Educational Leadership with a Concentration in Higher Education (Doctor of Education)

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education Mission
Leadership for institutions of higher education requires creativity, flexibility, strategic thinking, and a respect for student-centered institutions. The mission of the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership is to prepare professionals for leadership roles in the administration of colleges and universities, non-profit agencies and schools and is grounded in transformational leadership.

This doctoral program integrates research and practice so that doctoral students understand the historical, political, social, and philosophical aspects of colleges and universities which have challenges and opportunities. Applied learning, the hallmark of Endicott, is demonstrated through an apprenticeship in which doctoral students explore areas of specializations within senior leadership positions such as academic affairs, student development, institutional advancement, financial affairs, faculty development, and facilities.

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership is designed for professionals in higher education who wish to attain leadership positions in colleges or universities. In this cohort-based program, a combination of different roles, perspectives, and experiences enriches the program and its participants.

Curriculum Requirements - Total Credits Required: 51

The Foundation Courses provide the framework for what we mean by scholar practitioner. Each of the Foundation Courses is grounded in the assumption that research in service of improved practice will facilitate deliberate change.

These courses address such issues as: how bias and our histories inform how we understand the world; how we can ethically identify and describe practice-embedded educational research; how conducting a literature review and integrating, from both practice and research, allows us to be transparent and critical about the ways we pursue and generate knowledge; how we can align research questions and approaches; and what it looks like to gather and work with research data to affect change.

Foundation Courses

EDL 703 - History of Higher Education (Cr: 3)
EDL 710 - Sociology of Education (Cr: 3)
EDL 708 - Change Leadership in Education (Cr: 3)
EDL 730 - Current Issues in Educational Policy (Cr: 3)

Method Courses

EDL 715 - Introduction to Qualitative Research (Cr: 3
EDL 716 - Literature Review I (Cr: 3
EDL 735 - Introduction to Quantitative Research (Cr: 3)
EDL 736 - Literature Review II (Cr: 3
EDL 752A - Action Research (Cr: 3

Leadership Courses

Students Choose two from the following:

Higher Education Leadership Electives

Electives - 9 credits

Students must choose from three of the following:

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, students will:

Locate, analyze and synthesize existing research to address problems in the field.
Apply key concepts, theories, and frameworks from education and related fields of inquiry to critically examine leadership issues and decisions in higher education settings.
Utilize social scientific research processes (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods) to develop and evaluate research.
Communicate clearly with a scholarly audience via written research, oral presentations, and in dialog with each other.
Conduct original scholarship that contributes significantly to the field.