Leadership, Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Program goal

The purpose of the Ed.D. in Leadership program is to engage leaders in a variety of learning organizations with practitioner-oriented knowledge and skills, authentic leadership and research experiences, and opportunities for reflection that will enable them to succeed in a variety of organizational leadership positions. At the center of the program is diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in collaborative, team-based projects to improve education and education-adjacent organizations. The curriculum includes action-oriented andragogy, the application of theory and research to practice, and focuses on addressing problems of practice in real-world contexts. The program concludes with a unique, year-long capstone project, or dissertation-in-practice, in which a team of students works with a partner organization to address a problem of practice.

Program features

The Ed.D. in Leadership is a 48-credit hour, 36-month program. Based upon principles of adult learning, the program has the following features:

1. Competitive admissions

2. Mid-career entry

3. Scholar-practitioner oriented

4. Learning-community based

5. Team-based learning and projects 

6. Problem-oriented andragogy and curriculum

7. Cohorts in grades kindergarten through 12, higher education and general leadership (appropriate for leaders in schools and districts, nonprofits, academic disciplines outside education and other service organizations)

8. Cohorts offered in fully online or face-to-face modalities, depending on the number of admissions each year. 

   1. Online students meet at a designated time on Wednesdays for one synchronous session per week blended with asynchronous learning.

   2. Face-to-face students meet every Thursday evening and five Saturdays each semester on the Monroe Park Campus with  complementary asynchronous learning.

9. All students have required face-to-face residencies each summer on the Monroe Park Campus.

10. The program culminates in an applied group dissertation-in-practice, the capstone, which is team-based and in response to a real-world problem of practice submitted by a partner organization. 

Student learning outcomes

1. Confident and clear communication and presentation skills through formal benchmark essays and presentations
2. Understanding and application of effective leadership, team-building and learning behaviors through team projects

3. Appropriate data-gathering, management and analysis techniques through research courses and capstone projects

4. Application of theory and professional knowledge related to organizations, systems, legal, culture, policy and crisis perspectives 

5. Decision-making and recommendation formulation based upon data analysis and scholarly research through benchmark course assignments and capstone projects

6. Professional writing skills appropriate to scholarly, practitioner and lay audiences

7. Academic achievement necessary to be considered for doctoral candidate status, as required by the university by meeting candidacy requirements

VCU Graduate Bulletin, VCU Graduate School and general academic policies and regulations for all graduate students in all graduate programs

The VCU Graduate Bulletin website documents the official admission and academic rules and regulations that govern graduate education for all graduate programs at the university. These policies are established by the graduate faculty of the university through their elected representatives to the University Graduate Council.

It is the responsibility of all graduate students, both on- and off-campus, to be familiar with the VCU Graduate Bulletin as well as the Graduate School website and academic regulations in individual school and department publications and on program websites. However, in all cases, the official policies and procedures of the University Graduate Council, as published on the VCU Graduate Bulletin and Graduate School websites, take precedence over individual program policies and guidelines.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on academic regulations for graduate students.

Degree candidacy requirements

A graduate student admitted to a program or concentration requiring a final research project, work of art, thesis or dissertation, must qualify for continuing master’s or doctoral status according to the degree candidacy requirements of the student’s graduate program. Admission to degree candidacy, if applicable, is a formal statement by the graduate student’s faculty regarding the student’s academic achievements and the student’s readiness to proceed to the final research phase of the degree program.

Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following degree candidacy policy as published in the VCU Graduate Bulletin for complete information and instructions.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on degree candidacy requirements.

Graduation requirements

As graduate students approach the end of their academic programs and the final semester of matriculation, they must make formal application to graduate. No degrees will be conferred until the application to graduate has been finalized.

Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following graduation requirements as published in the Graduate Bulletin for a complete list of instructions and a graduation checklist.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on graduation requirements.

Apply online today.

Admission requirements

In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, the following requirements represent the minimum acceptable standards for admission:

1. Master’s degree
2. Three years leadership experience, including formal and informal leadership
3. Three letters of recommendation addressing the student’s potential for graduate study in education
4. Statement of intent 
5. Writing sample
6. Transcripts of all previous college work
7. Professional vitae/resume
8. A personal interview (may be requested)

Please visit the School of Education website for further information.

Degree requirements

In addition to general VCU Graduate School graduation requirements, students are required to complete course work in core and elective courses.

1. Credit hour requirements: Students are required to complete a minimum of 48 credit hours.
2. Grade requirements: Receipt of a grade of C or below in three courses constitutes automatic dismissal from the program: Courses with a grade below C cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements.
3. Capstone requirements: Students must complete and defend a team-based capstone research project.

Curriculum requirements

The minimum total of graduate credit hours required for this degree is 48.

Contact
Office of Strategic Recruitment
soeinfo@vcu.edu
(804) 827-6847

Additional contacts
Beth E. Bukoski, Ph.D.
Associate professor and graduate program director
bukoskibe@vcu.edu
(804) 828-8736

Program website: soe.vcu.edu/academics/leadership/leadership-edd/