General Program Information
Bill Flora, Ed.D., Department Chair
514 Warf-Pickel Hall
Box 70550
(423) 439-7617
e-mail: floraw@etsu.edu
Virginia Foley, Ed.D., Graduate Coordinator, Teacher Leadership, Administrative Endorsement
502 Warf-Pickel Hall
Box 70550
(423) 439-7615
e-mail: foleyv@etsu.edu
Pamela Scott, Ed.D., Graduate Coordinator, School System Leadership
501D Warf-Pickel Hall
Box 70550
(423) 439-7618
e-mail: scottp@etsu.edu
Janna Scarborough, Ph.D., Graduate Coordinator, Counselor Leadership
301A Warf-Pickel Hall
Box 70548
(423) 439-4191
e-mail: scarboro@etsu.edu
Faculty:
Bethany Flora; William Flora; Virginia Foley; Catherine H. Glascock; Don Good; Hal Knight; James Lampley; Jasmine Renner; Pam Scott.
The Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis has as its primary purpose the graduate preparation of individuals who will serve as educational leaders in K-12 schools, community/technical colleges, four-year colleges and universities, and other organizations/agencies that offer educational programs and services. Programs in the department are approved by the Tennessee Department of Education. Student programs are designed to develop educational leaders through the study and practical application of educational foundations, theory, research, and field work.
Three degree programs are offered in the department, each of which has a unique emphasis: (1) doctor of education degree (Ed.D.) involving advanced study in educational leadership that culminates in the completion of a doctoral dissertation in the field of educational leadership, (2) specialist in education degree (Ed. S.) that provides advanced preparation in educational leadership, and (3) master’s degree (M. Ed.) program in educational leadership.
Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership)
Program Admission Requirements
The Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis offers four (4) concentrations leading to the Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) degree: School Leadership, Classroom Leadership, Postsecondary and Private Sector Leadership, and Administrative Endorsement. The programs are designed to allow the student and advisor considerable latitude in program planning. The following pages summarize the components of these concentrations. Applicants should refer to the sections on admission to the School of Graduate Studies, transfer of credit, and time limitations outlined in the front section of this catalog. All applicants must submit a current résumé with their application. Those applying to the Administrative Endorsement or Classroom Leadership concentration must also submit a copy of their teaching certificate(s).
The Screening Process—All students who apply to the School of Graduate Studies for the Doctor of Education degree must be screened for initial admission. The screening process consists of an evaluation of each student in terms of selected criteria for admission. Each criterion has been assigned a numerical value. The total of these values equals a possible 100 points:
| 1. Writing Skills (GRE Analytical Writing): |
10 points |
| 2. Scholarship (Graduate Level): |
15 points |
| 3. Speaking Skills: |
10 points |
| 4. Evidence of Leadership (to date): |
10 points |
| 5. Estimated Leadership Potential: |
10 points |
6. Graduate Record Examination:
(GRE) scores—Verbal and Quantitative
(The scores must be obtained within 5 years of date of application.) |
15 points |
| 7. Employment Record: |
10 points |
| 8. Four Letters of Recommendation: |
20 points |
Uniform evaluation sheets are utilized by an appointed screening committee upon completion of the screening process the departmental committee will make a recommendation to the School of Graduate Studies. Potential students seeking the Ed.D. in the Administrative Endorsement concentration must demonstrate the ability to achieve Tennessee Standards for Administrative Endorsement.
Program Requirements
Advisory Committee—Each student who has achieved admission to the Doctor of Education program in Educational Leadership will be assigned an advisor. Each student’s advisor will explain the process of dissertation chair selection. Prior to filing a program of study, the student’s committee will be increased to four (4) members, with the student and the committee chair agreeing upon the members to be added to the committee.
The Qualifying Examination—The examination will be written and oral and will be administered by the student’s graduate committee after the student has completed most of the planned program. If and when the qualifying examination is favorably reported to the program coordinator and the deans of the College of Education and the School of Graduate Studies, the student may make application for candidacy for the doctorate through the College of Education and the School of Graduate Studies.
The Final Examination—The examination will be oral and will be principally devoted to an evaluation and defense of the student’s doctoral dissertation. A member of the graduate faculty, from outside the candidate’s committee and department, is assigned by the School of Graduate Studies to monitor the process. The procedure to be followed in scheduling an oral defense and format for the graduate faculty representative’s narrative report are available from the School of Graduate Studies.
