The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree is primarily a professional degree, designed for persons who wish to pursue careers as leaders in education or as applied researchers. Emphasis is on application of research and theory in education, and on acquisition of professional skills. Prospective students must demonstrate superior scholarship and leadership in professional education. Each student is expected to acquire broad knowledge in the major field and to produce a dissertation addressing a significant educational issue or problem.
Admission. Applicants must meet the general requirements established by the Graduate College as well as College of Education requirements. Satisfaction of these requirements does not guarantee admission. All divisions require submission of a two-page formal letter of application describing the applicant’s prior relevant experience and accomplishments and specifying areas of greatest interest as well as career goals. Individual divisions or programs may have standards higher than these minimums or may require submission of additional materials. Applicants should consult the division director or program coordinator for specific admission requirements.
Program of Study. The program requires a minimum of 60 semester hours beyond the master’s degree. Of these, at least six hours must be in internship. College of Education core courses must also be completed. These vary according to the degree sought. See “Education Core Courses” for a listing. The recommendation for the program committee is reviewed simultaneously with the program of study.
The quality of student work is evaluated through written comprehensive examinations, formal oral and written presentation of the dissertation proposal, and a final oral examination in defense of the dissertation. Students must demonstrate competence both in the application of research findings and in conducting research. The dean of the Graduate College, upon recommendation of the division director, appoints the dissertation committee for each Ed.D. student. This committee reviews and evaluates the student’s dissertation proposal and conducts the final oral examination.
Residency. The minimum residence requirement for the Ed.D. degree is completion of 30 semester hours within a period of 18 consecutive months after admission to the doctoral program at ASU.
Continuous Enrollment and Re-entry. Graduate students in the College of Education who have not been in attendance at ASU for one or more semesters must apply to the Graduate College for re-entry and, following approval of the re-entry application, must register for a minimum of one semester hour of graduate credit in the degree area during each of the following semesters. Applications for re-entry are considered along with all other new applications to the degree program.
Re-entry is not an issue for students who maintain continuous enrollment and make satisfactory progress toward their degrees. If a program of study must be interrupted for one or more semesters, the student must apply to the supervisory committee and the division director for leave status, not to exceed one calendar year.
Foreign Language Requirements. None.
Comprehensive Examinations. When students have essentially completed the course work in an approved program of study, they should request permission from the Graduate College to take the comprehensive examinations. The written and oral examinations are designed to assess the student’s mastery of the field of specialization. Failure in the comprehensive examinations is considered final unless the supervisory committee and the director of the division recommend, and the dean of the Graduate College approves, a re-examination. A re-examination may be administered no sooner than three months and no later than one year from the date of the original examination. Only one re-examination is permitted.
Candidacy. Doctoral students should apply for admission to candidacy immediately after they have met all requirements for the degree, except the dissertation. These requirements include passing the comprehensive examinations and other requirements specified by the division.
Research and Dissertation Requirements. The dissertation should demonstrate advanced analytic competence and contribute to the understanding and improvement of professional practice. Each candidate must register for a combined total of 24 semester hours credit for 792 Research and 799 Dissertation. The final copy of the dissertation must be reviewed by the supervisory committee and the staff of the Graduate College at least three weeks before the degree conferral date. Copies of the Format Manual are available in the Graduate College.
Final Examinations. The final oral examination in defense of the dissertation is mandatory and must be held on the campus of ASU. The oral defense is scheduled by the supervisory committee with the approval of the dean of the Graduate College.
Graduation. The student is eligible for graduation when the Graduate College scholarship requirements have been met, the final oral examination has been passed, and the dissertation has been approved by the supervisory committee and accepted by the director of the division and the dean of the Graduate College.
Applications for graduation should be made no later than the date specified in the Graduate College calendar.
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