Program Requirements
Degree Requirements
To qualify for the Ed.D. in Executive Leadership, candidates in the program are required to:
- Complete a minimum of 90 credit hours. Up to 30 credit hours from an approved graduate degree program may be considered for transfer.
- Complete the program’s core requirements, comprised of a minimum of 60 credit hours, including research methodologies and the dissertation.
- Pass a comprehensive exam, and write and successfully defend a doctoral dissertation proposal and doctoral dissertation.
- Satisfy the residency requirement by completing at least 9 credits of core courses each semester for two consecutive semesters.
Core Curriculum Requirements
All candidates are required to:
- Complete the program’s core curriculum, which includes 20 courses totaling 60 credits.
- Register for 9 credits each semester and be continuously enrolled to meet the core requirements, with the exception of the first summer, which requires candidates to register for 6 credits.
- Take the core courses offered in this curriculum; courses taken at other institutions may not be used as substitutes.
- Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 ('B') or higher each semester to continue in the program.
Ed.D. Executive Leadership Requirements*
| DEXL 701 | Doctoral Studies Seminar | (3) |
| DEXL 702 | Contemporary Issues in Executive Leadership | (3) |
| DEXL 703 | Research Methods and Design | (3) |
| DEXL 704 | Leadership and Cultural Change | (3) |
| DEXL 705 | Field Experience I | (3) |
| DEXL 706 | Applied and Action Research | (3) |
| DEXL 707 | Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods | (3) |
| DEXL 708 | Field Experience II | (3) |
| DEXL 709 | Public and Human Relations | (3) |
| DEXL 710 | Assessment, Evaluation, and Organizational Improvement | (3) |
| DEXL 711 | Field Experience III | (3) |
| DEXL 712 | Public Policy, Law, and Ethics | (3) |
| DEXL 713 | Executive Leadership and Shared Governance | (3) |
| DEXL 714 | Field Experience IV | (3) |
| DEXL 715 | Finance and Resource Development | (3) |
| DEXL 716 | Human Resource Development and Continuous Improvement | (3) |
| DEXL 717 | Guided Dissertation Seminar I | (3) |
| DEXL 718 | Leadership and Diversity | (3) |
| DEXL 719 | Guided Dissertation Seminar II | (3) |
| DEXL 720 | Guided Dissertation Seminar III | (3) |
| Total | (60) |
*Includes approval of the final dissertation document by the Program Director.
Optional
- DEXL 721 Guided Dissertation Seminar IV (3)
- DEXL 722 Guided Dissertation Seminar V (3)