Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership Ed.D.
The Ed.D. degree in Higher Education Leadership (Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership option) is an advanced professional practitioner program for college and university faculty. This program serves postsecondary educators who seek to deepen their professional teaching practice, expand knowledge of instructional approaches that help college students learn, adopt a critically reflective approach to teaching, and strengthen capacities to approach college students as adult learners. With emphasis on teaching and learning processes, this major prepares educators for a variety of academic roles related to instructional leadership in postsecondary institutions.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):
PLO1. Demonstrate depth of knowledge in a primary teaching area.
PLO2. Apply knowledge of adult learning theory and cultural proficiency to create stimulating, inclusionary learning environments aligned with diverse attributes of the specific learners in the teaching environment.
PLO3. Apply knowledge of curriculum theory and educational research to selection of effective instructional practices and methods at the postsecondary level.
PLO4. Design effective instructional plans to set measurable learning objectives, create relevant and authentic student learning activities, and assess student outcomes with validity and reliability.
PLO5. Create stimulating classroom-based, blended, and online learning environments using instructional design principles and appropriate technology.
PLO6. Assess cognitive and dispositional outcomes of student learning to improve quality of instruction.
PLO7. Utilize knowledge of higher education governance and organizational theory to foster effectiveness in academic leadership roles and institutional improvement.
PLO8. Students will demonstrate the ability to collect, clean, analyze, and interpret data through both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
PLO9. Create a doctoral research project framed by a curricular problem of instructional practice, contributing new knowledge to the professional field.
In addition to National College of Education Doctoral Admissions Requirements, applicants must:
- Submit professional resume or curriculum vitae
- Submit a written statement responding to questions as established and periodically revised by the faculty
- Submit assessment of writing:
- Professional writing sample, such as master's degree thesis or final paper for a graduate course, inclusive of cover page, references, and appendices, if any; or
- If the artifacts discussed above are not available, an alternative written artifact at the discretion of the program Chair
- Submit a minimum of two professional letters of recommendation, addressing topics/questions as established and periodically revised by the faculty. Letters of recommendation must be written by individuals who know the candidate from an academic or professional perspective and are able to comment on the candidate’s capacity for undertaking doctoral studies.
- Sit for a faculty interview and review
Program Details:
Required Courses
Gateway Courses
| HED 600 | Higher Education in the United States | 3 |
| HED 601 | Introduction to Doctoral Studies and Research in Education | 3 |
Program Core
| CCD 620 | Epistemology of Learning, Teaching and Inquiry | 3 |
| EDL 605 | Leading Change | 3 |
| EDL 622 | Developing Curriculum and Evaluating Programs | 3 |
| HED 626 | Legal Issues in Higher Education | 3 |
| HED 630 | Academic Affairs: Faculty, Curriculum, and Assessment | 3 |
| HED 632 | Student Development Theory | 3 |
| PTIL 601 | Instructional Design in Higher Education | 3 |
| PTIL 605 | Postsecondary Teaching in Content Specializations | 3 |
Doctoral Research
| HED 650 | Contextual Study in Higher Education | 3 |
| HED 652 | Quantitative Research Methods in Education | 3 |
| HED 654 | Qualitative Research Methods in Education | 3 |
| HED 671 | Doctoral Research in Higher Education I | 2 |
| HED 672 | Doctoral Research in Higher Education II | 2 |
| HED 673 | Doctoral Research in Higher Education III | 2 |
| HED 674 | Doctoral Research in Higher Education IV | 2 |
| HED 681 | Doctoral Colloquium in Higher Education I | 0.5 |
| HED 682 | Doctoral Colloquium in Higher Education II | 0.5 |
| HED 699 | Doctoral Capstone in Higher Education | 3 |
Electives
Students select 9 semester hours of graduate level coursework with the Program Director consultation.
| CCD 604 | Data Analysis, Interpretation, and Presentation | 3 |
| CCD 615 | Sociology of Education | 3 |
| HED 620 | Leadership and Governance in Higher Education | 3 |
| HED 622 | Strategic Marketing and Enrollment Management | 3 |
| HED 624 | Finance and Budgeting in Higher Education | 3 |
| HED 634 | Quality Assurance in Higher Education | 3 |
| HED 640 | Case Studies in Educational Justice | 3 |
| HED 651 | Data-driven Decision Making in Education | 3 |
| HED 689 | Directed Study in Higher Education | .5 TO 6 |
| HED 690 | Internship in Higher Education | 1 TO 6 |
| HED 691 | Field Experience in Higher Education | 1 TO 6 |
| HED 695 | Special Topics in Higher Education | 1 TO 6 |
| HED 697 | Consulting Project in Higher Education | 1 TO 6 |
| HED 689 | Directed Study in Higher Education | .5 TO 6 |
| HED 690 | Internship in Higher Education | 1 TO 6 |
| HED 691 | Field Experience in Higher Education | 1 TO 6 |
| HED 697 | Consulting Project in Higher Education | 1 TO 6 |
| LAP 693 | Seminar in Program Evaluation | 3 |
| MGT 635 | Strategic Fundraising and Philanthropy | 3 |
| OBD 633 | Organizational Effectiveness and Development | 3 |
| OBD 650 | Culture of Learning Organizations | 3 |
| OBD 651 | Diversity and Inclusion in the Organizational Culture | 3 |
| PTIL 691 | Internship in Postsecondary Teaching in the Content Area | 1 TO 8 |
Note: All the courses above must be taken for a total of 3 semester hours. Other elective courses may be proposed by the candidate and applied to the program with permission of the Program Chair.