Ed.D. Educational Leadership

We designed this doctorate primarily for individuals interested in K-12 Educational Administration or Community College/Higher Education Administration. Area III provides the opportunity for students to select their preferred emphasis.

For this 63-unit program, which involves completing a dissertation, you take:

Area I: Professional Foundations (9 units)

• EDF 711 Philosophy of Education

• EDF 703 Sociology of Education

• EDF 742 Historical Research and Educational History

Area II: Leadership Theory (9 units)

• EDL 733 Organization Development

• EDL 788 Advanced Leadership Theory

• EDL 789 Advanced Leadership Seminar

Area III: Professional Leadership Emphasis (18 units)

K-12 Administration Emphasis:

• EDL 734 Education Funding Policy Studies (3 units)

• EDL 736 Advanced School Law (3 units)

• EDL 797 Superintendent Internship (3 units)

• Electives

• Select 9 units of graduate courses (doctoral preferred) from the College of Education or other Northern Arizona University colleges.

Or

Community College/Higher Education Administration Emphasis:

• Select 5 courses from the following list of 6 approved CC/EDL electives* (15 units):

• CC 620 Programs for Access and Opportunity (3 units)

• CC 640 Curriculum Construction (3 units)

• CC 670 Adult Learners (3 units)

• CC 680 Higher Education in the U.S. (3 units)

• CC 688 College Teaching (3 units)

• EDL 732 Educational Leadership & Planning for Technology (3 units)

*You may also choose from other NAU 600/700-level courses, upon approval by your advisor.

• CC 696 Internship (3 units)

Area IV: Evaluation and Research (27 Units)

• Required Courses*

• EPS 525 Introduction to Statistics

• EDR 720 Research Design

• EDR 798 Dissertation Seminar

• EDL 799 Dissertation (12 units minimum)**

• Select two courses from the following* (6 units)

• EPS 625 Intermediate Statistics (3 units)

• EDR 725 Qualitative Research (3 units)

• EDR 730 Evaluation Research (3 units)

• EDR 736 Survey Development Techniques (3 units)

• EDL 770 Advanced Practicum (3 units)

*EDR 610 Introduction to Research (or equivalent) is a pre-requisite for Area IV.

**EDL 799 Dissertation units must be at taken a minimum of 3 units at a time in continuous enrollment until 12 units are taken. If additional dissertation units are needed, students may enroll in 1 unit at a time, after they have completed 12 units. Students must be enrolled in 3 units of EDL 799 during the semester they defend their dissertation.

No graduate credit-units may be transferred into the program with the exception of credit-units taken from Northern Arizona University for the purpose of Superintendent Certification.

Click here, Doctoral Requirements, for more information about residency and other requirements that pertain to this degree.

State Teaching Certification Plans

You can apply to a plan preparing you for state teaching certification in Supervision, Principalship, or Superintendency. You must have a master’s degree before you can obtain any of these state administrative certifications.

Certification plans vary in the number of educational leadership units that are required:

• Supervision requires 18 units;

• Principalship requires 30 units; and

• Superintendency requires 36 units.

All educational leadership units are as approved by Northern Arizona University’s faculty and the State Board of Education.

• Each certification includes other requirements that need not be in leadership.

You must apply separately for these plans. Contact our Educational Leadership office for additional information.

Click here for more information about our Educational Leadership faculty and our:

Educational Leadership undergraduate courses and graduate courses

Educational Research graduate courses

Community College undergraduate courses and graduate courses

Educational Foundations undergraduate courses and graduate courses