Educational Leadership PhD

Total Credits - 60

• 2 credits of  EDAL 660 - Planning and Operating Educational Facilities Credits: 2,3
• 3 credits of  EDAL 886 - Advanced K-12 Internship Credits: 1-12
• EDRM 605 - Qualitative Research Methods in Education and Psychology Credits: 3
• EDRM 611 - Applied Statistical Methods I Credits: 3
• EDRM 636 - Program Evaluation Credits: 3
• EDRM 712 - Applied Statistical Methods II Credits: 3
• EDUC 870 - Doctoral Comprehensive Exam Credits: 0
• 2 Credits of  LEAD 535 - Principles of Academic Writing Credits: 1-3
• LEAD 630 - Introduction to Leadership Credits: 2
• 2 credits of  LEAD 637 - Issues in Research Credits: 2,3
• 2-3 credits of  LEAD 645 - Ethical Leadership & Organizational Integrity Credits: 1-3
• 1-3 Credits of  LEAD 775 - Advanced Portfolio Development: (Topic)_____ Credits: 1-12
• LEAD 778 - Global Education Study Tour Credits: 3-6

Cognates - 12

In consultation with academic advisor, choose 12 credits from outside Educational Administration, such as Business, Communication, Social Work, Psychology, Curriculum, Leadership, Research, or transfer credits.

Additional Requirements

• Candidates must complete LEAD 630 - Introduction to Leadership as an introduction to the philosophy of leadership and review of the standards that will guide their educational plan.
• The curriculum requires the completion of a portfolio and a dissertation.
• The portfolio serves as a component of the doctoral comprehensive examination.
• Beginning the semester after registering for LEAD 880 - Dissertation Proposal Development, candidates must register for at least 1 dissertation credit during each semester until their dissertation is successfully defended.
• Many courses are offered as variable credits; therefore, candidates should consider their credit needs when planning their course work and registering for courses.
• The Doctor of Education PhD program requires the submission of a research based article to a peer-reviewed publication.

Admission Requirements

An Educational Leadership MA degree or equivalent is required for admission. Previous doctoral degree(s), post-masters’ academic work, especially research courses, documented competencies, and leadership skills and knowledge benefit these applicants in fulfilling program objectives that may be used toward degree requirements. GRE scores are not required for admission. However, an applicant may choose to take the GRE test and submit scores to Andrews University for consideration in potential scholarship awards.

Student Learning Outcomes

The Educational Leadership segment of LEAD seeks to prepare effective, educational administrators for servant leadership in educational settings.

Mastery of the National Educational Leadership Preparation Standards (NELP): The Educational Leadership program in the School of Leadership seeks to prepare effective educational administrators based on the following NELP Standards:

Standard 1: Mission, Vision, and Improvement
Candidates who successfully complete a building-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to collaboratively lead, design, and implement a school mission, vision, and process for continuous improvement that reflects a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community.

• Component 1.1: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively evaluate, develop, and communicate a school mission and vision designed to reflect a core set of values and priorities that include data use, technology, equity, diversity, digital citizenship, and community.
• Component 1.2: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to lead improvement processes that include data use, design, implementation, and evaluation.

Standard 2: Ethics and Professional Norms
Candidates who successfully complete a building-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to understand and demonstrate the capacity to advocate for ethical decisions and cultivate and enact professional norms.        

• Component 2.1: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to reflect on, communicate about, cultivate, and model professional dispositions and norms (i.e., fairness, integrity, transparency, trust, digital citizenship, collaboration, perseverance, reflection, lifelong learning) that support the educational success and well-being of each student and adult.
• Component 2.2: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, communicate about, and advocate for ethical and legal decisions.
• Component 2.3: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to model ethical behavior in their personal conduct and relationships and to cultivate ethical behavior in others.

Standard 3: Equity, Inclusiveness and Cultural Responsiveness
Candidates who successfully complete a building-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to develop and maintain a supportive, equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive school culture.

• Component 3.1: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to use data to evaluate, design, cultivate, and advocate for a supportive and inclusive school culture.
• Component 3.2: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, cultivate, and advocate for equitable access to educational resources, technologies, and opportunities that support the educational success and wellbeing of each student.
• Component 3.3: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, cultivate, and advocate for equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive instruction and behavior support practices among teachers and staff.

Standard 4: Learning and Instruction
Candidates who successfully complete a building-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to evaluate, develop, and implement coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, data systems, supports, and assessment.

