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Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

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. Eddie Henderson, Program Director

Meet Our Graduates

Dr. Rebecca Vega, Ed.D. Graduate, Cohort 4

Rural and Suburban Superintendent Beliefs, Values, and Attitudes in Relation to English Language Learner Students: A Qualitative, Equity-Focused Exploration 

Degree Requirements

Educational Leadership Cognate Courses (12 SCH Required)

EDLD 6332 – Ethics in Educational Leadership (3)  
Prerequisite(s): Admission to a doctoral program at WTAMU. Serving as an advocate for all children, educational leaders provide moral direction for the educational community by modeling and promoting the highest standard of conduct, ethical principles, and integrity in decision making, actions, and behaviors in interpersonal communication, applications of laws and policies, and stewardship of educational resources.
EDLD 6336 – Organization Theory (3)  
EDLD 6340 – Leadership in Education (3)  
EDLD 6356 – Power, Myth, and Memes (3)  

Rural Emphasis Courses (9 SCH Required)

EDLD 6381 – Decision-Making in Rural Education (3)  

and 6 SCH from:

ECON 6300 – Topics in Contemporary Economic Theory (3)  
EDLD 6380 – Race, Equity, and Leadership in Rural Education (3)  
EMA 6310 – Emergency Management and Response (3)  
SOCI 6315 – Demographics of Rural Communities (3)  

RESEARCH COURSES (24 SCH Required)

12 SCH Required

EDLD 6000 - Scholarly Delivery 1-12 (12)  

9 SCH Required

RSCH 6311 – Quantitative Research Designs (3)  
RSCH 6313 – Qualitative Research Designs (3)  
RSCH 6326 – Research Designs (3)  

and 3 SCH from:

RSCH 6312 – Advanced Quantitative Data Analysis (3)  
RSCH 6314 – Advanced Mixed Methods Data Analysis (3)  
RSCH 6315 – Advanced Qualitative Data Analysis (3)  

EC-12 Leadership Pathway (15 SCH Required)

[Note: "*" indicates required for Texas superintendent certification] 

ACCT 6300 – Financial Accounting (3)  
CIDM 6310 – Information Technology Management (3)  
FIN 6300 – Managerial Finance (3)  
EDLD 6304 – Public Education (EC-12) Law (3)  
EDLD 6320 – Executive Leadership of the Educational Community (3)*  
EDLD 6321 – Introduction to Community and Junior Colleges (3)  
EDLD 6322 – Executive Administrative Leadership (3)*  
EDLD 6324 – Executive Instructional Leadership (3)*  
EDLD 6360 – Education Policy (3)  
EDSP 6364 – Legal Issues and Special Populations (3)  

and/or

Other content concentration course(s) approved by the program director.

We Teach Texas