SKIP TO PAGE CONTENT
Doctorate of Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)

EC - 12 Educational Leadership

Major Code: 7400

 

EdCohort Heiskel-Bigham

Welcome

The West Texas A&M University Educational Leadership Program prepares confident, skilled, and reflective leaders of education to pursue excellence and make powerful and lasting impacts in their communities.

Distinguished program characteristics require 60 hours of courses that include an interdisciplinary curriculum, an emphasis on action research, the opportunity for a high-impact experiential residency, and an endowed scholars program. Candidates who qualify can transfer in 12 hours of transfer credit and/or competency credit into the three-year program. The residency requirement will be satisfied when the candidate completes a minimum of 48 hours of classes at WTAMU. This satisfies the residency requirement from the Graduate School.

Features of the curriculum highlight environmental courses (sociology, decision making, and superintendent certification) to ground doctoral candidates in the interface among the community, the individual’s decision making, and the job description. The first year in the Educational Leadership Track also includes superintendent certification courses while the first year in the Leadership in Higher Education Track focuses upon leadership in the university setting. Both tracks are introduced to additional knowledge and skill courses in the second year. For both tracks, the final year focuses on research, writing, and applying theory to practice. Rather than the traditional dissertation, scholarly research throughout the three years at WTAMU results in an extensive literature review and two articles that are publication-ready. 

If you are interested in seeking a Doctorate of Educational Leadership (Ed.D.), West Texas A&M is here to help you achieve your goals.

     - Dr. Gary Bigham, Program Director

Degree Requirements

Educational Leadership Cognate Courses (21 Credit Hours)

EDLD 6304 - Educational Laws, Politics and Policy (3)  
Educational leaders engage in political and legal processes that are instrumental in creating federal, state, and local laws, policies, and regulations that shape and guide educational governance and operations. Summer.
EDLD 6320 - Executive Leadership of the Educational Community (3)  
EDLD 6322 - Executive Administrative Leadership (3)  
EDLD 6324 - Executive Instructional Leadership (3)  
EDLD 6332 - Ethics in Educational Leadership (3)  
EDLD 6336 - Organization Theory (3)  
EDLD 6340 - Leadership in Education (3)  

Rural Specialization (15 Credit Hours)

EDPD 6313 - Decision Making (3)  
EDPD 6380 - Race, Equity, and Leadership (3)  
EMA 6310 - Emergency Management and Response (3)  
SOCI 6315 - Demographics of Rural Communities (3)  

Research Courses (24 Credit Hours)

EDLD 6000 - Scholarly Delivery 1 -12 (12)  
EDLD 6326 - Research Design (3)  

And nine credit hours from:

RSCH 6311 - Quantitative Research (3)  
RSCH 6312 - Data Analysis/Research Statistics (3)  
RSCH 6313 - Qualitative Research Methods (3)  
RSCH 6314 - Mixed Methods (3)  

Additional Credit Information

Transfer or Competency-Based Credit (Up to 12 Credit Hours)  
We Teach Texas