PhD in Educational Leadership & Policy, Educational Leadership/Administration Specialization

Mission Statement

The mission of the Educational Leadership/Administration program is to develop and enhance dynamic, high-performing leadership for the renewal and improvement of schools and school systems. Our program is designed to help those in leadership roles provide effective leadership for teaching and learning. Our program philosophy is informed by democratic values, including respect for individual rights and responsibilities, participatory and public decision making, pluralism, accountability, and organizational integrity.

Our faculty improves leadership for present and future schools. We value reflective, practice-oriented research and inquiry by faculty and students. We promote the leadership qualities of honesty, dynamism, creativity, competence, challenge, and respect for diversity. We value high-quality and action-oriented leadership and endorse a participatory and shared leadership style.

The Doctor of Philosophy is a degree designed to produce a research scholar knowledgeable about the field of Educational Leadership/Administration. The career orientation for the Ph.D. prepares individuals for positions in research, policy development and analysis, university or college teaching, and/or administration. The Doctoral degree program leading to the Ph.D. includes a broad curriculum, encompassing the departmental core of courses, a research component, an interdisciplinary component, and an area of concentration. Individual programs of study are tailored to develop and enhance the competencies required to fulfill the student's career goals.

Upon completion of this degree, graduates will have mastered a comprehensive body of knowledge related to the subject matter field of Educational Leadership/Administration and Policy. Graduates will have demonstrated knowledge and competence in using analysis and synthesis in disciplined inquiry, and the leadership skills associated with the ethical management and administration of schools and educational systems. It is expected that the Ph.D. student will demonstrate knowledge of theory and research through the composition of an integrated literature review of research, and the elaboration of a research design that will meet rigorous methodological standards for theoretical and empirical research on a selected topic.

Admissions

An applicant for admission to the Ph.D. program must hold a Master's degree from an accredited institution and meet the following GPA requirements: (1) a GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for the last two years of undergraduate study; (2) a GPA of 3.5 or better on a 4.0 scale for a Master's or Specialist degree, and; (3) a competitive score on the GRE.

Admission to the doctoral program is highly selective and meeting minimum requirements is no guarantee of admission. Additional factors relevant to admission include: (1) teaching, management, and/or leadership experience; (2) outstanding written and oral communication skills; (3) high motivation to achieve personal and professional goals; and (4) evidence of conceptual ability to conduct independent research.

Residency

FSU requires the Ph.D. student to earn 24 residency credits in 12 consecutive months of coursework and the department expects the student to be on campus full-time for two semesters.

Advisors

Upon admission, each student will be assigned a temporary advisor who will assist the student in the early stages of program planning and will oversee the diagnostic examination.

Early in the doctoral program, the student should consult with the chair of the department and with the professors under whom the student may be interested in working and from whose area of competency a dissertation topic could be selected. The departmental chair will appoint the major professor who must be a member of the graduate faculty with doctoral directive status and have special competence in the student's proposed area of concentration. The appointment must be mutually agreeable to the student, the major professor, and the departmental chair.

Diagnostic Examination

A diagnostic examination will be given to each new doctoral student. The purpose of the diagnostic examination is to provide information that will help in the design of a program of study (including coursework needed to upgrade important skills or fill knowledge gaps) and to determine if continuing in the program is advisable. No preparation is necessary for this examination; it is a closed-book, fixed time, analytical exercise. Assessment results will be evaluated as a pass, pass conditionally, or fail.

Supervisory Committee

Ph.D. students generally select a major professor and supervisory committee after completing 12 to 15 hours of coursework. The supervisory committee consists of a minimum of four professors including the major professor and a professor from outside the Educational Leadership department. Three of the four must have doctoral directive status including the major professor and the outside member.

Program of Study

A Program of Study must be filed with the College of Education listing coursework leading to the completion of a degree program. The Program of Study is a student's anticipated timeline for the award of a doctorate. A student's temporary advisor will help begin the planning for a Program of Study, but it is completed and approved by the major professor and supervisory committee.

Ph.D. Degree Requirements

98 hours of coursework beyond the Master's degree is required, including 24 hours of dissertation credit. Students must maintain a 3.2 GPA or better.

A student wishing to obtain Florida Educational Leadership Certification is required to take the following courses:

Specialist or doctoral degree students who seek Florida Educational Leadership Certification may substitute required advanced courses for core certification courses as follows:

EDA 6930 Leadership Theory for EDA 5192 Educational Leadership
EME 5941 Designs for In-Service Personnel for EDA 5222 Personnel Administration in Education
EDA 6193 Leading Learning for EDA 5504 Instructional Leadership

Preliminary Examination

At or near the completion of the program of study, a preliminary examination is required of all students. The preliminary examination is designed to test scholarly competence and knowledge and to afford the examiners the basis for constructive recommendations concerning the student's subsequent formal or informal study. Clearance for the preliminary examination must be completed by the College of Education. Clearance is only given if the student has met the following requirements: an overall GPA of 3.2 for all graduate work completed; an approved supervisory committee; an approved Program of Study; and completion of the diagnostic examination. The preliminary examination is generally taken near the end of the student's Program of Study. The exam is prepared by the student's supervisory committee and takes place over the course of several days. The first two days consist of a number of questions that are designed to provide the student the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to analyze and synthesize pertinent knowledge in educational leadership while addressing significant problems and issues in their field. This component is administered under supervision and without the aid of texts or related materials. The third day may consist of a take-home component that requires the student to prepare a mini-prospectus on a research topic that could be expanded into a dissertation.

Prospectus and Dissertation

Upon passing the preliminary examination, the student is admitted to candidacy for the doctorate and must enroll for dissertation hours. Once admitted to candidacy, a student must be enrolled in each spring and fall term, unless an exception is arranged. Twenty-four hours of dissertation credit must be earned before a student can defend the dissertation and be awarded the degree. A maximum of twelve dissertation hours can be taken in one semester. During this period of enrollment, a research prospectus must be prepared which follows the guidelines of the College of Education.

A student works closely with his/her major professor on the research design for a dissertation study. A final draft of the prospectus will be examined by the supervisory committee and suggestions made for improving the research design. This may occur in a meeting of the committee to be followed by another meeting to review and approve the prospectus. The candidate will need to explain and defend the proposed research design at these meetings. A prospectus must be approved by the Department Chair and the Associate Dean of the College of Education.

A copy of the Prospectus Guidelines and Clearance Procedures should be obtained from the Graduate Research Office, 408 Westcott or at the website www.fsu.edu/gradstudies/thesis.shtml. A final draft should be in the hands of the committee two weeks prior to the defense.

Graduation A student must be admitted to candidacy for at least six months prior to the granting of the doctoral degree. An application for a diploma must be made in the Office of Records and Registration, Graduate Section, 2352 University Center, the first two weeks of the semester in which graduation is planned. A Final Term Clearance Form will be given to the student to complete per instructions. The booklet, University Clearance Guidelines, which contains graduation forms, must be obtained from the Final Clearance Advisor, 408 Westcott. Students must be registered for a minimum of two hours of dissertation credit in the semester in which they apply for graduation.