Doctoral Program

Advanced graduate studies support the development of educational leaders with knowledge, vision, and commitment to work for the improvement of education through a variety of leadership roles. The interdisciplinary program draws from a number of departments and other instructional resources of the university and incorporates advanced techniques in individual assessment.

Doctoral Degree Program Information

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D)

Admission Requirements
Complete Graduate "Application for Admission" and a $30 application fee. The fee is not required for UNF graduates. As proposed major indicate: Doctoral/Educational Leadership. Minimum criteria for admission to the program are as follows:

• a master's degree earned from an accredited institution;
• three years of successful teaching experience or related work in training and development;
• demonstrated leadership or leadership potential;
• demonstrated academic ability and potential to complete the course work and a dissertation successfully;
• recommendations of the doctoral admissions committee.

Applicants will be asked to submit official transcripts of all previous college work as well as GRE scores. Foreign applicants must also submit a TOFEL score if they do not hold an academic degree from an English-speaking institution.

Program of Study
The program consists of course work in interdisciplinary foundations, leadership, research methodologies, and a cognate (or minor) area and completion of a dissertation. Students will register for a minimum of six credit hours each semester (fall, spring, and summer) and will complete the majority of their course work together. Each student will select a minimum of 12 semester hours of study in a cognate area. A planned program consists of the following:

• a minimum of 76 graduate credits while enrolled in a doctoral program;
• no more than 24 hours of dissertation credit may be used to satisfy the 76 credit minimum requirement;
• no more than 6 (six) graduate transfer credit hours may be used to satisfy the 76 credit minimum requirement providing they have not been included in a degree awarded by UNF or any other educational institution;
• graduate credits transferred into the doctoral program must have been completed no more than five years prior to the semester in which the student is admitted into the program and must have been earned at a regionally accredited educational institution that offers post-master's degree programs;
• five thousand level courses may count as graduate credit only when students take them within an academic unit other than their major area;
• students will complete at least 70 credit hours toward the Ed.D. at UNF and should expect to maintain continuous enrollment until they complete their degree. Exceptions to this policy are subject to approval as described in the doctoral program policies and procedures.
• Upon completion of course work the student must pass a written and oral comprehensive examination in order to be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree.
• The student is admitted to candidacy upon the recommendation of the dissertation committee.

Once admitted to candidacy, doctoral candidates will register for at least three hours of dissertation credit each term and be registered at the University of North Florida until all requirements for the degree are completed. A minimum of 24 dissertation credits is required. The dissertation will be a practice-centered inquiry that attests to scholarly inquiry about an issue related to the improvement of educational practice. Research conducted in partnership with schools and school districts is encouraged. Each student will complete a final oral examination in order to defend the research conducted and to demonstrate the ability to use critical thought and judgment. More specific information concerning the doctoral program is available by contacting:

Doctoral Program
Educational Leadership
University of North Florida
Department of Counseling & Educational Leadership
1 UNF Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32224
Telephone (904) 620-2990 or
E-mail: Janet Withers at n00006093@unf.edu

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