UM Offers Hybrid Doctorate in K-12 Leadership

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi is accepting applications for a new doctoral program specially designed for senior-level K-12 administrators.

In August, the UM School of Education launches a Doctor of Education degree in K-12 leadership in a hybrid format, combining online coursework and traditional seminars on weekends to support the needs of working principals, superintendents and district-level administrators.

“You can think of the hybrid Ed.D. as a terminal degree with a built-in consulting group,” said Doug Davis, associate professor of educational leadership and director of the program. “Each cohort member will have different goals for his or her own school or district. Participants will have access to not only our faculty but other experienced leaders in the cohort who will help each other achieve their goals.”

The Ed.D. requires six semesters of part-time study over three years and all graduates will complete a “Dissertation in Practice,” which will allow doctoral students to align research with the institutional goals of their home school and/or district.

The coursework comprises 57 graduate hours including research methods, program evaluation, organizational leadership, finance, law and more.

“The Ed.D. is an exciting opportunity for education leaders,” said David Rock, dean of the School of Education. “We know that positive change doesn’t happen without quality leadership in schools. The School of Education is dedicated to providing better doctoral programs for these individuals. “

For admission into the program, applicants must hold an advanced degree in educational leadership with a graduate GPA of at least 3.5. Applicants must also possess a competitive score on the Graduate Record Exam, a school administrator’s license and full-time employment in an education leadership position at the school or district level.

Multiple financial aid options are available, including the use of bank hours awarded to schools from UM. Depending on the needs of the program’s first cohort, weekend seminars may be offered at different locations throughout the state.

The new program is the result of an ongoing collaboration with the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, or CPED, a consortium of more than 80 institutions undertaking an examination of professional doctorates in education.

“CPED is allowing colleges and universities to work together to advance doctoral education designed to affect practice,” said Amy Wells Dolan, associate dean of education, who has worked with CPED as a UM representative since 2011. “Many doctoral students seek out terminal degrees for the purpose of professional practice. This allows us to be more responsive to those students’ objectives.”

The Ed.D. differs from the existing Doctor of Philosophy degree in K-12 leadership, which is designed for full-time study and allows doctoral students to focus more on individual research interests.

For more information about the Ed.D. in K-12 Leadership, visit http://education.olemiss.edu/academics/programs/ed_leadership_edd.html.