Doctor of Education Ed.D.
The doctor of education in learning and leading (Ed.D.) program prepares the next generation of leaders through innovative coursework with a focus on applied research and best practices. The Ed.D. is a 51 semester hour program with three area of concentration options: School Leadership and Development, Organizational Leadership and Development, and Higher Education and Student Affairs. Note: Only the Organizational Leadership and Development area of concentration is offered off-campus. Completion of a master’s degree in education or a related field is required for admission to the program. Candidates admitted to the Ed.D. program participate in a rigorous program with support from faculty and staff. For candidates who are able to complete the coursework portion of the Ed.D. program but are not recommended to advance to dissertation candidacy, or those who advance to candidacy but do not complete the dissertation and final defense, an Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree may be proposed as a completion alternative.
Ed.D. Core Principles and Learning Outcomes
The professional doctorate in education:
- Is framed around questions of equity, ethics, and social justice to bring about solutions to complex problems of practice.
- Prepares leaders who can construct and apply knowledge to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals, families, organizations, and communities.
- Provides opportunities for candidates to develop and demonstrate collaboration and communication skills to work with diverse communities and to build partnerships.
- Is grounded in and develops a professional knowledge base that integrates both practical and research knowledge, and that links theory with systemic and systematic inquiry.
- Emphasizes the generation, transformation, and use of professional knowledge and practice.
Source: The Carnegie Project on the Educational Doctorate, which aligns with the Canadian Degree Qualifications Framework.
School Leadership and Development Concentration Learning Outcomes
- An education leader integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by sustaining a positive school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.
- An education leader integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by ensuring management of the organization, operation and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.
- An education leader integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by collaborating with faculty and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources in order to demonstrate and promote ethical standards of democracy, equity, diversity, and excellence, and to promote communication among diverse groups.
- An education leader integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner.
- An education leader integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context.
Source: Oregon Educational Leader/Administrator Standards and Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards.
Organizational Leadership and Development Concentration Learning Outcomes
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An education leader integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by sustaining a positive school culture and instructional program conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.
- An education leader integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by ensuring management of the organization, operation and resources for a safe, efficient, and effective learning environment.
- An education leader integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by collaborating with faculty and community members, responding to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilizing community resources in order to demonstrate and promote ethical standards of democracy, equity, diversity, and excellence, and to promote communication among diverse groups.
- An education leader integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by acting with integrity, fairness, and in an ethical manner.
- An education leader integrates principles of cultural competency and equitable practice and promotes the success of every student by understanding, responding to, and influencing the larger political, social, economic, legal, and cultural context.
Source: Oregon Educational Leader/Administrator Standards, which are based on the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards and align with the Alberta Principal Quality Practice Dimensions.
Higher Education and Student Affairs Concentration Learning Outcomes
- The H.E.S.A. professional has knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to providing counseling and advising support, direction, feedback, critique, referral, and guidance to individuals and groups.
- The H.E.S.A. professional has the ability to use, design, conduct, and critique qualitative and quantitative Assessment, Evaluation and Research (AER) analyses; to manage organizations using AER processes and the results obtained from them; and to shape the political and ethical climate surrounding AER processes and uses on campus.
- The H.E.S.A. professional has the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to create learning environments that are enriched with diverse views and people and to create an institutional ethos that accepts and celebrates differences among people, helping to free them of any misconceptions and prejudices.
- The H.E.S.A. professional has the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to understand and apply ethical standards to one’s work, specifically the integration of ethics into all aspects of self and professional practice.
- The H.E.S.A. professional has the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to connect the history, philosophy, and values of the profession to one’s current professional practice.
- The H.E.S.A. professional has the knowledge, skills, and attitudes used in the selection, supervision, motivation, and formal evaluation of staff; conflict resolution; management of the politics of organizational discourse; and the effective application of strategies and techniques associated with financial resources, facilities management, fundraising, technology use, crisis management, risk management, and sustainable resources.
- The H.E.S.A. professional has knowledge, skills, and attitudes relating to policy development processes used in various contexts, the application of legal constructs, and the understanding of governance structures and their elect on one’s professional practice.
