University of Mississippi
OXFORD – The University of Mississippi is launching a new doctoral program designed for working principals, superintendents and district-level administrators.
The UM School of Education will roll out the doctor of education degree in K-12 leadership as a hybrid class. It will combine online coursework and traditional seminars on weekends.
The program currently is accepting applications.
“You can think of the hybrid Ed.D. as a terminal degree with a built-in consulting group,” Doug Davis, associate professor of educational leadership and director of the program, said in a press release. “Each cohort member will have different goals for his or her own school or district. Participants will have access to not only our faculty, but other experienced leaders in the cohort who will help each other achieve their goals.”
The Ed. D. requires six semesters of part-time study over three years, and all graduates will complete a “Dissertation in Practice,” which will allow doctoral students to align research with the institutional goals of their home schools and/or districts.
The program is the result of an ongoing collaboration with the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, or CPED, a consortium of more than 80 institutions undertaking an examination of professional doctorates in education.
“CPED is allowing colleges and universities to work together to advance doctoral education designed to affect practice,” Amy Wells Dolan, associate dean of education, said.
Dolan has worked with CPED as a UM representative since 2011.
For admission, applicants must have earned an advanced degree in educational leadership with a graduate grade-point average of at least 3.5. They must also possess a competitive score on the Graduate Record Exam, a school administrator’s license and full-time employment in an education leadership position at the school or district level.
The Ed. D. differs from the existing Doctor of Philosophy degree in K-12 leadership, which is designed for full-time study and allows doctoral students to focus more on individual research interests.