Program: Educational Leadership - Educational Administration Concentration, EdD - Appalachian State University

Apr 01, 2025

2023-2024 Graduate Bulletin

Program Code: EDD_702D_1
CIP Code: 13.0401

Program of Study for the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

Admission Requirements: Master’s degree from an accredited college or university or the Education Specialist from Appalachian; complete application to the Graduate School ; official general GRE exam scores, unless waived; a letter of application including reasons for the applicant’s interest in the program. Applicants should arrange an interview with the Program Director in advance of submitting their completed application.

To be considered for admission, applicants must meet the criteria for admission to the Graduate School . In addition, the program faculty will give preference to applicants who meet or exceed the following: GRE Writing test score of 4.0 or higher.

Standardized Exam Waiver Eligibility: The standardized exam (GRE) requirement may be waived for applicants with:

An earned graduate degree with GPA of 3.0 or higher AND
At least five (5) years of professional experience in education

An earned Education Specialist (EdS) degree with GPA of 3.0 or higher from Appalachian State University

Location: On Campus, Off Campus and Online; Off-Campus and Online cohorts begin periodically, and follow a part-time extended format.

Additional Admission Requirements

Applicants for the Educational Administration concentration must hold a Master of School Administration from an accredited college or university or the Education Specialist degree in Educational Administration from Appalachian; and hold or be eligible to hold a current NC superintendent’s license. Applicants who are not eligible to hold superintendent’s licensure, but who do hold one or more degrees leading to licensure in the public schools may either:

Apply for a Master’s Degree in School Administration and then apply for the Doctoral Program upon receipt of the MSA, or
Have transcripts reviewed by the MSA coordinator. Courses needed to meet principal licensure requirements will be identified by the MSA program coordinator and will be taken in addition to, or as electives in, the EdD program and will be listed in the EdD program of study. The courses identified must be completed along with the required doctoral program courses to be eligible for licensure recommendation as a principal and superintendent upon completion of the EdD degree.

Additional Standardized Exam Waiver Eligibility Information

Standardized exam (GRE, GMAT, MAT) waiver eligibility for graduate degree programs at Appalachian State varies by program. No exam waiver is automatic and an approved waiver request does not guarantee acceptance into the program. A denied waiver request does not mean that a candidate is denied admission to the program, only that a standardized exam score is needed to more fully evaluate the application. More complete information about standardized exam waivers can be found in the Admissions Requirements section of this Bulletin .

Course Requirements for the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership

Total Required (Minimum 60 Hours)

Required Courses (36 Hours)

Select Two of the Courses Below With Advice and Approval of an Advisor

Dissertation (6 Hours)

Students are required to register for 6 hours of Dissertation, followed by at least 1 hour of GRD 7989 for every semester thereafter until the dissertation is completed. (Please also review the Dissertation section on the List of Academic Policies page.)

EDL 7999 - Dissertation (1-9) - 6 hours minimum

Concentration Requirements (18 Hours)

EDL 7900 - Internship (3-6) 3 or 6 hours
12 s.h. of coursework related to school administration. Approval of the plan of study is required from the school administration coordinator and the doctoral program director. Students seeking principal licensure must complete the coursework required to meet current NC Principal Licensure standards. Students seeking superintendent licensure must hold principal licensure and complete the coursework required to meet current NC superintendent licensure standards.

Other Requirements for the EdD in Educational Leadership

Dissertation: Required
Proficiency: None required
Candidacy: Required
Qualifying Exam: Required
Product of Learning: None required

Notes

As required by UNC Board of Governors policy, doctoral students must remain enrolled in at least one hour each Fall and Spring semester until graduation once 6 dissertation semester hours are completed.
The internship is typically a two-semester experience under the co-sponsorship of an appropriate educational agency and the Doctoral Program. The student will engage in activities designed to bring together the relationship of theory and practice associated with the student’s intended concentration. Students may substitute 3 hours of internship for an additional 3 hours of elective courses with approval of the Program Director.
The program requires a minimum of 60 semester hours beyond the student’s master’s degree. All students must take at least 48 semester hours of doctoral coursework (or a combination of doctoral coursework and approved EdS courses).
Students entering the doctoral program with an EdS in Higher Education from Appalachian will have fulfilled the requirements for a concentration in Higher Education.
Students who hold an earned EdS degree from Appalachian State will be exempt from 24 - 30 credit hours of course work in the doctoral program. A student who holds an EdS from a regionally accredited university may be exempt from up to 30 credit hours of coursework in the doctoral program. The exemption is not automatic. Specific EdS coursework that might substitute for doctoral coursework will be identified after evaluation of eligible courses by the Program Director. All other degree requirements remain in effect. For further information on exemptions, contact the program director.