Ed.D.: Educational Administration
The Doctorate of Education Degree (Ed.D.) has been designed to meet the needs of aspiring administrators in urban and metropolitan school districts and colleges/universities. There are two focus areas within the Ed.D. program: PK-12 school administration and higher education administration.
Coordinators:
Loyce Caruthers, (816) 235-1044, caruthersl@umkc.edu (PK-12)
Tiffani Riggers-Piehl (816) 235-2458 riggers-piehlt@umkc.edu (Higher Education)
Doctorate of Education: Focus in PK-12 Education Administration
The Doctorate of Education in PK-12 Educational Administration program is designed to expand the content competencies and applied leadership skills of candidates in educational leadership careers in elementary, middle, and secondary school settings, as well as in central office administration. Curriculum focuses on current and future educational challenges to enhance the knowledge and skill development of public school leaders in their positions, incorporating strategic planning, collaborative problem solving, interpersonal and inter-group functioning, technological proficiency, and effective communication.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from this program will:
- Apply knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to organizational development and student learning by using reflective decision-making and problem solving to create caring and safe environment and strategic innovation in urban, suburban, and rural schools
- Utilize the ability to facilitate and engage in activities and strategic innovations that incorporate effective practices and sound educational research to improve instructional programs with a focus on collaboration with others and inquiry using reflective decision-making and problem solving leading to opportunities for promoting caring and safe schools that value democracy, diversity, and social justice
- Employ program evaluation theory, concepts, and standards within school and community settings by developing and implementing a program evaluation project that reflects inquiry leading to reflective decision making, problem solving, collaboration, strategic innovation, and promotes caring and safe schools, democracy, diversity, and social justice
- Deconstruct educational theory formation and its relationship to curriculum and instruction through reflective inquiry and decision making and problem solving to examine issues of democracy, diversity, and social justice leading to caring and safe schools and strategic innovation
- Integrate theory and research related to human resources, organizational, and educational leadership in school practices that demonstrate inquiry for reflective decision making, problems solving, collaboration, strategic innovation, and promoting caring and safe schools, democracy, diversity, and social justice
- Synthesize knowledge of qualitative and/or quantitative methods to develop an applied research proposal that incorporates reflective decision making, problem solving, and strategic innovation leading to academic excellence for creating caring and safe schools
- Successfully defend the final applied dissertation through demonstrating academic excellence, problem solving, and strategic innovation and the integration of dissertation elements: Introduction, Literature review, methodology, findings, and recommendations and future research
- Integrate comprehensive knowledge, skills, and dispositions for providing leadership, academic excellence, collaboration, reflective decision making, and strategic innovation to promote excellence and equity in urban, suburban, and rural school settings
Criteria for Admission to PK-12 Educational Administration Focus
The Ed.D. in PK-12 Administration program will provide opportunities for students to acquire content competencies and applied leadership skills following the completion of a masters or specialist degree (or equivalent)in the field of Education Administration. Students with masters in other degree programs may be provisionally accepted. Approximately 15-20 students admitted to the program each cohort cycle, every two years.
Your application includes:
- Completed UMKC application. Application fee waived for UMKC Alumni.
- Official transcripts from each college attended.
- Curriculum Vita/Resume
- Master's degree, Educational Specialist degree or equivalent from an accredited institution with GPA of at least 3.65 in degree area (Master's in other fields may be provisionally accepted).
- Successful completion of 3 hours or equivalent of Statistical Methods 1 (EDRP 5505) and 3 hours or equivalent of Principles and Methods of Research (EDRP 5508), each with a grade of B or higher (may be admitted provisionally with expectation to complete coursework during the six semesters of coursework (i.e., preferably the first two semesters of coursework).
- Three professional or academic letters of reference.
- An autobiographical statement (500 words or less) that includes your professional goals, how the doctoral degree will help you in achieving these goals, and a description of leadership accomplishments.
- A writing sample, which gives evidence of your writing ability. The sample may be a previous course paper, a chapter from thesis, a published article, etc.
Curriculum
The program consists of 42 hours of required courses (33 hours of course work and 9 dissertation hours), a comprehensive exam, and an Applied Dissertation Project. The cohort model allows students to complete required course work in the first six semesters of study. The Applied Dissertation Project should be completed in the following three semesters which supports the completion of the degree program in three years.
The curriculum is guided by the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards (https://www.npbea.org/nelp) and the Missouri Leader Standards for program development and assessment (https://dese.mo.gov/sites/default/files/LeaderStandards.pdf)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDUC-UL 5589 | Special Topics In Educational Leadership (Two special topics courses of 3 credit hours each: 1) Educational Leadership and 2) Media, Government and Public Relations) | 6 |
| EDUC-R&P 5625 | Program Evaluation For Education & Social Science | 3 |
| EDUC-UL 5616 | Analysis Of Educational Theory Formation | 3 |
| EDUC-UL 5532 | Educational Leadership and Organizational Behavior | 3 |
| EDUC-UL 5531 | Educational Leadership and Human Resources | 3 |
| EDUC-UL 5523 | Administrative Roles For Instructional Leadership | 3 |
| EDUC-C&I 5620 | Seminars In Theories Related To Curriculum | 3 |
| EDUC-UL 5685 | Problems And Issues In Education & Urban Leadership | 3 |
| Research Methods Sequence | 6 | |
| Qualitative Track: | ||
| Qualitative Research Theory & Design Educational Setting. Part 1 | ||
| Qual Data Collection And Analysis In Educational Settings. Part 2 | ||
| OR Quantitative Track: | ||
| Statistical Methods II | ||
| Applied Quantitative Research in Education | ||
| Dissertation | ||
| EDUC-UL 5696 | Dissertation Administration And Community Leadership (Students are encouraged to enroll in 3 dissertation hours during the last semester of course work and maintain continuous enrollment through enrollment in one credit hour fall and spring semesters until program completion. ) | 9 |
| Total Credits | 42 | |
Doctor of Education: Focus in Higher Education Administration
The doctoral program with a focus in Higher Education Administration is designed to prepare administrative leaders for positions in community colleges and four-year colleges and universities. The program may also be appropriate for individuals working in government agencies, business, and industry. Therefore, students may come to the program from a variety of fields, backgrounds, and types of higher education institutions.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from this program will:
- Identify current issues within the field of higher education and devise appropriate solutions.
