semesters of course work at the Dickinson School of Law with a grade point average of 3.0
3. must submit two letters of recommendations from the Dickinson School of Law faculty
4. must submit a career statement

Note: students are eligible to start taking courses in the EDLDR program after successfully completing two semesters of law school work.
College Specific Admissions Requirements

DSL: A bachelor’s or equivalent degree from an accredited college is a prerequisite for admission; however, there is no standard prescribed undergraduate curriculum. An applicant should have acquired significant oral and written communication skills before entering law school. The following are required of applicants: a completed application form for DSL; submission of the results of the law school admission test (LSAT); completion of an LSDAS report; a one-page personal statement; employment records since high school; and two letters of recommendation.
EDLDR: The following are required of all applicants: a completed Graduate School application; submission of the results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), Miller Analogy Test (MAT), Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), or LSAT; an official undergraduate transcript or transcripts; a personal statement; employment records since high school; and three letters of recommendation.

All international applicants whose first language is not English or who have not received baccalaureate or master’s degrees from an institution in which the language of instruction is English must take the Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL) and submit the results of that test with the application for admission. A TOEFL score of 550 on the paper test or a score of 213 on the computer-based test, or 80 points on the new Internet-based test with a minimum of 23 points on the new speaking portion; or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with a minimum composite score of 6.5 is required for admission.

A bachelor’s or equivalent degree from an accredited college is a prerequisite for admission to a master’s degree program, with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.60 in the last two years of undergraduate work, based on a maximum 4.0 system. A GPA of 3.50 in prior graduate work is required of those desiring admission to a doctoral program.

The best qualified students will be accepted for admission to the doctoral programs up to the number of spaces available. Students may be admitted to the D.Ed. or Ph.D. programs without a master’s degree if they provide evidence of research ability and academic achievement. Special backgrounds and experiences may allow for conditional admission for those not meeting stated criteria.

Residency

Students will normally spend four semesters in residence at DSL and as many additional semesters in residence as needed to complete the additional requirements for the pertinent EDLDR degree. Ph.D. candidates must arrange the sequence of semesters to ensure that they are in residence as full-time students in the EDLDR program for at least two consecutive semesters (Fall-Spring or Spring-Fall) excluding summer in a single twelve-month period. D.Ed. candidates must take at least 90 credits, of which at least 30 credits must be earned at the University Park campus.

Candidates for the D.Ed. degree are required to spend at least one semester and one summer session consecutively in full-time residence during a twelve-month period. D.Ed. candidates may satisfy the residence requirement in another manner consistent with Graduate School policy, including attendance at the day-long seminars offered weekly every other academic year.

Liaisons

The department and faculty liaisons for DSL shall be the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the student advisor shall be the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or such other faculty member(s) as may be designated by the Dean. The liaison for EDLDR shall be the Professor-in-Charge (PIC) or such faculty member(s) as may be designated by the PIC.

Required Course Work

DSL: All students in the J.D. program are required to take the first-year curriculum in DSL. In the second or third year, students must take CORE 934 (Professional Responsibility).

The fall curriculum for the first year consists of the following courses:
CORE COURSES (CORE)
900. Civil Procedure (4)
910. Criminal Law (3)
912. Legal Analysis, Research & Writing I (3)
925. Torts (4)

The spring curriculum of the first year consists of the following courses:
One three-credit Elective
CORE COURSES (CORE)
903. Constitutional Law (3)
905. Contracts (4)
914. Legal Analysis, Research & Writing II (3)
920. Property (4)

EDLDR: Students who are pursuing a D.Ed. in the EDLDR program are required to complete the following program requirements:

Major Field Area: 48 credits

In the major field area, D.Ed. students are required to take a minimum of three credits from each of the following eight theme areas for a total of 24 credits. The remaining 24 credits are to be determined in consultation with the student’s academic advisor:
1. Administration, organization, and leadership;
2. Supervision and professional development;
3. Curriculum and instructional leadership;
4. Resource allocation;
5. Politics, community relations, and rural education issues;
6. Ethics and diversity;
7. Law and personnel management; and
8. Education policy

General Studies/Minor Area: 18 credits
The courses required in General Studies are taken in support of and to supplement the major field area courses. The following requirements apply:

D.Ed. students are required to complete a minimum of three credits concerning special education issues and three credits focusing on learning theory. (6 credit hours);

The remaining credit hours needed to fulfill the General Studies requirement should be taken outside of the EDLDR program. This requirement may be fulfilled by other College of Education courses or courses taken outside of the College.

