Leadership PhD

Basic Degree Requirements

1. Participate in the on-campus program orientation: LEAD 630 - Introduction to Leadership  (2 cr) and in annual Leadership Conferences.
2. Complete LEAD 635 - Leadership and Learning Plan  (LLP, 4 cr) designed by the participant and approved by the Leadership faculty team.
3. Complete the following web-based learning experiences:
   LEAD 535 - Principles of Academic Writing —1–3
   LEAD 636 - Issues in Leadership Foundations —2
   LEAD 637 - Issues in Research —2
   LEAD 638 - Issues in Leadership Theory —2
4. Participate regularly and actively in a Leadership and Learning Group at least seven times a year.
5. Maintain employment throughout the program.
6. Complete the development and a presentation of a portfolio based on the participant’s LLP. The portfolio must document the satisfactory completion of the required competencies.
7. Complete the specific number of credits:
   64 credits for the EdS degree
   90 credits for the EdD/PhD degrees
8. Research:
   • EdS: Complete a research project.
     • Prerequisite: EDRM 505  or equivalent
     • LEAD 798 - EdS Research Project —3–6
   • EdD/PhD: Complete a dissertation. Both degrees require the submission of a research-based article to a peer-reviewed publication.
     • Prerequisite: EDRM 505  or equivalent
     • LEAD 880 - Dissertation Proposal Development —2
     • LEAD 899 - Doctoral Dissertation —14

Competencies of the Program

Leadership requires theoretical knowledge and practical application in the following core competencies:

1. Leadership and the Self: This cluster of competencies focuses on the self awareness and the personal and professional identity required when practicing leadership.
   
   1. Philosophical foundations—Leadership functions within the context of multiple perspectives and understands how their own worldview influences their practice.
   2. Ethics, values, and spirituality—Leadership functions from a set of principles and standards that guides their work and all their relationships with others.
   3. Learning and human development—Leadership understands the principles of learning and is committed to and practices continuous personal, interpersonal and organizational learning.
2. Leadership with Others: This cluster of competencies focuses on the interpersonal aspects of leadership. Growth and development of others is an essential function of leadership.
   
   1. Effective communication—Leadership fosters effective communication in all internal and external interactions, to establish and maintain cooperative relationships.
   2. Mentor/coach—Leadership promotes relationships that are trust-centered, providing the kind of empowerment that results in personal and performance improvement toward satisfying mutual objectives.
   3. Social responsibilities—Leadership understands social systems and is accountable to others and endeavors to see that family, community, and environmental needs are met in local and, as appropriate, in global ways.
3. Leadership through Organizations: This cluster of competencies focuses on the organizational aspects of leadership. Leadership sets direction in ways that facilitiate achievement of organizational goals.
   
   1. Resource development, human and financial—Leadership appropriately allocates and manages human and financial resources for healthy and strategic outcomes.
   2. Legal and policy issues—Leadership applies and understands the scope of legal and policy structures appropriate for their field.
   3. Organizational behavior, development, and culture—Leadership understands personal, group, and inter-group behaviors, and how they impact organizational history, needs, and goals.
   4. Implementing change—Leadership involves working with others in order to collaboratively shape the vision and strategy for change, as well as being capable of facilitating the change process.
   5. Evaluation and assessment—Leadership uses appropriate evaluation and assessment tools to make decisions about programs and plans.
4. Leadership and Research: This cluster of competencies focuses on the need to use data to communicate, persuade, and make decisions, and to contribute to the knowledge base for leadership. Competence in research needs to include both qualitative and quantitative methods. Research skills are often necessary while engaging in organizational development, assessment, and evaluation, and other leadership projects.
   
   1. Reading and evaluating research—Leadership critiques the adequacy of research reports, conducts literature reviews using electronic sources, and relates research to the body of knowledge in their professional field.
   2. Conducting research—Leadership understands the logic and processes of scientific inquiry, explains major research methodologies, formulates empirically driven research problems, selects appropriate research designs, explains standards for data collection, and conducts basic data collection and analysis.
   3. Reporting and implementing research—Leadership adequately communicates research findings and implements the findings in the workplace.
5. Individually Chosen Options:  One required.  Additional options may be chosen, if needed.

Basic Competency Requirements for the EdD and PhD degrees

Completion of the EdD or PhD in Leadership is achieved only after the development of a portfolio demonstrating mastery in at least 15 competencies.

The participant prepares a Leadership and Learning Plan (LLP), which becomes his/her course of study. The course of study translates into at least 90 semester credits.