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Educational Leadership: Doctor of Education (EdD)

About

Appalachian’s Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program prepares students for leadership roles in preK-20, including public schools, community colleges, universities and other community organizations. You will engage in a scholarly community of practice aimed at fostering relevant research to address the challenges of diverse communities.

In this doctoral program, you will choose one of six concentrations:

  • Interdisciplinary Studies – Offers students the opportunity to select appropriate graduate-level electives that support the student's educational leadership goals in a wide variety of research and scholarly interests.
  • Higher Education – Designed for students with professional backgrounds in community college and university settings who are interested in conducting research issues in the field. Graduates of this concentration obtain leadership roles such as vice presidents, academic deans and faculty.
  • Educational Administration – Individuals holding a master's or specialist degree and licensure in School Administration who wish to acquire abilities to engage in scholarly inquiry in PreK-12 settings. Students seeking licensure may do so through dual enrollment in the Educational Specialist degree.
  • Literacies in Exceptionalities – Focuses on school-based literacy, advanced reading instruction and assessment. Graduates of this concentration obtain leadership roles in public and private schools, consultants in the field and government organizations.
  • Expressive Arts Education, Leadership and Inquiry – Will equip doctoral students with enhanced discernment and imagination that enriches leadership work across the spectrum of preK-20. Students in this concentration will become leaders using multi-modal expressive arts theory and inquiry to promote human flourishing.
  • Instructional Technology Leadership – Designed to meet the evolving needs of the instructional technology field. Candidates will be prepared for positions such as chief technology officer or technology director.

More Information

People

  • Educational leaders share thoughts on challenges and solutions in K-12 schools and community colleges
    Educational leaders share thoughts on challenges and solutions in K-12 schools and community colleges

    The annual Spring Symposium hosted by the doctoral program features successful alumni, including these five leaders. See who they are.

Courses

  • Graduate Bulletin and Course Catalog
    • Educational Leadership - Educational Administration Concentration, EdD
    • Educational Leadership - Expressive Arts Education, Leadership and Inquiry Concentration, EdD
    • Educational Leadership - Higher Education Concentration, EdD
    • Educational Leadership - Instructional Technology Leadership, EdD
    • Educational Leadership - Interdisciplinary Studies Concentration, EdD
    • Educational Leadership - Literacy in Exceptionalities Concentration, EdD

Application Essentials

Required Entrance Exam: GRE (score must be no more than five years old). All students must submit current GRE scores (unless the student is eligible for the GRE waiver).

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

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

OR

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

Required number of references to specify in the online form: 4

Supplemental Information: Resume (Required upload for application submission); letter of intent* (upload on the Additional Information page in the online application). Applicants should arrange an interview with the Program Director in advance of submitting their completed applications.

Letter of Intent:

  1. Your letter of intent gives us a window into your history, motivation and goals for doctoral study, as well as your voice as a writer. It must be original work, and we will review it carefully as a sample of your writing ability. Please address the following, without exceeding five double-spaced pages. You may add an additional page for any references (using APA 7th edition citation style).
    1. What energizes you to pursue a doctorate in educational leadership? How would earning a doctorate advance your personal/professional goals?
    2. What educational problems are of greatest concern to you, given your context and standpoint as an educator? What experiences or theories have influenced your thinking about those problems?
    3. How would you describe your commitment to, and/or experience with, diversity, equity and inclusion in education? How does that experience inform your educational practice?
    4. How would doctoral study and dissertation research help you lead educational change, especially toward greater equity and social justice?

Basic Conditions for Consideration of Admission: Meeting or exceeding the conditions below does NOT guarantee admission. All applications for a given entry term will be weighed based upon the number of seats available and the quality of the complete application packages. With special permission from the Graduate School, a program may admit a limited number of students with exceptional circumstances who do not meet the graduate school minimums.

Graduate School: 3.0 GPA in the last earned degree and official scores from the appropriate admission test(s), OR 2.5 GPA in the last earned degree and official scores at the 25th percentile level from the appropriate admission test(s).

Admission to Educational Leadership: Master’s Degree from accredited college or University or the Education Specialist (Ed.S.) degree from Appalachian State University, GRE Writing score of 4.0.

Employers

  • Public and private schools
  • Colleges and universities
  • Community organizations
  • Government agencies
  • Non-profits
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Application Deadlines

The Online Cohort will begin in Fall 2021

Application deadline: February 1, 2021

Want to learn more?

Register for Info Session

Why Appalachian?

  • This is an enriching doctoral experience that features a cohort model with a diverse group of students from all concentrations.
  • Year-round courses are offered one night per week.
  • Applicants who earned the Ed.S. degree from Appalachian will have 24-30 credit hours waived.
  • The doctoral cohort model offers intimate class instruction with a maximum of 15 students.
  • The doctoral program through the School of Graduate Studies offers competitive opportunities for scholarships and assistantships for full-time, main campus students.

Location

To accommodate working students, the core curriculum classes are offered in the evenings two nights each week for two academic years — including summer sessions. Online courses involve both synchronous and asynchronous classwork. The scheduling of elective courses varies by individual and concentration.

Contacts

Dr. Vachel Miller
Director and Professor
millervw@appstate.edu
828-262-2280

Dr. Chris Osmond
Associate Director and Professor
osmond@appstate.edu
828-262-7754

Elizabeth Hayes
Program Associate
hayesle2@appstate.edu
828-262-7647

Reich College of Education

  • Reich College of Education

    Approximately 2,400 students

    • The Reich College of Education enrolls approximately 2,400 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs. It houses five departments: Curriculum and Instruction, Family and Child Studies, Human Development and Psychological Counseling, Leadership and Educational Studies, and Reading Education and Special Education.

    Teacher preparation

    • Appalachian has been training quality educators for more than 100 years and is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
    • Appalachian offers the largest undergraduate teacher preparation program in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year.  There is at least one RCOE graduate working in every county in North Carolina.
    • The Reich College of Education is recognized consistently in the annual Institution of Higher Education Performance Report by the State Board of Education.

    Close ties to public schools

    • The Appalachian State University Public School Partnership – which includes 125 schools in nine surrounding districts – provides sites for student teachers and interns as well as professional development opportunities for teachers.
    • The Appalachian State University Academy at Middle Fork, located in Walkertown, North Carolina, serves over 300 K-5 students. The Academy provides a balanced education through the implementation of research-based practices, state-of-the-art literacy instruction, and exemplary classroom instruction and administration.

    Graduate programs

    • The School of Graduate Studies’ Accelerated Admission program, in which select undergraduate students can fulfill both undergraduate and graduate course requirements in their senior year toward the completion of a graduate degree program, is offered in: higher education, reading education and special education.
    • Other education-related master’s degrees, graduate certificates and specialist degrees are listed on Appalachian’s School of Graduate Studies website.

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