Regulations and Procedures Related to Student Assessment
A student must complete nine (9) to twelve (12) hours of coursework before submitting a program of study for approval. The determination of the appropriate semester for a qualifying examination is a matter to be decided between the student and the advisor, but it should come after the student has completed all of the coursework. After the qualifying exam, each student must be registered for a minimum of three (3) hours each semester (spring, summer, and fall semesters). All qualifying examinations (written and oral) are to be taken at the appropriate time scheduled by the department. Students will not be allowed to complete a program during the same semester in which they are formally admitted to doctoral candidacy, nor will they be allowed to register for more than nine dissertation credits in a semester. Students may not defend the dissertation in the same semester that they present the prospectus.
The dissertation must be presented to committee members in final form at least two weeks prior to the final defense. The final oral examination will be a defense of the finished research report after the dissertation has been accepted for presentation by the student’s graduate committee. The dissertation must be approved by the deans of the College of Education and the School of Graduate Studies.
Requirements for Completion of Degree—The central idea of the doctoral program is the development of competence in the areas of greatest significance to educational leaders. Because of this, course requirements are described as blocks or components in the total program of the student. Each student’s total program will be determined upon the basis of four (4) factors:
- training and coursework completed prior to admission to advanced study;
- intended area of work as a professional;
- success in coursework and other experiences in the early parts of the program; and
- competence in the various areas of study as assessed and evaluated by the graduate committee in written and/or oral examinations.
In the final analysis, because each student’s graduate committee is responsible for the evaluation of student competence, work may be prescribed beyond these requirements.
Residency Requirements for Doctorate
A “Declaration of Intent to Establish Residency,” approved by the student’s advisor prior to the beginning of the residency period, must be filed with the deans of the College of Education and the School of Graduate Studies, the department, and the chair of the student’s graduate advisory committee. Subsequently, students should consult with their advisor on residency. Four (4) options for fulfilling the residency requirements have been approved.
- A residency of two (2) consecutive semesters, during which the student must not be employed more than half time.
- A residency of two (2) consecutive semesters, which shall include one semester of not more than half-time employment and one (1) with no employment restrictions.
- A residency of four (4) consecutive summer semesters (including one Pre-Summer), during which times the student may not work.
- A “continuous” residency that requires each student to be continuously enrolled in the program (spring and fall semesters) from the time of the student’s initial course in the program until the qualifying examination is completed.
Each student, regardless of the residency option selected, must receive prior approval of a residency plan by the student’s advisor. Each student must complete the required ten (10) approved residency activities and submit portfolio documentation of the completion to the advisory committee chair. Fulfillment of the residency requirements will be reported to the deans of the College of Education and School of Graduate Studies.
Any modification of the residency plan must be approved, in writing, by the student’s graduate advisory committee chair.
Dissertation—Each doctoral candidate must complete a dissertation as a major requirement for the Ed.D. degree. The dissertation topic will be selected by the candidate with the advice and approval of the student’s committee. The student must present a proposal, describing the research project, for review and approval by the committee. All dissertation proposals must be reviewed and approved by the ETSU Institutional Review Board (IRB) before data are collected. Each doctoral candidate must register for a minimum of three (3) semester hours of ELPA 7960 each semester, including summer, until completing the required twelve (12) hours of dissertation credit-hours.
As explained in the catalog description for ELPA 7990 -Readings and Research, doctoral candidates who have already taken the required number of dissertation hours stipulated on their program of studies MUST register for a minimum of three (3) semester hours of ELPA 7990 each semester, including summer, until they have successfully defended their dissertations. Students who will defend their dissertations in the initial month of the semester may register for one (1) semester credit-hour of this course; those completing in the second month may register for two (2) semester credit hours.
After the dissertation research has been conducted and the results have been analyzed, written, and accepted by the advisory committee, the dissertation must be processed in the proper electronic format and submitted to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies for approval within the established timeline. General guidelines on the form for the dissertation are available from the School of Graduate Studies.
Final Assessment—The evaluation of the work and potential of a student admitted to advanced graduate study leading to a degree is a function of the graduate committee, which will consider: (1) student’s background when admitted to advanced study; (2) grade point average, which must meet the East Tennessee State University School of Graduate Studies standards; (3) qualifying and final examinations; (4) general professional posture; and (5) the defense of the dissertation.
To be awarded an Ed.D. degree, a student must be recommended by the graduate committee, whose chair will report that the student has fulfilled all of the requirements.
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