Doctor of Education in Educational Administration

Transcription

1 Doctor of Education in Educational Administration Graduate Student Handbook Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology, & Foundations Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction.. 3 Overview of the program... 3 Training Philosophy.. 3 Admissions Requirements. 4 Process, Deadlines, and Requirements for Degree Seeking Students 4 Applying as a Student-At-Large 4 Program Requirements.. 5 Advisement 5 Program of Study.. 5 Candidacy Exam 5 Dissertation. 5 Internship 6 Student Support & General Program Information. 6 Degree Time Limit. 6 Revalidation of Courses.. 6 Leave of Absence 10 Independent Study.. 10 Graduation Requirements & Procedures Program Faculty.. 10 Step-by-Step Checklist to Program Completion

3 Introduction This handbook provides information about the Doctor of Education degree in Educational Administration within the Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology & Foundations. Please use this handbook as a tool to better understand application procedures, program expectations, and graduation requirements. In addition to this handbook, you should obtain a copy of NIU s Graduate Catalog as well as familiarize yourself with the Graduate School website ( It is your responsibility to know and observe all policies and procedures related to this program as well as those of the Graduate School. After reading this handbook, if you have further questions about the program, please contact David Snow, the LEPF Graduate Advisor: dsnow1@niu.edu or (815) We hope you find the information helpful and welcome any input or suggestions for improvement. Overview of the Program The Doctorate of Education in Educational Administration is a 90-credit hour program that provides comprehensive training in the field of educational administration and leadership. The primary goal of the program is to train professional educational leaders to work in schools. Graduates of the program are employed as superintendents, assistant superintendents, curriculum directors, directors of student services and other leadership positions in school districts and higher education settings. Coursework, internship, and research experiences provide a synthesis of essential theoretical and applied approaches across all areas of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Standards. Graduates of the program are prepared to function in multiple roles including departmental, building, and district leadership roles, as well as university teaching and research roles. Training Philosophy NIU s Educational Administration Doctoral training program is part of the Carnegie Project on the Educational Doctorate (CPED), a National organization dedicated to ensuring the highest quality doctoral programming available to students. The professional doctorate in education prepares educators for the application of appropriate and specific practices, the generation of new knowledge, and for the stewardship of the profession (CPED, 2014). NIU s training program adheres to the scholar-practitioner model. The Professional doctorate in education: 1. Is framed around questions of equity, ethics, and social justice to bring about solutions to complex problems of practice. 2. Prepares leaders who can construct and apply knowledge to make a positive difference in the lives of individuals, families, organizations, and communities. 3. Provides opportunities for candidates to develop and demonstrate collaboration and communication skills to work with diverse communities and to build partnerships. 4. Provides field-based opportunities to analyze problems of practice and use multiple frames to develop meaningful solutions. 3

4 5. Is grounded in and develops a professional knowledge base that integrates both practical and research knowledge, that links theory with systemic and systematic inquiry. 6. Emphasizes the generation, transformation, and use of professional knowledge and practice (CPED, 2009). Admissions Requirements Process, Deadlines, and Requirements for Degree-Seeking Students Applicants for the Ed.D. program are expected to have a broad base of general education in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences and are required to present evidence of a minimum of three years of acceptable professional experience and/or demonstrated field leadership. In order to pursue the Doctor of Education in Educational Administration, one must apply and be admitted to the Graduate School, as well as be accepted for admission by the program area, in this case Educational Leadership. Applications are available online at Graduate School and program deadlines for the completion of one s application are also available: The purposes of the deadlines are to ensure that admissions officers have sufficient time to process materials and the department has ample time to consider all applications in an equitable manner. For any dates occurring on a Saturday, Sunday, or university holiday, the deadline becomes the next day on which university offices are open. Admissions requirements for the Doctor of Education in Educational Administration include the following: Have a minimum GPA of 3.50 in previous graduate work Submit scores on the GRE general test or other qualifying examination as determined by the admissions committee. Completed admissions application to the Graduate School (i.e., completed application, official transcripts, required test scores, career goals statement, three letters of recommendation, and payment of the $40 application fee).** * In accordance with the Graduate School requirements, the Department of Leadership, Educational Psychology, and Foundations requires official scores on all sections of the GRE to complete your application to the graduate program. Waivers will not be issued. If you have any questions, please contact NIU Testing Services ( ) for information regarding the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). ** As per the Graduate School Catalog, applicants for admission to the Graduate School assume all responsibility for the completion of their admission files; the Graduate School assumes no obligation to inform applicants about erroneous or missing credentials. Applying as a Student-At4-Large If you are interested in taking a course(s) prior to being admitted to the Graduate School, you may enroll as a Student-at-Large (SAL). To enroll in a course(s) as an SAL, you will need to submit an SAL application electronically using the following Graduate School web site: ( after four working days you will be able to 4

