Skip to main content Skip to navigation

 

Education

Preparing educators for professional advancement and opening the world of teaching to people seeking to change their careers.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership prepares practitioner-scholars for leadership in education at the local, state, and national levels. Program content is both practical and scholarly; it blends issues important to practicing educational leaders with scholarship that can help analyze and address these issues. Program faculty are highly experienced school professionals and nationally recognized academic scholars who contribute to the central purpose of the program: preparing practitioner-scholars for effective and meaningful leadership.

Statewide program delivery

Program participants can access courses and work with advisers through all of WSU’s campuses (Pullman, Spokane, Vancouver, Tri-Cities). Some courses may be taught using a hybrid model or augmented through on-line and/or alternative forms of videoconferencing. Attending classes remotely via video-conference might be possible for students who live 50+ miles from a WSU campus.

Program Components

The program requires a minimum of 72 semester credits which includes 42 credits of graded coursework (14 classes). Upon completion of graded coursework, students must successfully pass a Preliminary Exam before advancing to candidacy for the Ed.D. degree. The exam is designed to assess knowledge the student has gained while completing coursework, and it is a measure for determining whether the student is adequately prepared to complete the dissertation. More information about program milestones can be found in the program handbook.

The program is designed as a part-time program for working professionals. During the school year, courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening. Students enrolled in two classes each semester will finish the coursework portion of their program in two and a half years. Students making continual progress could complete the degree in four years, though it is common for students balancing educational, professional, and personal demands to finish in four to five years. The maximum time to complete is 10 years.

Application Process

Priority application deadline is February 1 for fall admission

The priority application deadline is February 1 each year, for fall semester start. Please note that application is a multi-step process and often takes four to six weeks to complete. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Steps to application:

  • Apply online to the WSU Graduate School for acceptance to the university.
  • Submit supplemental materials to the department for acceptance into the degree program.

For application instructions, please refer to the Checklist and Instructions for Admission Requirements provided with the application packet.

Programs in Educational Leadership (EdM, MA, principal certification, superintendent certification, EdD and PHD) do not accept state tuition waivers.

 

Contact:

Jennifer Gallagher
Academic Coordinator
j.gallagher@wsu.edu