Apr 10, 2025  
2024-2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
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2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Educational Leadership (PhD)

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The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Educational Leadership program is designed to serve full-time working professionals with career goals in a wide range of organizations such as PK-12, higher education, and other research-based institutions (e.g., policy centers, think tanks, government, education associations, and more). Learners work closely with faculty and peers to think deeply, examine critically, and understand theoretically the opportunities and challenges facing educational organizations and related institutions.

The PhD in Educational Leadership program offers two concentrations: Initial Administrative Licensure or Leadership in Education (non-licensure PreK-12 and postsecondary).

A minimum of 62 credits is required in this program of study. The program is organized around an interdisciplinary leadership and research core that is complemented by the learner’s chosen concentration.

Program Requirements (minimum 62-credit program)

Program Core

Program core requires a total of 15 credits

Research Core

Research core requires a total of 16 credits

New Course Proposals: RST 765 and 785 are each 3 credits. RST 766 is 1 credit

Applied Research Core

Applied research core requires a total of 7 credits

New Course Proposals: RST 790 and 791 are each 2 credits. Three credits of RST 798 are required; students have the option to take 1, 2, or 3 credits during a semester.

Dissertation

Dissertation requires a total of 15 credits. 

Students have the option to take 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 credits in a semester

Concentrations

Two concentration options:

Leadership in Education (non-licensure PreK-12 and postsecondary) - 9 credits

  • Nine (9) graduate or doctoral level credits related to study in a subfield of educational leadership will comprise a concentration that does not lead to PreK-12 licensure. Guidelines for concentrations are commonly accepted field/profession/discipline-defined knowledge areas relevant to the student’s professional and/or academic objectives and are determined jointly by the student and the academic advisor.

Initial Administrative Licensure - 15 credits

  • Graduates who complete this concentration in conjunction with required program core and research courses outlined above as well as the coursework below will have completed an approved program for licensure in PreK-12 Administration and Supervision. To qualify for a permanent (five-year) endorsement through the Virginia Department of Education, graduates must successfully complete a beginning administration and supervision assessment as prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education, have a master’s degree, three years teaching experience, and hold a current and valid teaching license.

Total Program Credits 62 with Leadership in Education Concentration or 68 with Initial Administrative Licensure Concentration

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