Graduate program offered by the UNT College of Education

About

The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Innovation prepares scholar practitioners as change agents, to lead the transformation of complex systems and organizations through scholarly inquiry and the resolution of problems of practice and policy in educational settings. 

The Doctor of Education degree is designed for students who plan careers as school or district-level leaders. This degree emphasizes the application of educational research related to problems of practice in the field of educational leadership.

Graduates of the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Innovation:

  • Are scholarly practitioners committed to the improvement of learning organizations at the local, regional, state, national, and international level, resulting in sustained educational achievement for all learners.  
  • Engage in scholarly inquiry in their educational settings to solve complex problems of practice and policy through innovation.  
  • Are ethical, moral leaders who are committed to diversity, inclusion and equity in learning opportunities for all learners.  
  • Work within and across communities to build strategic partnerships at the local, regional, state, national, and international levels. 
  • Empower diverse communities and stakeholders through effective communication and collaboration.

Contact Information

For more information about the Educational Leadership Doctoral program, contact Dr. Robert Voelkel.

Apply

The EDLE program has a rolling application deadline for fall semester admission; however, to ensure your application can be reviewed by all faculty in a timely fashion, please get your complete application package to both the Graduate School and the EDLE program by no later than May 1. Any application materials received beyond that date may not be reviewed in time for you to be accepted for the Fall semester. Applicants must submit an application to the Toulouse Graduate School. GRE is not required for admission consideration.

Applicants also must submit an application portfolio directly to the Educational Leadership program office including the following: 

  1. Letters of recommendation from three persons who can provide evidence of the applicant’s reading, writing and critical thinking skills. One of the letters should be from a college or university professor familiar with the individual’s work, and one letter should be from a supervisor or mentor familiar with the individual’s professional work.
  2. A detailed resume.
  3. Documentation of having experience as a public or private school teacher at the elementary or secondary school level for a minimum of two years.
  4. A three-page personal statement addressing the applicant’s two most important professional achievements; the applicant’s career goals, and an explanation of how completing the degree in educational leadership will relate to those goals.
  5. A sample of his or her best written work in the form of a research term paper, a published article or book chapter, or a district agency report.

It is expected that applicants have had experience as public or private school teachers for a minimum of two years and will hold a teacher’s certificate.

As many as 18 hours of advanced study beyond the master’s degree or its equivalent at another institution may be accepted and credited toward the doctorate in educational leadership, provided the program coordinator recommends acceptance of the transfer credit to the graduate school.

  1. The time limit for doctoral credit applies to the transfer credits.
  2. The time limit for the degree plan begins with the date of the first course on the degree plan including transfer credit. The time limit for the doctoral courses is eight years.
  3. Transfer credit must be a B or higher.
  4. Courses completed at other institutions must be equivalent to the doctoral courses at UNT.
  5. In accordance with the rules of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, at least one-third of the semester hours required for any graduate degree must be completed in course work at UNT.
Courses

The EdD in educational leadership requires 54 semester hours of course work. The following are minimum degree requirements for students in the EdD program.

Core courses, 15 hours

  • EDLE 6000 – Introduction to Scholarly Inquiry and Practice 
  • EDLE 6580 – Innovation in Learning Systems
  • EDLE 6160 - Leadership for Learning  
  • EDLE 6130 – Social and Cultural Context in Educational Leadership  
  • EDLE 6100 – Change Leadership in Complex Systems and Organizations

District Office Leadership/Superintendent concentration, 12 hours

  • EDLE 6510 - Educational Law and Policy - Required 
  • EDLE 6450 – School Finance and Business Forecasting - Required
  • EDLE 6590 - Systems Change and Leadership - Required 
  • EDLE 6530 - Politics and Design of Educational Facilities – Option 1 
  • EDLE 6520 - Strategic Leadership of Human Capital – Option 2 

Elective Courses

  • EDLE 6032 – Practicum or Field Problem  
  • EDLE 6150 - Equity, Ethics, and Policy in Change Leadership
  • EDLE 6200 – Current Issues in Educational Administration  
  • EDLE 6310 – Research Practicum  
  • EDLE 6540 – Leadership to Empower Diverse Communities through Communication    
  • EDLE 6900 – Special Problems  
  • EDLE 6910 – Special Problems or Related Topics

Research Courses, 6 hours

  • EPSY 6000 – Applied Design & Analysis 
  • EPSY 6001 – Action Research & Evaluation 

Inquiry Courses, 6 hours

  • EDLE 6105– Inquiry in Educational Leadership – Students are introduced to a problem of practice & different ways to solve the problem of practice – taken at the beginning of the program 
  • EDLE 6110 – Advanced Inquiry in Educational Leadership - students propose a problem of practice for their qualifying exam 

Dissertation in Practice, 6 hours