Program Mission
The mission of the Doctor of Education in School Improvement program is to develop change agents and transformational leaders who, through collaboration with colleagues, schools, and communities, initiate sustainable systemic change in the schools they serve. The program is grounded in research knowledge and skills, technological competence, teaching and learning processes, and a commitment to diversity.

Graduates will strategically and collaboratively plan, design, implement, and document the impact of educational improvement programs that bring all students to high levels of academic achievement and social development.

We invite you to explore our unique doctoral program, which is designed to develop change agents and transformational leaders who can collaboratively plan and initiate change in the schools they serve.

The Ed.D. in School Improvements a 60-hour program that includes courses focusing on leadership, teaching and learning, school reform, diversity, legal issues, and research.

As part of the core, students complete 10 courses and two seminars (for a total of 34 hours) over seven semesters including summers. These core courses are taken in a cohort format. Students admitted into a cohort move through all core courses together, taking one course the first summer and two courses per semester in each subsequent semester. Depending on the cohort, courses meet either on Monday and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays. Seminars meet one Saturday per month.

Students also complete 15 hours of content courses based on their professional goals and aspirations. One of these courses must be taken outside the College of Education. Students may transfer up to nine hours of content courses from previous graduate work as long as the courses transferred were not taken to fulfill the requirements of a masters degree (for example, courses from an Ed.S. program or certification-only program may be applied, with permission).

After completion of the core courses, students are required to submit a professional portfolio. Students passing all entries of the portfolio move on to dissertation studies. Students must earn at least 11 hours of dissertation credits and successfully defend their dissertations prior to graduation.