Research: 9 credits
• Three credits of quantitative research
• Three credits of qualitative research
• Three credits of research design or advanced research methods

Thesis research: 15 credit hours

Students who are pursuing a Ph.D. in the EDLDR program must satisfy the following course requirements:

EDLDR Course Work: 18 credits (including a required 3-credit colloquium)
• Research: 12 credits
• Supporting Field: 9 credits
• Thesis Research: (as needed)

Students who are pursuing an M.Ed. must satisfy the following program requirements:

EDLDR Course Work: 18 credits
• Courses outside of EDLDR: 6 credits
• Electives: 6 credits

Students who are pursuing an M.S. must satisfy the following program requirements:

• EDLDR Course Work: 18 credits
• Courses outside of EDLDR: 6 credits
• Electives: 6 credits
• Thesis research: 6 credits

M.Ed. students must submit a master’s paper. M.S. degree students must submit a thesis.

Interprogram Transfer of Credits

DSL: A maximum of twelve credits for EDLDR course work may be transferred for credit toward the J.D. degree at DSL. Students must obtain a grade satisfactory to DSL for the course work to be credited toward the J.D. degree. The following EDLDR courses may qualify for credit in DSL: (1) EDLDR 533 (The Politics of Local School Districts; (2) EDLDR 565 (Personnel Management and Contract Administration); (3) EDLDR 568 (The Principalship); (4) EDLDR 569 (Decision Making in Educational Organizations); (5) EDLDR 573 (Public School Finance); (6) EDLDR 576 (The Law and Education); and (7) EDLDR 577 (The Law and Ethical Decision Making).

Students who have first been admitted to the EDLDR program and taken graduate courses pursuant to the EDLDR program before enrolling in DSL may petition DSL to have such courses credited toward the J.D. degree. Students may make such petitions after they have been enrolled in DSL for at least one year. Petitions for crediting prior EDLDR course work will be evaluated on the basis of the students’ academic progress at DSL.

EDLDR: What courses may be credited will be determined by the student’s degree program. Normally a maximum of twelve credits of DSL course work will be counted for credit for the minimum requirements for a master’s degree, subject to approval by the student’s advisory committee. Normally, a maximum of 30 credits from a master’s degree program will be counted for credit for the minimum requirements for a Ph.D. or D.Ed. degree.

Sequence

The sequence of courses will be determined by the students and their advisors.

Recommended Program of Study and Advising

All students in the program will have two advisors, one from DSL and one from EDLDR. Periodic interaction between the two advisors will be encouraged. A program of study will be developed for each student, taking into account the fact that some courses at both locations are offered on a rotating or intermittent basis. Many courses are offered every year but some are offered every two or three years. Advisors will have available a list of projected relevant courses or educational experiences in order to work with the student on an individualized program of study. The standard committee structure will apply to the EDLDR programs.

Tuition

Students will be charged the applicable DSL tuition to cover the J.D. program and the applicable graduate tuition to cover the EDLDR degree program. DSL tuition will be paid for the semesters in which the student is registered for DSL courses, and graduate tuition will be paid for the semesters in which the student is registered for graduate courses. A student may take up to one course (3 credit hours) per semester in the program where the student is not primarily registered without any change in tuition, but must pay additional tuition to the program that the student is not primarily registered if he or she wishes to take additional course work pursuant to that program during the semester.

Financial Aid and Assistantships

Decisions on financial aid and assistantships will be made by each school according to that school’s procedures.

Fulfillment of Degree Requirements and Graduation

All courses in one program that will count toward meeting the requirements of the other program must be completed before the awarding of either degree. Students will be required to fulfill all requirements for each degree in order to be awarded that degree, subject to the interprogram transfer of credits. With respect to EDLDR program requirements for a thesis or paper, work done while at DSL under the supervision of a DSL faculty member may be appropriate for incorporation into the thesis or paper with the approval of the EDLDR degree program committee (in such cases, the committee should consider whether the credits afforded such work will be subject to the twelve credit maximum for interprogram transfers). A DSL faculty member must be a member of the committee).

If for some reason the student cannot complete the requirements of the J.D., the student will still be allowed to count DSL courses already taken toward the pertinent EDLDR degree, even if he or she is no longer in the joint degree program.

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 599 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.