K-12 Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) Degree in K-12 Educational Leadership is a cohort-based practitioner-oriented doctoral program that builds upon Baylor’s historic mission to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service. Designed for the dedicated working education professional, the program prepares highly qualified practitioners in cohort settings to lead K-12 education institutions, while refining skills for executive positions in public, Christian, and private educational systems or agencies. The curriculum provides current and future educational leaders with authentic learning experiences, appropriate advanced knowledge and skills, opportunities for reflection and progressive mentoring to enable success in challenging leadership K-12 educational leadership positions. In particular, the program’s design focuses on preparing educational leaders to
- lead change through confronting complex organizational problems,
- systemically identify and propose high-potential solutions, and
- organize appropriate actions to achieve such solutions.
Academic rigor and practical clinical experiences are balanced with challenging courses to address contextual problems of practice. Support for students is based on competent mentorship, camaraderie and collegial relationships.
The program integrates coursework and clinical practice addressing organizational structure, best practices, and data informed decision-making in educational settings. Specific learning outcomes are integrated throughout the curriculum and clinical experiences. A total of 65 credit hours of graduate work above the Master’s Degree are required for the degree. The degree plan may exceed 65 hours if students choose to complete additional courses, or undertake optional 12 credit hour program specialties/cognates (e.g. curriculum and instruction or educational psychology).
Admission
Admission to the Ed.D. Degree program in K-12 Educational Leadership is selective, based upon student vocational aspirations and a variety of backgrounds, skill sets/aptitudes, and dispositional factors that project potential for successful completion of the program and subsequent success as a transformational K-12 leader. Applicants are sought who are already addressing educational/professional issues or who are motivated to gain the skills and knowledge required to address the complex issues and problems confronting leaders. Therefore, candidates with leadership experience and the demonstrated motivation to serve and lead will receive priority consideration for admission.
All applicants must submit a letter of application, certified university transcripts documenting all degrees conferred, three targeted professional reference letters, current professional resume, and other evidentiary documents. Finally, upon receipt of the above documentation, selected qualified applicants will be invited to participate in two activities at the University:
- a structured interview with an admissions committee (composed of faculty and practitioners) and
- the controlled-situation production of a professional writing sample of 1000-1500 words.
Requirements for an Ed.D. in K-12 Educational Leadership
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CSS 5320 | Leadership and Persuasion | 3 |
| EDC/EDL 6336 | Qualitative Research and Data Analysis | 3 |
| EDL 5305 | International and Comparative Education | 3 |
| EDL 5355 | Transforming Learning Environments: School Facility Planning | 3 |
| EDL 6303 | Seminar: Curriculum Management and Evaluation | 3 |
| EDL 6304 | Seminar: Politics, Policy and Governance of Education | 3 |
| EDL 6305 | Ethics and Values in Educational Leadership | 3 |
| EDL 6309 | Framing K-12 Problems for Inquiry | 3 |
| EDL 6310 | Organizational Behavior and Leadership | 3 |
| EDL 6312 | Systemic Inquiry through Data Analytics | 3 |
| EDL 6335 | Research Practicum in Education (taken twice) | 6 |
| EDL 6344 | School District Business Management and Finance | 3 |
| EDL 6352 | Trends in Educational Thought | 3 |
| EDL 6355 | Conflict Management and Resolution | 3 |
| EDL 6359 | Advanced Studies in Education Law | 3 |
| EDL 6363 | Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership | 3 |
| EDL 6380 | Technology in Educational Leadership | 3 |
| EDL 6V20 | Clinical Experiences for Educational Leaders | 5 |
| EDL 6V99 | Dissertation | 6 |
| Total Hours | 65 | |
Students will engage in studies of advanced educational law; politics, policy and governance; school finance; trends in educational leadership; advanced studies for school executives; curriculum management and evaluation; conflict management and resolution; visioning, planning, and acquisitions of 21st century school facilities; ethics and values in educational leadership; and state, national, and international education systems.
Courses:
EDL 6V20 Clinical Experiences for Educational Leaders (5 hr.)
Students will have structured program-keyed clinical experiences learning to frame and address complex problems in educational settings that include working 1-1 with prominent educational leaders as mentors across much of the program. This clinical experience will generally serve as a basis for the dissertation.
EDL 6V99 Dissertation (6 hr.)
Candidates complete a capstone experience/dissertation-in-practice documenting their efforts to address real-life complex problems of practice, analyze values, persuasively present data-based solution options to a superintendent of schools and policy body/board or agency head, and develop a plan for appropriate implementation.
Total Number of Hours in the Program:
65 hours (54 hours of coursework + 5 hours of clinical experience + 6 hours of dissertation).
The degree plan may be modified during advisement on an individual basis to meet each student’s needs.