Doctor of Education
Prerequisites. A master's degree in a relevant field.
When admitted to the program you will be assigned a temporary advisor--you may continue to work with this person or select an another advisor when you get to know the faculty. One of the first projects, usually completed in the first or second semester, is to form a Program Advisory Committee and complete a Program of Study Form. This is your degree contract--it lays out the courses you must complete in order to graduate.
Ed.D. Program of Study Form (writable)
1) Copies of your Program of Study Form must be submitted to the department and to the graduate school. Any changes to the program of study must be made by completing the Course Substitution Form.
2) Your Program of Study Form must indicate how you will meet the University Residency Requirement.
3) Up to ½ of required course work can be transferred if credit meets conditions stated in the Doctoral Degrees section of the Graduate Catalog. Use the Transfer Graduate Credit Form.
4) All requirements must be completed within seven years. Credit earned in the six years preceding enrollment in the doctoral program may be applied. See the checklist pertaining to each degree for any exceptions. (Some programs may be eight years if certain conditions prevail. See Graduate Catalog.)
Degree Requirements. A minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the masters degree, comprising of 60 hours of coursework; 12 hours of research coursework; the College of Education foundations requirement (up to 12 hours); A comprehensive examination; 12 hours of dissertation credit; and the University residency requirement.
Major. 36 hours of classes in the area of instructional leadership as approved by the student's program of study committee including the core courses (AEL 664, AEL 667, AEL 669, AEL 671, AEL 681)
NOTE: Up to 18 hours of an Ed.S. major may count as part of the 36-hour major for students pursuing an Ed.D. degree at the discretion of the program of study committee.
Courses. Select major coursework from this link.
Research (12 hours). 12 hours of course work in quantitative and/or qualitative research methods
College Foundations Requirement (12 hours). Students pursuing Ph.D. and Ed.D. degrees in the College of Education must satisfy the following foundations requirement: 12 hours of graduate coursework comprising (i) any BEF or BEP classes or (ii) any other non-research courses outside of the student’s department. Foundations courses cannot come from the student’s major program. Approved by the program of study committee, these classes should introduce the student to theoretical discourses and bodies of knowledge that provide a depth and breadth of understanding necessary for fluency with research, theory, and scholarship foundational to their field of inquiry and dissertation research.
Comprehensive Exams for EdD. Students must have completed all course requirements and, if necessary, remove all grades of “I” from their academic records before sitting for exams. If students are in the last semester of course work, they may write their exams in the same semester.
The Instructional Leadership faculty has the responsibility
for constructing an
examination that reflects the body of knowledge in the Instructional
Leadership program. It will be the responsibility of the chair of the
Program of Study committee to disseminate the questions to the proctor
of the examination. The chair of the Program of Study committee will
also coordinate the evaluating and reporting of the results of the exam.
The examination will be given once during the fall and spring semester, typically on a Saturday that falls between the 8th and 10th week of the semester. No Ed.D. Instructional Leadership doctoral examinations will be given in the summer term. The exact date of the examination will be announced and published on our website during the first week of classes. All examinations will be on site and will last six hours: 9:00 a.m. –12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. The examination will consist of 4 questions. Students may choose to either type or handwrite their examination. No lap top computers, books, notes or other outside materials will be allowed. A room with sufficient computers will be provided.
A minimum of two faculty members will independently read and evaluate each question. No student names will be identified on the response. Both members will rate each question using the departmental rubric. If the two readers disagree, a third reader will evaluate the questions. Instructional Leadership faculty as a whole will endeavor to reach a unanimous decision for a recommendation of (A) Pass – no oral defense needed, (B) Pass – contingent upon successful oral defense, or (C) Fail. If an oral defense is required, Pass/Fail will be determined by a majority vote. In the event that a student fails the examination, he/she will be required to re-write all or parts of the exam as deemed necessary by the faculty. If the student does not successfully pass the exam on the second try, no oral defense will be granted and the student will be removed from the program.
Working with the administrative assistant who coordinates the comprehensive examinations, the chair of the Program of Study committee will distribute pass or fail letters to the student, student records, Program of Study committee, and the Graduate School. Results of the examination will be reported to the student within 4-6 weeks of taking the exam.
Dissertation (AEL 699, 12 hours). Continuous enrollment is required until the dissertation is complete. The number of hours will vary depending on the workload of the student and the dissertation advisor’s involvement. A minimum of 12 hours of AEL 699 Dissertation Research. Continuous enrollment is required until the dissertation is complete. The number of hours will vary depending on the workload of the student and the dissertation advisor’s involvement.
Doctoral Residency. The minimum period in which the doctoral degree can be earned is three full academic years of graduate study. The student must spend an academic year in continuous residence as a full-time student in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama (or, if specifically approved by the faculty concerned, one full summer consisting of two terms, preceded by or followed by one regular semester). This requirement can be satisfied only by enrolling in coursework; dissertation or thesis research cannot be used.
(i) Normal Doctoral Residency (Ed.D. and Ph.D.).
Two contiguous semesters registered on-campus for a minimum of nine hours each term. This requirement may be satisfied only with courses taught in Tuscaloosa, and may not include dissertation or thesis research.
(II) Alternate Doctoral Residency (Ed.D. only).
Plan 1. A total of 24 hours taken on-campus as follows:
* First summer: 9 hours
* Fall semester: 3 hours
* Spring semester: 3 hours
* Second summer: 9 hours
Plan 2. For those students enrolled in a EdD doctoral program at Gadsden, 24 hours of continuous enrollment within 24 months. Courses may be taken either at Gadsden or on-campus
Consult the Graduate School Catalog for student policies.