How is the Program Delivered?
The Doctor of Education in P-20 and Community Leadership program is one of the first doctorates in the nation to provide an innovative and integrated P-20 approach to educational leadership across the continuum. The Ed.D. is designed for working professionals and has an intentionally integrated cohort approach to learning. Program faculty assist each cohort to develop into an effective and productive learning community wherein students challenge and support one another. We believe that a cohort approach for adult learners fosters a spirit of camaraderie and leads to a higher completion rate as compared to other approaches to doctoral studies.
In addition, the composition of the cohort represents a variety of specialized interests, including pK-12 education, Postsecondary education, STEM leadership, Agriculture Education and community leadership. The program also provides a degree pathway for those who have earned an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree. Such diverse professional networks are valuable for career development, professional growth and support, as well as future collaborative projects and initiatives.
The executive-style delivery of blended (weekend and web-enhanced) courses speaks to the needs of active practitioners and is designed to be completed in three years. The cohort meets one weekend per month during the fall and spring semesters, with the remainder of the coursework being completed via an online/distance media. Courses are also taken during the summer semester.
The program can be completed 100% via distance delivery. No on-campus components are required and students can connect to classrooms virtually for the weekend courses. Tuition for the program is among the most affordable for doctoral programs in the area and is the same for both in-state and out-of-state students. In addition, Prior Learning Assessment is available to earn credit for coursework you have already mastered in your workplace.
Once admitted to the Ed.D. program, students are assigned an advisor from among the faculty in the Ed.D. program. The advisor's role is to support the student through the various program benchmarks and to assist the student in the further clarification of research interests.