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Overview of the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership Program
Mission
The University of Akron, since the late 1950s, has been a major player in preparing administrators for Northeastern Ohio educational institutions. Many of our graduates have held or currently lead in many positions throughout the state, nation and in other countries worldwide. The major objective of this program is to prepare k-16 educational leaders (elementary, secondary and postsecondary education). In 1998, The University of Akron became one of the first educational administration programs in the State to introduce the exit assessment requirement of a portfolio based on the ISLLC standards.
Faculty serve on the editorial boards of numerous journals including Education and Urban Society, West’s Education Law Reporter, Education Law into Practice, and Education Studies. Faculty also serve as reviewers for a number of journals including, NASSP Bulletin, Journal of School Leadership, International Journal of Leadership in Education, Journal of Teacher Education, Teachers College Record, and reviewers for book publishers including Sage Publications, Corwin Press, Allyn and Bacon, Laurence Erlbaum and Associates , McGraw-Hill, Prentice-Hall, Wiley & Sons. Since 2002 faculty have secured over $1,242,235 in research support. These funds have been used to support various leadership for learning projects. Grant funding were received from Ohio Department of Education, Summa Health System Foundation, Ohio Department of Mental Health, Ohio Learning Network, U.S. Department of Education, Ohio Board of Regents, and Summit County Education Service Center.
Admission Standards
Students applying to the program are expected to submit transcripts from all institutions were they earned a degree including their master’s degree. Students are also expected to take the GRE and submit their scores. Students must participate in a proctored writing sample administered on campus along with an interview with the admissions committee. Space is limited to this program; therefore not all that apply and meet admission standards are necessarily admitted. Usually, a student is not officially considered as a doctoral student until completion of a master’s program or its equivalent and approval for further study.
The department reviews applications in the spring and fall of each academic year, with admissions granted for the following semester. The department uses a modified cohort admission process, and admits based on proper cohort size. Your application materials must be submitted no later than March 1 for Fall and October 15 for Spring to be considered for admissions. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
Admission requirements for the Ed.D. (Doctorate of Education) include:
- Statement of Purpose, to include the nature of applicant’s interest in the program, and future career goals. (Please see the ApplyYourself link at left)
- Preferred score of 1000 on verbal/quantitative sections of the GRE (must have been taken within the past five years)
- Official Transcripts—Undergraduate, masters, certificate/licensure programs; and any previous doctoral study:
- 3.25 GPA-masters
- Current Curriculum Vitae/Resume
- Three Letters of Reference addressing the applicant’s organizational, research, and communication skills, and ability to successfully complete doctoral degree.
Applicants who make the first cut, based on review of the application package above, will be invited to campus to provide the following:
- Proctored writing sample and
- Structured interview
According to the Ohio Employment Projections Report 2000-2010 (Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, 2003), there is an expected increase demand for elementary and secondary educational administrators by 11.5%, with an 8% increase expected for postsecondary administrators. Demand for those with a doctoral degree in the State of Ohio is expected to grow by 18.1% during this same time period.
Nationally, the largest number of doctoral degrees awarded in 2000 were in education, many of these degrees were not Ph.D.’s in Education but Doctorates of Education (Ed.D.) (Jones, 2002-03).
Placement Objectives
The Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership bears special responsibility for preparing P-16 leaders to the degree that its graduates have unique opportunities to shape organizational goals, to influence the character of educational programs, and to affect institutional performance. The department’s programs are based on the strengths of the total College and University. Professional knowledge and skills of administration are developed as they relate to larger issues of P-16 educational policy and purpose.
References
Jones, E. (2002-03, Winter) Beyond supply and demand: Assessing the Ph.D. job market. Occupational Outlook Quarterly, pp. 22-33.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (2003) Ohio Job Outlook to 2010. Columbus, OH: Bureau of Labor Market Information.
Links
View Ed.D. Program Details (coursework)
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