Educational Leadership EDD
Program Purpose
Educational leaders are called to engage in the profound transformation of themselves, their students, fellow educators, and the broader educational system-pursuing the "full realization of human potential" (BYU Mission Statement) and striving to build a society where all are "of one heart and one mind… and there [are] no poor among [us]" (see Moses 7:18). As a doctoral student in Educational Leadership, you will:
- Become steward leaders who internalize the principle of stewardship-faithfully serving those you lead and representing the communities you uplift as you navigate and shape educational systems.
- Become moral agents of improvement who champion educational equity through intentional collaboration with educators and stakeholders, grounded in a shared vision of learning that drives sustainable, systemic reform.
- Become scholarly practitioners who skillfully analyze, critique, design, and apply research to meaningfully enhance and transform educational practices and institutions.
Upon completion of this program, you will emerge as a more Christ-like educational leader-anchored in faith and committed to service. You will lead with the love, humility, and selfless devotion exemplified by Christ, leaving a transformative and enduring impact on the world around you.
Curricular Structure
Program Design
Requirements for Degree
The program will follow the cohort delivery method, which results in a very specific and concentrated field of inquiry. Requirements include satisfactory completion of coursework consisting of 88 credit hours distributed as follows: 1) 36 hours of credit for completion of an appropriate master's or comparable degree; 2) 40 hours of core disciplinary subject matter coursework; and 3) 12 hours of dissertation credit. Student progress will be evaluated by the faculty three times annually (January, May, and September). Additional program requirements include successful completion of a comprehensive exam (described below) and successfully completion of a dissertation based on a problem of practice.
Program design features are intended to avoid competition with or duplication of existing PhD programs in the School of Education; they have been designed to utilize all the unique strengths of an EdD model as studied and developed by nationally ranked peers in the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate. The prerequisites, proposed curricula, and schedules follow.
Coursework
Coursework, as outlined in the following matrix and table, will be delivered six weekends per semester, Friday from 4:00 pm until 10:00 pm and Saturday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, for the completion of 6 credit hours each semester and during the summer term. Summer terms will require full-time registration for 6 credits during the 7-week summer term, which may be offered on 6 intensive weekends or two weeks of residency. This schedule will result in at least as many hours of traditional course time as other doctoral programs in the Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations. This method of delivery allows students from across the region or nation to pursue doctoral studies at BYU. In addition, this delivery method will, we believe, result in more intensive and powerful pedagogy and fuller utilization of students' resources. While at BYU students will be focused completely and exhaustively on coursework, research, and library experiences. In intervening weeks they will be working to prepare for challenging work in the continuing curriculum.
Comprehensive Exam
To be admitted to final doctoral candidacy, students must complete a comprehensive examination and all coursework with satisfactory ratings. The comprehensive examination will consist of a 20-25 page paper that introduces the problem of practice guiding their dissertation research and synthesizes existing literature relating to this problem.
Dissertation
Candidates will also complete a dissertation focused on active research confronting current issues and problems in education in ways that will improve educational practice. Dissertations produced by EdD candidates will be submitted to national peer-reviewed journals for possible publications. Faculty chairs or doctoral committee members may be co-authors on such articles. Students will complete the McKay School of Education's hybrid dissertation, as approved by the university and described below.
1. The hybrid dissertation will require the defense of a prospectus and a final oral defense.
2. The prospectus document will be comprised of
a. an in-depth literature review, and
b. a thorough description of the methods to be employed in the study.
3. The prospectus defense should lead to refinements in logic and methods.
4. The student will also submit an IRB request if necessary.
5. Following data collection and analysis, a final oral defense will be scheduled in compliance with university guidelines.
The document presented for final oral defense will be a journal-ready manuscript that has been written for a specific journal (agreed on by the department, committee, and student) and formatted and structured according to the requirements of that journal.
The document delivered to the Dean's Office for review and ETD submission will include the following:
1. The signature and cover pages required by The Office of Graduate Studies
2. A one-page introduction/abstract that positions the study
3. The journal-ready manuscript
4. The review of literature as Appendix A
5. A description of the methods employed in the study at the level required for an IRB submission as Appendix B.
Learning Outcomes
The EdD in Educational Leadership program prepares mid-career leaders for advanced leadership positions in educational institutions. Graduates will exhibit the dispositions, knowledge, and skills to make educational organizations transformational places for preparing all students, regardless of background or individual circumstances, for a productive and fulfilling life and to contribute to the improvement of our society. The goal of the program is to equip ethical leaders to use research and best practices to improve learning, personal and societal well-being, and other important outcomes in educational settings "where a commitment to excellence and the full realization of human potential is pursued" (BYU Mission Statement) for all students.