5 enroll in courses. NOTE: You may take up to 15 semester hours of graduate credit as a SAL before officially applying to the program. Any courses selected while an SAL should be chosen in consultation with an academic advisor from the program area so that classes count towards the degree program, if seeking admission. Program Requirements Advisement The advisor for the Ed.D. in Educational Administration is David Snow, LEPF Graduate Advisor: dsnow1@niu.edu; Program of Study Students must complete a departmentally approved 90 hour program of study that includes course work in principles of educational administration, supervision of school personnel, school law and finance, and research methods." Candidacy Exam All doctoral students are required to successfully complete a candidacy exam as a graduation prerequisite. The exam process used ensures a common standard is used in evaluating students for candidacy and to ensure all program completes are able to demonstrate a broad body of Educational Administration content knowledge. The requirements and content matter covered on the exam are reinforced throughout coursework, and special exam review sessions and practice exam opportunities are made available during students final semester of coursework. Students take the candidacy exam toward the end of formal coursework. Students are expected to demonstrate written mastery of subject area information in Educational Leadership, Supervision, School Finance, Law, Policy, and Research Methodology. Each exam response undergoes a blind review by no less than two program area faculty. Students are allowed two attempts to pass the candidacy exam. Only those areas not passed on the first attempt need to be retaken on the second attempt. Should a student fail to pass the candidacy exam on their second attempt, the student will be dismissed from the program. Dissertation Students will complete a dissertation as part of the program. A minimum of 15 credit hours of LEEA 799, dissertation credit hours, are required by the Graduate School. Once you begin 799 hours, you must continue to register each subsequent semester until the dissertation is submitted and formally approved by the Graduate School. Continual progress and communication with your dissertation chair is critical and expected. LEEA 799 hours are to be used in completing the following: -- Proposal/prospectus meeting -- Institutional Review Board Approval (completed after the proposal meeting) 5

6 -- Data collection/analysis -- Pre-defense if required -- Final defense (final review by committee and external reviewer assigned by the Graduate School) -- Final editing of the dissertation NOTE: As a doctoral student you are responsible for adhering to all expectations and deadlines established by the Department and Graduate School. Please consult the Graduate School website for current deadlines. Please be aware that the six milestones listed above take time and dedication. Thus, it is important to set short- and long-term deadlines for yourself. Internship Part of the program requirements include an extended embedded internship of 3 credit hours to be completed during coursework. STUDENT SUPPORT & GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION Degree Time Limit Doctoral degree programs must be completed within nine years. For additional information, please consult the Graduate School Catalog, under the Requirements for Degree section (Limitations of Time). Revalidation of Courses Any courses in a doctoral candidate s program of study completed outside the nine-year time frame allowed for degree consummation must be revalidated. 1 The purpose of the revalidation requirement is to ensure at the time of graduation the doctoral candidate has attained and maintained current knowledge of the subject matter contained in the program of study. The following procedures will be used for the revalidation of expired doctoral level courses subject to revalidation. 1 The time limit applies to enrollment in all graduate course work applicable to the doctoral degree, excluding deficiency courses and hours waived because a student holds a relevant master s degree, but including work for which transfer credit is allowed. If any such NIU course does not fall within the time limit defined above, the student must demonstrate competency in the course material to the satisfaction of the department offering the course. Transfer courses falling outside the limitation of time cannot satisfy degree hour requirements. (emphasis added) available at

7 The student shall enroll as an "audit" student in the course being revalidated when the course is offered either on or off campus. The student shall attend classes, participate in all classroom activities, complete all course assignments and take any and all tests given during the semester. If the student successfully meets these expectations he/she shall receive credit for revalidating the course. In the event either the course(s) in need of revalidation is either not available for audit, or a professor familiar with the course subject matter is willing offer an alternative method for the student to demonstrate competency in the course(s) the student and the professor will enter into a REVALIDATION AGREEMENT FOR EXPIRED GRADUATE LEVEL COURSE WORK. (See the attached Revalidation Agreement template.) All revalidation agreements must be reviewed and approved by the Educational Leadership faculty before being effectuated. The time limit applies to enrollment in all graduate course work applicable to the doctoral degree, excluding deficiency courses and hours waived because a student holds a relevant master s degree, but including work for which transfer credit is allowed. If any such NIU course does not fall within the time limit defined above, the student must demonstrate competency in the course material to the satisfaction of the department offering the course. Transfer courses falling outside the limitation of time cannot satisfy degree hour requirements. (emphasis added) available at 7

