Educational Administration

Ed.D.

For K-12 school leaders/administrators at the building or district level The design of this innovative Ed. D. program for the practicing school leader (teacher or administrator) is based in part on UB’s highly successful cohort-based LIFTS (Leadership Initiative for Tomorrow’s Schools) administrative or certification programs.

The program features:

• Small, highly selective cohort groups working together throughout much of the program
• Cohort seminars on school leadership
• Focus on team work and collaborative problem solving
• Integration of theoretical and experiential learning
• Some classes offered through distance learning (interactive video or computer based)
• Collaborative applied research on school-based issues and leadership actions
• Individual or collaborative dissertation research
• Dissertation support seminars
• Peer support group

This 49-55 credit hour program (depending on prior educational experience) involves a minimum of 4 years of part-time, intensive study, but it does not require a full-time residency.

Ed.D. Requirements

TIMELINE

Years 1 & 2: Each semester students participate in a cohort seminar and a specialization or research elective (6 credit hours). Core cohort seminars examine school leadership in the context of changing social and cultural patterns, people and organizations, curriculum and instruction.Specializations are individually designed in consultation with an academic advisor, and can include courses from any department at UB. Research courses introduce students to quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Year 3: Action research and collaborative research cohort seminars which focus on individual/ group investigations of school-based problems or issues in preparation for:

Year 4: A research study leading to a dissertation. This phase includes seminars that support students in the design, implementation, analysis and writing of their dissertation.

The doctoral dissertation can emphasize a specific problem of practice in schools and may be conducted as an individual or collaborative research study.

PROGRAM has four components:

Core Cohort Seminars (15 credit hours)

• Changing Contexts of Schooling
• Leading and Managing People
• Leading Curriculum and Instructional Improvement

Elective Specialization (15 credit hours)

(e.g., urban education, finance, personnel administration, curriculum leadership, the superintendency) Courses for the specialization can be chosen from a wide range offered within or outside the Graduate School of Education, dependent on the student’s particular interests and background.

Inquiry Seminars and Methods (15 credit hours)

• Theory and Practice of Inquiry - collaborative inquiry into school issues
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Quantitative Research Methods
• Action Research - practitioners studying and improving their practice

Doctoral Research (10 credit hours)

Focuses on a specific problem of school practice.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Call the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy (716) 645-2471