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Understand and develop into steward leaders in education who are moral change agents committed to assist in the profound and broad transformation of individuals, educational organizations and society.
- Understand and influence the larger educational ecosystem with its political, philosophical, social, economic, legal, and cultural contexts to expedite the transformation of education organizations.
- Possess the knowledge, skills, and strategies to facilitate organizational and systemic change in education towards an equitable, excellent and transformative learning environment for all students.
- Apply the knowledge, skills, and inquiry strategies acquired in this program to solve significant problems of educational practice.
Moral agents of improvement promote educational equity and culturally sensitive policies and practices through collaboration with fellow educators and other stakeholders based on a shared vision of learning to achieve systemic reform.
- Students will understand and appreciate diverse viewpoints of equity in educational systems.
- Students will identify research-based evidence that supports or contradicts these diverse viewpoints.
- Students will understand and engage with political and legislative institutions that influence educational systems.
Scholarly practitioners can effectively understand, critique, design, and direct research for the improvement of educational systems-including the assessment of student outcomes and evaluation of programs and personnel.
- Students will be able to find, summarize, and apply research literature relevant to a particular problem of practice.
- Students will be able to synthesize research literature relevant to a particular problem of practice.
- Students will use research literature to justify and design a research study relevant to their leadership practice.
- Students will apply research methods appropriate to generating new knowledge relevant to their leadership practice.
Steward leaders plan, collaborate, and advocate for accountability to stakeholders and transparency in systems for the ethical and effective use of resources to improve educational outcomes.
- Students will understand the principle of stewardship, for whom they are stewards, and to whom they are responsible.
- Students will understand a variety of leadership theories, including theories of steward leadership
- Students will be able to articulate a personal vision for education and the role education plays in transmitting societal norms and values
Evidence of Learning
In the Ed.D program, learning is assessed in several key ways.
Academic Preparation: The following tools are used to measure students' academic preparation and learning:
- Student work is a direct and primary source of assessment of the students. This work takes many forms, including written papers, oral presentations, reports, etc.
- End of First Year Evaluation: Doctoral students' first year is probationary and they will be evaluated by faculty and their doctoral committee chairs to determine if they have been appropriately engaged, including satisfactory attendance, coursework and participation.
- Course grades. Students are evaluated by professors as they complete course assignments and internships. Students are required to maintain a GPA of 3.0 to continue in the graduate program. A professor may refer a student whose performance is considered inadequate to the masters committee for review.
- Comprehensive Examination: This consists of an integrated paper situating the knowledge learned in the courses within the larger context of educational leadership. An oral defense of the paper will be held by the major members of the dissertation committee.
- Graduate Student Progress Report. These reports are available for students' review at anytime by accessing the AIM menu on the BYU Route Y webpage. These reports list courses completed, courses remaining from the study list, and important updates and reminders from the Office of Graduate Studies. This same information is made available to the faculty by the Graduate Secretary.
- Culminating Dissertation and submitted peer-reviewed journal article. This will be assessed through the doctoral committee review process and the review process of reviewers from the journal where submitted.
Exit: The following tools are also used to measure students' final performance and the continuing impact of their learning:
- Exit survey. This quantitative survey gathers students' perception of the program and their preparation to function as a school leader upon completion of the program.
- Journal article acceptance rate: The rate of acceptance of articles derived from the dissertations will be assessed regularly to determine if they are appropriately engaging in learning that is understood in the field as of worth and quality.
Alumni: Alumni surveys are gathered from alumni every three years.
Direct Measures
1. Course signature written assignments
2. Comprehensive Examination
3. Dissertation and accompanying peer-reviewed journal article.
Indirect Measures
1. Course Grades
2. Graduate Student Progress Reports
3. Exit Survey
4. Exit Interview
Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement
Exit interviews with students. feedback from faculty and outside consultants will be used to assess the program's learning outcomes.
Course evaluations, and our own students' descriptions of pluses and minuses in this new program and its course delivery structure will be sought in mid-course evaluation surveys and be reviewed and utilized in further development.
Assessment Tools
One-on-one faculty advisement, course grades, comprehensive exam development and acceptance with its paper, prospectus defense, dissertation defense, alumni survey, graduate progress report, annual review in faculty meeting of every doctoral student, submission of dissertation research for presentation at a professional conference, occasional review of dissertations by an external reviewer.
Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement
The department's doctoral program committee completes a comprehensive review of the the degree program annually. Recommendations from the committee are presented to the entire department faculty for review, discussion, and decision-making. Decisions and follow-up assignments are recorded in meeting minutes and addressed at future faculty meetings.