Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Degree

The Higher Education Program offers two doctoral degree tracks:one for practitioners and another for researchers. The practitioner degree is the Doctor of Education (Ed.D). See Doctoral Student Handbook (pdf).

Outcomes of the Ed.D.

Upon completion of the doctorate, the graduate will have mastered a comprehensive body of knowledge related to the subject matter field of higher education. The graduate will have demonstrated knowledge and competence in utilizing the analytic skills of disciplined inquiry and the leadership skills associated with the management and administration of postsecondary institutions. The graduate will delineate a code of professional ethics and demonstrate knowledge and application of technologies used in administration, leadership, and teaching-learning.

It is expected that the Ed.D. graduate will demonstrate knowledge of policy and practice through the conduct of systematic inquiry in a defined arena of higher education, the development of an evaluation strategy based upon a clear understanding of current practice and professional standards, and the application of cultural and contextual variables to the unique institutional setting in which the inquiry is to occur.

Admission Requirements

An applicant for admission to the Ed.D. program must meet two of the following three 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 Ed.S. degree, or (3) a score of 1,000 or better on the combined verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE. An applicant who meets the first two requirements must have a minimum combined score of 850 on the verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE to qualify for admission to the Ed.D. program.

The doctoral program is highly selective, and meeting minimum requirements is not a guarantee of admission. Factors which are relevant to the admissions decision include, but are not limited to, management and leadership experience in higher education, high motivation to achieve personal and professional goals consistent with the program's mission, and evidence of outstanding written and oral communication skills.

It is strongly recommended, but not required, that persons with a Master's degree have three to five years of work experience in a postsecondary institution or agency before applying to a doctoral program.

Doctoral Residency

Residency credits must be earned by each student after being admitted to a doctoral program. Residency is a University requirement; it is enforced by the Dean of Graduate Studies without exception. A Ed.D. student may accumulate 24 credits in 12 consecutive months or 30 credits in 16 months.

Ed.D. Degree Requirements

The Ed. D. degree requires a minimum of 52 semester hours of coursework beyond the masters degree with a 3.00 minimum GPA and 24 hours of dissertation credit. The minimum of 52 semester hours must include 31 hours of required courses and 18 hours of research.

Financial Assistance

Graduate assistantships are available to well-qualified doctoral students who enroll full-time. Graduate assistants are expected to contribute their time and energy to major research or service projects associated with the Department, affiliated centers, individual faculty grant projects, or various College and FSU offices. Additionally, a few doctoral fellowships are available campus-wide on a competitive basis for students with high GRE scores. Consult the General Bulletin - Graduate Edition for additional information on University scholarships, fellowships and assistantships.

Florida State University requires graduate students to be enrolled full-time to qualify for assistantships or fellowships. A full-time student must carry 12 credit hours, unless he/she is working as a graduate assistant, in which case 9 hours is the minimum. Graduate students financing their education with a loan(s) should note that most lenders require students to carry a full credit load; at FSU that is 12 credit hours unless the student has an assistantship.

Tuition Waivers

Although tuition waivers are not guaranteed, partial to full tuition waivers are often available in the fall and spring with some assistantships. Tuition waivers are awarded through the Department of Educational Leadership. The funds are limited and every good faith effort is made to assign the money fairly. The funds available may not be sufficient to fully fund every student. Some assistantships arranged with other divisions of the University or outside agencies may not carry a tuition waiver. Summer funding is very limited. It is the student's responsibility to find additional funding sources, usually through the Office of Financial Aid. Students with assistantships must register for nine hours of coursework to receive a tuition waiver in the fall or spring. A student may take 12 hours, but would need to pay for the additional hours.

Academic Common Market

FSU permits in-state fees for students from a state that is a member of the Academic Common Market of the Southern Regional Education Board if that state recognizes the Higher Education Program at FSU. Currently these states accept one or more graduate degree programs in Higher Education from FSU: Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Contact the state higher education office (e.g. Board of Regents) of the state in which you are a current resident for additional information. If your home state is not listed, you may contact the appropriate state office and request it to participate and recognize the FSU Higher Education Program.