- The H.E.S.A. professional has the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required of a leader, whether it be a positional leader or a member of the staff, in both an individual capacity and within a process of how individuals work together effectively to envision, plan, effect change in organizations, and respond to internal and external constituencies and issues.
- The H.E.S.A. professional has the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to maintain emotional, physical, social, environmental, relational, spiritual, and intellectual wellness; be self-directed and self-reflective; maintain excellence and integrity in work; be comfortable with ambiguity; be aware of one’s own areas of strength and growth; have a passion for work; and remain curious.
- The H.E.S.A. professional has the ability to apply theory to improve and inform student affairs practice, as well as understanding teaching and training theory and practice.
Source: American College Personnel Association/National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Professional Competencies.
Ed.D. Admission Requirements
- Doctor of Education essays.
- Current resume.
- Two Doctor of Education Recommendation Letters.
- Official transcripts (from all previously attended academic institutions).
- A master's degree or its equivalent in education or related field from an accredited college or university recognized by the University of Portland.
- International Applicants:
- All foreign transcripts will be evaluated by International Student Services prior to an admission decision.
- Proof of financial support will be required to attend the University of Portland, but is not required for application review.
- An official score from the TOEFL (minimum score of 88), IELTS (minimum score of 7.0), or Duolingo (minimum score of 110) exam is required.
Edmonton Ed.D. Cohort Program Approval in Alberta:
The Ed.D. in Learning and Leading program in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is offered pursuant to the written approval of the Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education, effective July 2015, having undergone a quality assessment process and been found to meet the criteria established by the Minister. Nevertheless, prospective students are responsible for satisfying themselves that the program and the degree will be appropriate to their needs (for example, acceptable to potential employers, professional licensing bodies, or other educational institutions). This degree program does not lead to leadership certification currently required for school principals in Alberta.
Ed.D. Degree Requirements - 51 credit hours
Core Requirements—21 credit hours
| ED 600 | Introduction to Doctoral Research | 3 |
| ED 601 | Advanced Qualitative Research | 3 |
| ED 602 | Advanced Quantitative Research | 3 |
| ED 603 | Research for Evaluation and Action | 3 |
| ED 610 | Cultural and Institutional Perspectives on Education: Individual, Community, and Society | 3 |
| ED 611 | Essential Ideas in Education: History, Philosophy and Change | 3 |
| ED 614 | Adult Learning, Group, and Organizational Dynamics | 3 |
Concentration Area Requirements—15 credit hours
School Leadership and Development Concentration Requirements
| ED 544 | Human Resource Development, Growth, Supervision, and Evaluation | 3 |
| ED 545 | Leadership and Organizational Change | 3 |
| ED 546 | Policy, Ethics, and the Law | 3 |
| ED 547 | Operations Management, Resource Allocation and School Finance | 3 |
| ED 548 | Supervision of Learning and Instruction | 3 |
Organizational Leadership and Development (On-Campus) Concentration Requirements
| ED 552 | Leadership for Sustaining the Vision | 3 |
| ED 553 | Leadership for Instructional Improvement | 3 |
| ED 554 | Leadership for Effective Data Driven Decision Making | 3 |
| ED 556 | Inclusive Leadership through Engagement and Advocacy | 3 |
| ED 557 | Ethical Leadership and Moral Imperative for Inclusive Practice | 3 |
Organizational Leadership and Development (Off-Campus) Concentration Requirements
| ED 545 | Leadership and Organizational Change | 3 |
| ED 552 | Leadership for Sustaining the Vision | 3 |
| ED 553 | Leadership for Instructional Improvement | 3 |
| ED 554 | Leadership for Effective Data Driven Decision Making | 3 |
| ED 585 | Foundations of Cognitive Processes in Learning | 3 |
Higher Education and Student Affairs Concentration Requirements
| ED 520 | History, Organization, and Student Personnel in Higher Education | 3 |
| ED 521 | Student Career Development and Planning | 3 |
| ED 522 | Legal Issues in Higher Education | 3 |
| ED 523 | Developmental Theory, Identity & College Population | 3 |
| ED 528 | Foundations of Counseling and Student Affairs | 3 |
Prospectus and Dissertation Requirements—15 credit hours
ED 622 and
ED 699 require two semesters each.