Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership (Ed.D.)

Program Length: The Ed.D. Organizational Leadership program is two years in length (accelerated, intensive format).

The Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership Program (Ed.D.) is designed for the professional who wishes to pursue a doctoral degree while continuing his or her career. The program mission is to develop scholarly practitioners as leaders and architects of change who make significant contributions to the organizations and communities they serve. The focus of the program is to apply leadership theory to practice through relevant and experiential learning.

All new students are only admitted to the Ed.D. program once per academic year, this is during the Fall Semester. The program may, with sufficient interest and demand, admit a Spring Semester cohort.

Program Dismissal

Students may be dismissed from the program under several circumstances, including but not limited to: academic dishonesty, academic disqualification, failure to maintain minimum academic standards, failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress, removal from a fieldwork placement, unethical or unprofessional conduct, failure of program activities measuring student competencies/or dispositions, circumstance interfering with training or well-being of others, and/or felony conviction. Students dismissed from the program may not apply for readmission.

Admission Requirements

Applicants will be evaluated by the department admissions committee using the following measures:

A completed application with application fee.
An earned bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited university and one of the following:
1. An earned graduate degree (post undergraduate) from a regionally accredited university, or
2. Significant leadership experience in lieu of a graduate degree. This should be described on the resume and in the personal statement.
Official transcripts from all institutions attended
Personal Statement (1,500 word maximum) addressing the following:
1. Describe your professional context and your role within it, including your responsibilities and the opportunities or challenges you see in your setting. Explain how you apply leadership knowledge and practice to improve your organization. In your response, reflect on areas where you see a need for growth, improvement, or change.
  
  In our program, we often refer to a meaningful, context-based challenge like this as a problem of practice. You may choose to describe a specific issue or area you are interested in improving; however, applicants are not expected to have a fully developed idea at this stage. The program is designed to support you in identifying and refining a meaningful, contextually grounded focus for your work.
Two letters of recommendation addressing the candidate's academic capability to complete a doctoral program.
A curriculum vitae or resume showing at least five years of work experience post-baccalaureate. One year of management/leadership experience is preferred.
A $200.00 deposit.

Enrollment Deadline and Waitlist

A cap in the number of doctoral students admitted to the Ed.D. program helps to maintain a quality student centered experience, and maintain a reasonable student-teacher ratio. Admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis as completed applications are submitted. Once admitted, students must submit their intent to enroll. A waitlist will be implemented once the program has reached its cohort capacity.

Degree Requirements

Total Program: 45 semester hours

Delivery Mode

The overall program will include one in-person, two-day practicum each semester to build community and deepen engagement. In addition, each course will include synchronous Zoom sessions throughout the semester, supplemented by asynchronous online work. This blended modality is designed to support flexibility for working professionals while maintaining meaningful interaction and academic rigor.  

The first year of the Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership program focuses on foundational leadership development and research preparation, with students completing a sequence of core courses that integrate leadership theory, applied skill development, and practice-based learning in professional contexts. The research sequence consists of six courses delivered over two years. The initial three courses build a strong foundation in qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, while the latter three support students in developing and advancing their Problem of Practice, which forms the basis of their dissertation. In the second year, students continue their research while taking advanced courses in innovation and complex systems and completing a chosen concentration in either Community College Leadership or Leadership and Organizational Transformation. The program emphasizes experiential learning and is delivered in a blended format with in-person, synchronous, and asynchronous components to support working professionals.

CPED Alignment

Research and dissertation courses are standardized across both EdD programs (Organizational Leadership and Educational Leadership) to ensure consistency, rigor, and practitioner-scholar alignment

There is an eight-year time limit to complete all aspects of the dissertation from proposal to final reviews. 

Students who do not complete the dissertation within the three years of coursework, must continuously enroll in the Dissertation in Organizational Leadership course (continuous enrollment) each semester up to the eight-year time limit for the completion of the degree.

Required Courses

36 semester hours

Course List
Code	Title	Semester Hours
ORGL 600	Foundations of Educational Research	3
ORGL 606	Personal and Visionary Leadership	3
ORGL 608	Building and Leading High-Impact Teams	3
ORGL 610	Applied Research in Educational Leadership I	3
ORGL 616	Conflict Resolution and Strategic Communication	3
ORGL 618	Strategic Organizational Change in Technology	3
ORGL 620	Applied Research in Educational Leadership II	3
ORGL 626 Building and Leading High-Impact Teams		3
ORGL 630	Transformative Research in Educational Leadership I	3
ORGL 636	Leading Innovation in Complex Systems	3
ORGL 640	Transformative Research in Educational Leadership II	3
ORGL 690	Capstone Research Course	3
Total Semester Hours		36

Select Concentration

9 semester hours

Concentration Option One: Community College

Course List
Code	Title	Semester Hours
ORGL 644	Policy, Finance, and Human Resources in Community Colleges	3
ORGL 645	Planning for Change in Community Colleges	3
ORGL 646	Exploration of Campus Cultures: Impact and Influence	3
Total Semester Hours		9

Concentration Option Two: Leadership and Organizational Transformation

Course List
Code	Title	Semester Hours
ORGL 654	Organizational Development and Transformational Change	3
ORGL 655	Finance and Human Resources	3
ORGL 656	Strategic Planning & Visioning	3
Total Semester Hours		9

Dissertation Research Courses

18 semester hours

Students will also enroll in a dissertation research course every term without a course fee.

Course List
Code	Title	Semester Hours
ORGL 691A Dissertation Research I		3
ORGL 691B Dissertation Research II		3
ORGL 691C Dissertation Research III		3
ORGL 691D Dissertation Research IV		3
ORGL 691E Dissertation Research V		3
ORGL 691F Dissertation Research VI		3