- Demonstrate mastery of a research method and application of that method to address a current issue in higher education administration.
- Demonstrate improvement in ability to incorporate multicultural policies and programs into professional practice.
- Construct an identity of a reflective and scholarly educational practitioner.
- Demonstrate improvement in ability to incorporate ethical leadership into professional practice.
Criteria for Admission to Higher Education Focus
Admission to the Higher Education doctoral program is a two-tier procedure. A general application to the University and all transcripts must be sent to the Office of Admission. A previously earned master's degree from any accredited institution is required with a 3.0 or higher GPA. Additional documents must be submitted directly to the program. Upon receipt of all application materials, students will be contacted to arrange a date for a personal interview which will be the final step in the admission process.
Your application includes:
- Completed UMKC application.
- Official transcripts from each college attended.
- A letter of intent including a statement of the reason for pursuing a doctoral degree in Higher Education and a brief discussion about the match between the applicant's needs and the program offering.
- A vita or resume providing a summary of leadership activities, work experiences, and scholarly activity.
- Two letters of recommendation are required. At least one letter must be from a professional reference, the other may be from an academic reference. References should speak to applicant's ability to successfully complete a graduate or doctoral program.
- Writing sample. This sample may be a previous academic product (from the applicant's graduate program) or a significant professional writing sample.
- An interview will be scheduled with at least two faculty members as the final step in the admission process. Interview topics will be wide-ranging, including personal goals and objectives, current issues in education, and successful college experiences. The interview is designed to acquire information concerning the applicant's oral skills and critical thinking skills. The applicant will also have the opportunity to garner additional information about the program.
Students are admitted to the program every three years. The deadline for submitting all application materials is February 15th of the admitting year. The GRE is not required for admission.
Curriculum
The program consists of a minimum of 54 semester hours1 beyond the master’s degree, inclusive of the dissertation. The Ed.D. is a practitioner’s degree designed for the advanced student who wishes to achieve a superior level of competency in their professional field with emphasis on practice and leadership in an urban setting. The degree requires students to demonstrate proficiency in independent research in higher education and make original contributions to the body of knowledge related to higher education. The program is structured in a cohort model with admission every three years. Admitted students must take courses as prescribed, in order, to complete degree program in a three year time frame. Students may complete the program in longer than three years depending on the focus of their applied research project (dissertation) or chosen elective coursework. It is expected that students will complete the doctorate during a four year period of time.
Students are expected to have taken an introductory statistics course prior to enrollment in the doctoral program (e.g. EDUC-RP 5505 or equivalent). If the student has not taken such a course prior to enrollment they will need to do so before beginning the research methods series in year 2. This pre-requisite is outside of the 54 credit hours required for the degree.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Higher Education Required Courses: | ||
| EDUC-UL 5604 | Introduction to Doctoral Study | 3 |
| EDUC-UL 5652 | Financial Aspects Of Higher Education | 3 |
| EDUC-UL 5636 | Policy Issues in Higher Education | 3 |
| EDUC-UL 5557 | Legal Aspects Of Higher Education | 3 |
| EDUC-UL 5635 | Topics In Higher Education (Program Assessment and Evaluation) | 3 |
| EDUC-UL 5685 | Problems And Issues In Education & Urban Leadership | 3 |
| Research Methods (Must have EDUC-R&P 5505 or equivalent in previous degree): | 9 | |
| Introduction To Graduate Research | ||
| Quantitative Track: | ||
| Statistical Methods II | ||
| Applied Quantitative Research in Education | ||
| OR Qualitative Track: | ||
| Qualitative Research Theory & Design Educational Setting. Part 1 | ||
| Qual Data Collection And Analysis In Educational Settings. Part 2 | ||
| Foundations (Select two courses from the following): | 6 | |
| Philosophical Foundations Of Education | ||
| Sociological Foundations Of Education | ||
| Cultural Foundations Of Education | ||
| History Of Higher Education | ||
| Electives (select 3 from the following): | 9 | |
| Organization And Administration Of Higher Education | ||
| Student Affairs Administration In Higher Education | ||
| The College Student | ||
| Advanced Student Development Theory | ||
| Current Issues In Community Colleges | ||
| Leadership In Higher Education | ||
| Racial And Ethnic Diversity, And Cultural Understanding | ||
| Advanced Developmental Science Across the Lifespan | ||
| Educational Psychology: Focus on Teaching in Higher Education | ||
| Dissertation: | ||
| EDUC-UL 5696 | Dissertation Administration And Community Leadership | 12 |
| Total Credits | 54 | |
1Students may transfer up to 12 credit hours (ch) of foundations and elective courses from previous degree programs as approved by the students' advisor.
Note: Electives courses may be selected from the list above (prioritized) or from other graduate programs at UMKC as approved by the students' advisor. Students may choose to take additional research methods courses (in excess of the required 9 hours) or electives (in excess of the 9 hours) to support their dissertation focus as needed in consultation with their advisor.