Mar 28, 2024  
Graduate Catalog 2012-13 
    
Graduate Catalog 2012-13 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership


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Advisors: Andrea Beach, Louann Bierlein Palmer, Walter Burt, Van Cooley, Joe Kretovics, Dave Louis, Nancy Mansberger, Sue Poppink, Patricia Reeves, Jianping Shen, Donna Talbot, Rick Zinser/Adam Manley (CTE)
Room 3571 Sangren Hall

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Educational Leadership is targeted toward professionals working in the areas of K-12, Higher Education, Career Technical Education, or other environments engaged in education or adult learning. Four concentrations exist: (1) Higher Education Leadership, (2) K—12 Leadership, (3) Organizational Analysis, and (4) Career and Technical Education, with program requirements specific to each concentration listed below.

Key program goals include preparing individuals to become transformational leaders, ready to help educational or other institutions to address current challenges, including the need to better educate students who have historically not been well served by traditional learning institutions. In addition, graduates will expand their inquiry and research skills, enabling them to add to the knowledge base concerning education, especially as it relates to the growing challenges facing all educational institutions.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership requires that students meet the Graduate College criteria for admission to a doctoral program, and submit and meet criteria set by the department, including:

  1. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, indicated on an official transcript.
  2. For students who have completed at least 20 hours of graduate work, an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 for all graduate work undertaken beyond the bachelor’s degree.
  3. Submission of scores on the GRE General Test Graduate Application
  4. One official transcript from each institution attended since high school
  5. Career and Professional Goals Statement in which an applicant clearly describes his/her professional goals, and how this doctoral program fits with those goals. (Note: this statement should be no more than four double-spaced pages, and will also be used as a writing sample from the applicant.)
  6. Departmental Graduate Reference Forms completed by three different individuals to address an applicant’s ability to successfully complete doctoral-level work.
  7. Professional Vitae or Resume

All required forms are available from the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology’s website www.wmich.edu/leadership/edleadership/phd/index.htm.

Each eligible applicant will be interviewed by a minimum of two members of the faculty, and each application will be reviewed for acceptance by the entire faculty of the Educational Leadership program. After admission, a doctoral chair will be appointed from among the faculty advisors, and the student will work with this advisor to assemble an appropriate doctoral advisory committee to guide the student through the program.

The total number of students accepted in any given year will depend upon the quality of individual applicants, as well as available resources to support the program.

Program Requirements


Higher Education Leadership Concentration


The Higher Education Leadership concentration within the Ph.D. in Educational Leadership is designed to serve individuals working in student services or other administrative areas within universities, community colleges, or other institutions focused on adult learning. The program may also be appropriate for individuals serving as faculty, but who do not currently have a doctoral degree and, whose academic discipline may not have the doctorate as a terminal degree, as well as those who aspire to move into administrative leadership roles. The overall focus will be on leadership knowledge and development, applicable to both instructional and management aspects of higher education institutions.

Students must complete a minimum of 42 graduate credits at Western Michigan University (30 credit hours of course work plus 12 credit hours of dissertation) once admitted to a doctoral program in Educational Leadership. In total, a minimum of 90 hours of graduate credit (including credits accepted from a master’s degree program) must be completed as follows.

Professional Inquiry, Research, and Dissertation Core (33 hours)


Professional Inquiry


Research Methods


Dissertation


Higher Education Core (24 hours)


Special Interest Cognate and Electives (24 hours)


In conjunction with their advisor, students will identify courses to help strengthen their primary area of interest and/or their research knowledge and tools. Many credits for this component may come from the student’s master’s degree program. Other courses from the master’s degree may, as appropriate, be used to fulfill some required or elective courses for the other components.

K-12 Leadership Concentration


The K-12 Leadership concentration is designed for persons who wish to develop leadership skills and serve as a superintendent or other central office administrator within a school district serving elementary and secondary students.

Students must complete a minimum of 42 graduate credit hours at Western Michigan University (30 credit hours of course work plus 12 credit hours of dissertation) once admitted to a doctoral program in Educational Leadership, or a total of 30 credit hours including 12 credit hours of dissertation if a student has previously completed an Ed.S. in Educational Leadership at WMU. In total, 90 hours of graduate credit hours (including credits accepted from a master’s degree program and/or Ed.S.) must be completed as follows.

Professional Inquiry, Research, and Dissertation Core (33 hours)


Professional Inquiry


Research Methods


Dissertation


Special Interest Cognate and Electives (24 hours)


Students could fulfill the requirements for this section by taking any combination of the following three approaches depending on their interests and career goals, such as (A) and (C), or (A) and (B), or just (C).

(B) Research Methods


Students could take additional methods courses in qualitative and/or quantitative research, such as the following or other methods courses.

(C) Cognate Outside Leadership Specialization


Students could take courses in an area that has a course prefix other than EDLD.

Organizational Analysis Concentration


The Organizational Analysis concentration is designed to develop and enhance leadership skills for those who find an institutional specialization unnecessary (i.e., not focused on K-12 or higher education institutions), with a special focus on organizational analysis skills.

Students must complete a minimum of 42 graduate credit hours at Western Michigan University (30 credit hours of course work plus 12 credit hours of dissertation) once admitted to a doctoral program in Educational Leadership. In total, 90 hours of graduate credit hours (including credits accepted from a master’s degree program) must be completed as follows.

Professional Inquiry, Research, and Dissertation Core (33 hours)


Professional Inquiry


Research Methods


Dissertation


Organizational Analysis Core (24 hours)


Special Interest Cognate and Electives (24 hours)


In conjunction with their advisor, students will identify courses to help strengthen their primary area of interest and/or their research knowledge and tools. Many credits for this component may come from the student’s master’s degree program. Other courses from the master’s degree may, as appropriate, be used to fulfill some required or elective courses for the other components.

Career And Technical Education Concentration


The Career and Technical Education concentration is designed to enhance the skills in administrative leadership, curriculum, or instruction for individuals involved in career technical education or related areas within adult, secondary, post-secondary, and four-year institutions.

Students must complete a minimum of 42 graduate credit hours at Western Michigan University (30 credit hours of course work plus 12 credit hours of dissertation) once admitted to a doctoral program in Educational Leadership. In total, 90 hours of graduate credit (including credits accepted from a master’s degree program) must be completed as follows.

Professional Inquiry, Research, and Dissertation Core (33 hours)


Professional Inquiry


Research Methods


Dissertation


Specialty Cognates (minimum of 12 hours)


Students may choose one of the following four cognate areas based upon career goals in CTE.

(A) Curriculum


(B) Educational Leadership


(C) Instruction


Focused on further technical knowledge in a particular CTE discipline, (e.g., Business or Marketing Education, Family and Consumer Sciences, Industrial Technology, Information Technology). May include graduate courses within or outside College of Education and Human Development intended to enhance technical content needed as a CTE instructor, in an adult, secondary, or post-secondary institution.

(D) Total Quality Management in Education


This cognate is offered by Ferris State University (FSU) and leads to a certificate in TQM awarded by FSU.

  • ECTE 6500 Implementing TQM in Education Credits: 3 hours
  • ECTE 6550 Quality Improvement Practices Credits: 3 hours
  • ECTE 6600 Quality Management in Education Credits: 3 hours
  • ECTE 6650 Quality Metrics and Data Management Credits: 3 hours

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