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Ph.D. Educational Leadership

   

Overview

The Ph.D. in Educational Leadership program is designed to provide students with a strong background in five domains: (a) leadership, (b) research, (c) policy, (d) ethics, and (e) diversity. As the highest academic degree granted by Clemson University, the Ph.D. is designed to prepare students to become scholars who discover, integrate, and apply knowledge as leaders in schools and post-secondary and community educational institutions and agencies. This is accomplished through close association with and apprenticeship to faculty members experienced in research, teaching, and a variety of leadership roles in the field of education.

 

A student admitted to the Educational Leadership doctoral program must begin course work within one year from the semester of acceptance or re-apply for admission. Students are discouraged from taking more than six (6) hours of doctoral course work prior to being admitted to the program (this does not preclude the use of courses completed in the EdS degree in educational administration).

Admission Requirements

A. Baccalaureate and master's degrees from a regionally accredited institution

B. Admission to the Clemson Graduate School

 

        • To be considered for admission to the Graduate School candidates must submit:
        • Online application ($55.00 application fee)
          • Degree-seeking candidates must select program code 321 (Educational Leadership - Higher Education Focus) or code 322 (Educational Leadership - P-12 Focus) on the online application form
        • Official transcripts
          • Transcripts are required from all undergraduate and graduate work
        • Three recommendations that address the applicant's professional experience and scholarly potential.
          • Recommendation forms may be sent to recommenders electronically from online application or you may download a PDF recommendation form to send to your recommenders to complete and return to the Graduate School
        • Current curriculum vita listing educational background, work experiences, professional service experiences, and other related experiences.
        • Two page personal statement in which you discuss your reasons for pursuing the Ph.D. degree. This letter will be evaluated as a writing sample.
        • Competitive GRE scores
          • Scores must be current (within five years of application date)
          • For more information on registering for the GRE, please visit the GRE website
          • Applicants for whom English is a second language must also submit acceptable TOEFL scores

 

Regular application deadlines are October 1 (for Spring admission) and March 1 (for Summer or Fall admission) . Only complete application packets will be considered for admission.

 

If requested by the program coordinator, an interview may be required prior to an admissions decision.

 

To check on the status of a submitted application, please go to: http://www.grad.clemson.edu/ApplicationCheck.php

 

Program Requirements

In accordance with departmental policy, the program of study in Educational Leadership will include a minimum of 58 graduate level course credits beyond the Master's Degree and an 18 hour dissertation project including:

 

These required courses represent a basic body of knowledge in Educational Leadership. A student must demonstrate a proficiency in this material through the comprehensive examination. The following is a list of core courses:

 

I. Program Core-15 hours

EDL 910 Introductory Doctoral Seminar

EDL 900 Principles of Educational Leadership

EDL 905 Theory and Practice in Educational Leadership

EDL 989 Advanced Seminar in Educational Leadership

EDL 990 Clinical Research in Educational Leadership

II. Research and Assessment Methodology: 13 hours

All courses must be approved by the committee.

Experimental/Non-experimental Research Methods in Education

Qualitative Research in Education

EDL 995 Directed Research

EX ST 801 Statistical Methods

III. Specialty Area- 18 hours

The field of specialization may be either Public School Administration or Higher Education. The courses for specialization should be selected in close consultation with the student's Advisory Committee. These courses allow the student and Advisory Committee to tailor the program to the unique needs of the student within the overall philosophy and structure of the program. An 18-hour minimum is required from the following listing of courses. Other courses may be approved by the department.

 

ED L 765: Assessment in Higher Education

ED L 800 Philosophy, Schooling, and Educational Policy

ED L 805: Advanced Educational Leadership: Theory and Practice

ED L 810: Introduction to School Building Planning

ED L 815: The Superintendency

ED L 820: Politics of Education

ED L 830: Business Management in Education

ED L 839 Research Methods in Educational Leadership

ED L 840 Field Problems in School Administration and Supervision of Instruction

ED L 850: Practicum in School System Administration and Supervision

ED L 885: Selected Topics in Educational Administration

ED L 915: Educational Planning

ED L 935: History of Higher Education

ED L 950: Educational Policy Studies

ED L 955 (VT ED 955): The Two-Year College

ED L 960: Legal Principles in the Administration of Institutions of Higher Education

ED L 965: Higher Education Finance

ED L 970: Foundations of Higher Education

ED L 972: Ethics in Educational Leadership

ED L 976: External Effectiveness in Higher Education

ED L 980: Current Issues in Educational Leadership

IV. Internship - 6 hours

The student is required to complete six semester hours of internship experiences which will be supervised by a practicing educational leader and by a faculty member. The internship experience is designed to acquaint the student with the practical applications of education theory. Based on a written description of activities, the internship experience must be a planned, extensive, and closely monitored opportunity for the student to work in a setting which reflects the student's long range goals. The student's Advisory Committee chair must approve the internship experience prior to beginning the program.

 

EDL 985 Internship in Educational Leadership

V. Cognates- 6 hours

Cognates are courses from academic fields supporting students’ research agenda. As part of the program of study, each student must complete six graduate semester hours in a cognate area. All six hours must be from the same discipline and approved by the student's graduate committee.

VI. Dissertation- 18 hours

EDL 991 Doctoral Dissertation Research

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

There are several important dates that you should know about. You can view these dates by clicking on the link below:

Important Dates (PDF)

 

Program Process (PDF)

Contact Information

For more information on:

The P-12 Focus: please contact Dr. Jane Clark Lindle (jlindle@clemson.edu)

The Higher Education Focus: please contact Dr. Frankie Keels Williams (fkw@clemson.edu)