Educational Leadership, Ed.D.

Program of Study

The Joint Ed.D. in Educational Leadership is designed to address the needs of outstanding individuals who seek doctoral preparation in research on educational practice and who aspire to leadership positions within the PK-12 and postsecondary educational communities. The program is designed to increase the knowledge and abilities of PK-12 and post-secondary administrators in response to the educational settings of the twenty-first century. The coursework highlights the importance of educational equity for all segments of the community. It is expected that graduates of this program will demonstrate a high quality of leadership skill and bring about significant improvement in public schools.

The program is designed for candidates who are creative thinkers, who have superior problem-solving abilities, and who demonstrate an interest in using research to bring about improvements to educational policy and practice. We will seek professionals who have a desire to deepen their understanding of the educational reform process from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Candidates are expected to have a desire to promote effective practice informed by developments in research and theory.

Candidates will primarily be practicing PK-12 and postsecondary administrators in San Diego, Imperial, South Riverside, and South Orange counties. Their full-time employment is viewed as an asset in that it will provide important opportunities to apply and evaluate theoretical and empirical material covered in coursework. Candidates will matriculate through the program as a cohort group.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Students with an Ed.D. in Education Leadership will have the following skills and knowledge:

1. Engage in self-reflection on one’s beliefs, assumptions, and practices.
2. Use evidence-based decision-making.
3. Analyze, generate, and apply research. 
4. Demonstrate and apply leadership skills.

Application and Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the general admissions requirements and being accepted by the Graduate Divisions of UCSD and CSUSM, candidates must be recommended for admission by the program’s Graduate Admissions Committee on the basis of standards of excellence as evidenced by:

1. Completion of master’s degree
2. A professional resumé
3. Statement of purpose that describes:
   • Demonstrated leadership experience (examples include: completion of work for the Preliminary or Professional Administrative Services Credential (Tier 1 or Tier 2) for PK- 12; Program Director at a school, district, or regional institution; Community College Project Director; postsecondary administration; in region professional education experience);
   • Knowledge of educational research and application to practice; and
   • Plan for how participation in program will shape candidate’s future in leadership practice; and
   • Potential areas of interest for dissertation research.
4. A total of three letters of support, two of which speak to leadership skills, and one of which speaks to the candidate’s ability to engage doctoral level work;
5. A writing sample, which might include a published article, thesis, or paper written for a graduate course;
6. Transcripts of previous academic coursework taken during completion of baccalaureate and master’s degree work, in addition to other postbaccalaureate work, will be considered in determining the candidate’s academic standing.

No foreign language is required for this degree program. The program can be completed in three calendar years (4 quarters/year including summers; 12 course units per quarter) and will consist of 108 quarter-units of study. Classes will be held during the late weekday afternoons, weekday evenings, weekends, and during the summer to accommodate the schedules of working school administrators. Although this is a Joint Doctoral program through UCSD and CSUSM, all candidates will be required to be enrolled through UCSD. In order to meet residency requirements, students must be enrolled for a total of 36 quarter-units (or semester equivalent) for one year (four quarters) at UCSD and CSUSM. Candidates will be admitted in the fall term only.

Students will normally require three (3) calendar years (four quarters per year) to complete the degree requirements. Total time to qualifying may not exceed three (3) years, total time on support is limited to four (4) years, and total registered time may not exceed five (5) years.

Degree Requirements

The program requires a series of core courses that address fundamental subject areas in educational leadership, such as leadership in curriculum design and delivery, instructional leadership and research, equity and diversity, change theory and human motivation, and current issues and policy analysis; it also provides broad training in research methods and the application of this training in the preparation of doctoral dissertation research.

Leadership research practicum requires students to demonstrate the integration of coursework and practice. Students will be expected to initiate field-based research projects that are consistent with the objective of the particular course. Candidates in the program will typically select a practice-based research topic for their dissertation. Integrating theory, research, and practice is a distinctive characteristic of the program. By the completion of the summer session of the first year, all candidates will be required to submit the Qualifying Paper (which serves as the Comprehensive Examination). This is a substantial written report consisting of a comprehensive literature review on a significant topic in educational leadership. This will provide an opportunity to assess the candidate’s substantive knowledge, analytical reasoning, and writing proficiency. It is expected to be of publishable quality.

During the second year, students will select and develop a research proposal for the dissertation. Candidates will submit the dissertation proposal and defend it before the dissertation committee by the end of the second year of the program. When this requirement is satisfactorily completed, the student will advance to candidacy.

The focus of the third year of study will be conducting dissertation research, completion of writing of the dissertation, and defending the dissertation. The dissertation will present the results of the candidate’s independent investigation in a manner that contributes to professional knowledge in education and enables the improvement of school practice.