Organizational Leadership

Doctor of Education

About This Program | Program Requirements | Admission

About This Program

Purpose

The doctoral program concentration in Organizational Leadership is designed for professional development of specialists, administrators, corporate trainers, higher education faculty and administrators, and other personnel who desire to become innovative leaders. The Organizational Leadership program prepares students to translate research into effective systems of supervision and leadership. It features a core of studies, a field component, and a dissertation project. This program of studies meets the needs of private and post-secondary educators, as well as corporate trainers and other professionals.

The program format allows for completion of course work in just over three years, even though students attend classes only once a week. Courses are taught by both full-time and adjunct faculty who are experts in their fields, providing an insight into innovative, leading-edge theories and practices.

Program Competencies

Graduates in the Organizational Leadership Concentration of the Ed.D. program are expected to meet the following program competencies through attainment of the competencies detailed in specific course objectives:

1. Articulate and model core beliefs of the organization and effectively demonstrate how to take action to achieve the organization's vision, mission, and goals.
2. Promote a positive organizational culture and design comprehensive professional growth plans for staff.
3. Manage the organization, operations, and resources in a way that promotes a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.
4. Collaborate with employees and other learning organization members, respond to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilize community resources.
5. Act with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner.
6. Understand, respond to, and influence the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context.
7. Manage change and effectively develop strategies for implementing change that can transform the culture of the organization.
8. Demonstrate an ability to use information and information technologies to enhance the effective utilization and practice of educational research.

Program Design

The Doctor of Education Program in Organizational Leadership is designed to combine theory, practice, and inquiry to enhance students' innovation and leadership skills. The program has three major features. One is a core program of course work that includes research courses and the flexibility to take up to 15 hours of electives.

A second feature consists of a field component totaling a minimum of six credit hours. The field components provide students the opportunity to engage in problem-based experiences outside the college setting that complement their program coursework. The field component aspect provides the opportunity for the student to apply the knowledge and theory learned in the core courses to the solution of specific problems.

The third feature of the program is a research experience consisting of at least three research courses and the dissertation that serves as a culminating activity for all previously completed courses and the field components. Students must be raised to candidacy before beginning the dissertation component of the program. This doctoral dissertation totals 9 credit hours. The research should demonstrate the student's design and analysis skills, as well as the student's ability to write for a professional audience.