• Component 4.1: Program completers understand and can demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, develop, and implement high-quality, technology-rich curricula programs and other supports for academic and non-academic student programs.
• Component 4.2: Program completers understand and can demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, develop, and implement high-quality and equitable academic and non-academic instructional practices, resources, technologies, and services that support equity, digital literacy, and the school’s academic and non-academic systems.
• Component 4.3: Program completers understand and can demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, develop, and implement formal and informal culturally responsive and accessible assessments that support data-informed instructional improvement and student learning and well-being.
• Component 4.4: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively evaluate, develop, and implement the school’s curriculum, instruction, technology, data systems, and assessment practices in a coherent, equitable, and systematic manner.

Standard 5: Community and External Leadership
Candidates who successfully complete a building-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to engage families, community, and school personnel in order to strengthen student learning, support school improvement, and advocate for the needs of their school and community.

• Component 5.1: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively engage diverse families in strengthening student learning in and out of school.
• Component 5.2: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to collaboratively engage and cultivate relationships with diverse community members, partners, and other constituencies for the benefit of school improvement and student development.
• Component 5.3: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to communicate through oral, written, and digital means within the larger organizational, community, and political contexts when advocating for the needs of their school and community.

Standard 6: Operations and Management
Candidates who successfully complete a building-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to improve management, communication, technology, school-level governance, and operation systems to develop and improve data-informed and equitable school resource plans and to apply laws, policies, and regulations.

• Component 6.1: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, develop, and implement management, communication, technology, school-level governance, and operation systems that support each student’s learning needs and promote the mission and vision of the school.
• Component 6.2: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to evaluate, develop, and advocate for a data-informed and equitable resourcing plan that supports school improvement and student development.
• Component 6.3: Program completers understand and demonstrate the capacity to reflectively evaluate, communicate about, and implement laws, rights, policies, and regulations to promote student and adult success and well-being.

Standard 7: Building Professional Capacity
Candidates who successfully complete a building-level educational leadership preparation program understand and demonstrate the capacity to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult by applying the knowledge, skills, and commitments necessary to build the school’s professional capacity, engage staff in the development of a collaborative professional culture, and improve systems of staff supervision, evaluation, support, and professional learning.

• Component 7.1: Program completers understand and have the capacity to collaboratively develop the school’s professional capacity through engagement in recruiting, selecting, and hiring staff.
• Component 7.2: Program completers understand and have the capacity to develop and engage staff in a collaborative professional culture designed to promote school improvement, teacher retention, and the success and well-being of each student and adult in the school.
• Component 7.3: Program completers understand and have the capacity to personally engage in, as well as collaboratively engage school staff in, professional learning designed to promote reflection, cultural responsiveness, distributed leadership, digital literacy, school improvement, and student success.
• Component 7.4: Program completers understand and have the capacity to evaluate, develop, and implement systems of supervision, support, and evaluation designed to promote school improvement and student success.

Standard 8: The Internship
Candidates successfully complete an internship under the supervision of knowledgeable, expert practitioners that engages candidates in multiple and diverse school settings and provides candidates with coherent, authentic, and sustained opportunities to synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills identified in NELP standards 1–7 in ways that approximate the full range of responsibilities required of building-level leaders and enable them to promote the current and future success and well-being of each student and adult in their school.

• Component 8.1: Candidates are provided a variety of coherent, authentic field and/or clinical internship experiences within multiple school environments that afford opportunities to interact with stakeholders, synthesize and apply the content knowledge, and develop and refine the professional skills articulated in each of the components included in NELP building-level program standards 1–7.
• Component 8.2: Candidates are provided a minimum of six months of concentrated (10–15 hours per week) internship or clinical experiences that include authentic leadership activities within a school setting.
• Component 8.3: Candidates are provided a mentor who has demonstrated effectiveness as an educational leader within a building setting; is present for a significant portion of the internship; is selected collaboratively by the intern, a representative of the school and/or district, and program faculty; and has received training from the supervising institution.

Standard 9: Worldview
Candidates who successfully complete a building-level educational leadership preparation program understand the philosophical perspectives of others and develop a personal philosophy anchored on their faith tradition from which action and service arise. 

• Component 9.1: Candidates understand diverse worldviews from which educational leaders draw practical applications for understanding and service.
• Component 9.2: Candidates understand and build a worldview that is based on the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy and can draw practical implications of their worldview.
• Component 9.3: Candidates use their worldviews to inform school policy and leadership practices.
• Component 9.4: Candidates use their worldviews to nurture their students, teachers and employees, parents, and the community at large.