8 Northern Illinois University College of Education Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations Department SAMPLE REVALIDATION AGREEMENT FOR EXPIRED GRADUATE LEVEL COURSE WORK 2 THIS AGREEMENT is made by, and voluntarily entered into between _Student s Name, a Northern Illinois University graduate student, (hereinafter referred to as the Student ) and _Professor s Name, an associate professor in Northern Illinois University s Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations Department (hereinafter referred to as the Professor ). In consideration of the mutual undertakings set forth in this Agreement, the sufficiency of which are mutually acknowledged by and between the parties, the Student and the Professor agree as follows: 1. The Professor will develop two or three essay questions/scenarios designed to assess the Student s understanding of the objectives/concepts covered in the Course Name - LEEA _#_ graduate course. These questions/scenarios will be similar to the essay questions students are expected to complete on the semester exam for the Professor s graduate education law courses. 2 See generally, Northern Illinois University Graduate Catalog at p. 32 Requirements for Graduate Degrees Limitation of Time 2 Except as indicated below, the student must fulfill all requirements for a doctoral degree within nine consecutive years immediately preceding the date of the student s graduation from that degree program. 2 2 The time limit applies to enrollment in all graduate course work applicable to the doctoral degree, excluding deficiency courses and hours waived because a student holds a relevant master s degree, but including work for which transfer credit is allowed. If any such NIU course does not fall within the time limit defined above, the student must demonstrate competency in the course material to the satisfaction of the department offering the course. Transfer courses falling outside the limitation of time cannot satisfy degree hour requirements. (emphasis added) available at 2 8

9 2. The Student and the Professor shall identify a mutually convenient date and time when the Student is able to travel to the Northern Illinois University DeKalb campus to receive and provide written responses to the revalidation questions/scenarios described in Paragraph One above. While formulating written responses to the revalidation questions the Student will be restricted to using only a 2006 edition of the Illinois School Code as a reference. The Professor will monitor the Student s completion of the revalidation exercise. 3. Thereafter, the Professor shall collect and review the Student s written responses and subsequently formulate a determination as to whether or not the Student s responses demonstrate sufficient understanding of the Education Law II LEEA 625 graduate course learning objectives to support a recommendation for revalidation to the Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations Department Chair and the Graduate College. 4. The Student must complete the revalidation process by May 10, 2007, in order that the Professor s assessment of the Student s written responses may be completed with a recommendation regarding revalidation being forwarded to the Leadership, Educational Psychology and Foundations Department Chair and Graduate College by May 31, The Student understands and agrees that if she does not successfully demonstrate sufficient understanding of the Education Law II LEEA 625 course learning objectives necessary to support the Professor s recommendation for revalidation the Student shall not be afforded further opportunity to revalidate the LEEA 625 course. 6. The Student acknowledges that she has read this Agreement; has had sufficient time to consider and comprehend the terms contained in it; understands the terms and provisions contained in this Agreement; and enters into it voluntarily, without any duress or undue influence on the part of Northern Illinois University or the University s employees and agents. 7. This Agreement shall become effective, and be deemed dated, as of the date the last of the parties signs as set forth below. By: Dated: (the Student) By: Dated: (the Professor) This Revalidation Agreement was reviewed and approved by the educational leadership faculty on, 20. Copy to: Department file Student Revalidation Official 9

10 Leave of Absence As a graduate student you may take a leave of absence from coursework for up to one year. To do so, please go to the Graduate School website and fill out the Leave of Absence form: If you take more than a year of absence, the Graduate School requires that you re-apply to the program for admission. Please notify your faculty program advisor when you submit a leave of absence form. Independent Study If interested in taking an independent study, you must secure permission from a faculty member to supervise the project. Together, you and the faculty member must complete and submit the Independent Study Form below before being gaining admission to the course. Graduation Requirements & Procedures Students planning to graduate should familiarize themselves with the dates relating to application for graduation and other Graduate School deadlines. Whether or not you plan to attend the commencement ceremonies, it is important that you apply for graduation by the specified deadline in order to graduate in a particular term. Deadlines should be discussed with your dissertation chair. To apply for graduation, log-in to your MY NIU account and look under Degree Progress/Graduation and complete the required fields. Program Faculty The core faculty members are listed below. More detailed information regarding indivdual faculty teaching and research interests may be found on the LEPF website. Students can also work with other faculty members from the LEPF department. Jon Crawford, Ph.D., J.D. Brad Hawk, Ed.D. Christine Kiracofe, Ed.D. Rosita Lopez, Ed.D. Kelly Summers, Ph.D. Becky Surber, Ed.D. Jim Surber, Ed.D. Teresa Wasonga, Ed.D. 10

11 Step-by-Step Checklist to Program Completion Apply to Graduate School using appropriate code for specialization Make initial appointment to meet with the LEPF Graduate Advisor to plan coursework Continue to meet regularly with the LEPF Graduate Advisor to seek input about course work Ask an LEPF faculty member to be your dissertation director as well as confirm the remaining members of your dissertation committee Ask a LEPF faculty member to be your advisor for your candidacy exam, and in consultation with that person select at least two other faculty members to be on your candidacy exam committee After completing all course work and passing your candidacy exam, register for LEEA 799 hours every semester until dissertation is completed Work closely with your dissertation chair to complete your proposal/prospectus Schedule your proposal/prospectus meeting after your dissertation director agrees your proposal is ready to defend After passing your proposal/prospectus meeting, complete the appropriate IRB application Work closely with your chair to complete your dissertation in a timely manner, including pre-defense and defense meetings Apply for graduation Attend graduation ceremony 11