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:

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

Courses

Course titles and information can be found in the Graduate Bulletin at these links:

Educational Leadership General concentration

Application Essentials

Required Entrance Exam: GRE (score must be no more than 5 years old)

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.

*The letter of intent is required as an example of your writing ability. Please address the following points without exceeding five double-spaced pages:

Your purposes for pursuing a doctoral degree and your future professional goals.
Your major academic and research area interests.
Any issues or problems evident in your community that you believe can be addressed by relevant research skills and scholarly inquiry.
Scholars and educational leaders who have influenced your own thinking and practice.
Your understanding of the ways that doctoral education can help you to lead educational change and bring necessary knowledge to bear on the needs of communities.

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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Degrees

Application Deadlines

Spring: x
Summer: x
Fall on campus: x
Fall off campus: 4/1

*See full deadline information below under Application Essentials.

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.

Method of Delivery

Three delivery models offered: face-to-face on main campus, hybrid in Hickory and Forsyth on alternate years, and online.

The application for the summer 2019 online cohort will be available in early fall (2018).

Contacts

Dr. Tracy Goodson-Espy
Interim Director
goodsonespyt@appstate.edu
828-262-7620

Dr. Chris Osmond
Interim Assistant Director
osmond@appstate.edu
828-262-7754

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.