Mar 13, 2026  
2026-2027 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog 
    
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2026-2027 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog

Educational Leadership, EdD

Admission into the doctoral program occurs in Fall semesters only. Students are expected to concentrate their work in several areas including educational leadership (management and instructional), educational research, and a specialty area. The program courses are offered through an Executive Format with Friday evening and Saturday face-to-face classes four times each semester (fall and spring) supported by online activities. Summer course schedules vary by concentration.

The K-12 Concentration is designed to produce educational leaders with the knowledge and skills to enhance the leadership capacity in K-12 school systems, as well as state and federal educational departments. The concentration is not designed to lead towards initial Administrative Certification for the State of Louisiana. Students who do not have a master’s degree in school administration or the equivalent, may be required to complete three to nine hours of coursework in educational administration.

The Higher Education Concentration is offered to individuals interested in leadership positions in higher education. Students are expected to specialize their work in areas of leadership, policy, management, and educational research. The concentration is designed to produce educational leaders with the knowledge and skills to enhance the leadership capacity in higher education. Students are required to have a master’s degree prior to entering the higher education concentration.

The Curriculum Leadership Concentration is intended to give K-12 educational leaders the knowledge and skills they need to provide effective instructional leadership. This concentration is designed to address the growing emphasis on the need for modes of teaching and learning to support pedagogy for diverse populations.

The Exceptional Learner Concentration is designed to give leaders the knowledge and skills they require to provide effective administrative support for special and gifted education teachers. Many point to poor administrative support as a reason for special education teachers leaving the profession during the first three years of employment. This concentration is intended to give administrators a better understanding of the needs of special and gifted education and the kind of administrative support they require to be effective.

Admission

In addition to the general application and admission requirements of the Graduate School, regular admission to the doctoral program in Educational Leadership requires that applicants also possess a master’s degree from an accredited university and show evidence of readiness for the program by providing a professional resume, and a formal letter of application addressing the questions: (a) What is your purpose for joining the doctoral program? (b) What are your career goals both short and long term? (c) How do you believe the doctoral program will help you in the performance of your professional duties and responsibilities? (d) What specific qualities and characteristics do you bring to the doctoral program? (e) How would your personal and professional environments be supportive in your quest for the doctoral degree?

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate Assistant positions are available for qualified students. A student must be in regular admission status and schedule nine (9) or more hours applicable to the degree to be eligible. Contact the program coordinator for more information.

Degree Requirements

Prerequisites

A graduate level course in statistics or its equivalent is required before taking EDLD 802 Quantitative Methods in Educational Leadership .

General Requirements

To earn the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, the student must complete 60+ hours of coursework beyond the master’s degree, organized as listed below. The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership provides an opportunity for the student to specialize in a content area with the approval of the Faculty Advisor and Graduate Coordinator. The student must complete all requirements within six calendar years beginning with the first semester after successfully defending the qualifying paper.

Required Research Core (18 credit hours)

The following 18 credit hours of research core coursework is required of all students completing the Ed.D. program in Educational Leadership.

Required Doctoral Dissertation Seminars

EDLD 900 is a required course; 3-27 credit hours of EDLD 999 until satisfactory completion of the dissertation is required for all students completing the Ed.D. program in Educational Leadership.

Concentrations

In addition to completion of the required research core courses and the dissertation coursework identified above, each student must select one of the following concentrations and complete the leadership and specialization coursework as identified below for each.

K-12 Concentration
Educational Leadership Core (36 credit hours)
Required Course (3 credit hours)
Elective Courses (33 credit hours)

To be selected from the following courses:

Higher Education Concentration
Educational Leadership Core (36 credit hours)
Required Course (3 credit hours)
Elective Courses (33 credit hours)

To be selected from the following courses:

Curriculum Leadership Concentration
Educational Leadership Core (27 credit hours)
Required Courses (15 credit hours)
Elective Courses (12 credit hours)

To be selected from the following courses:

Specialization Coursework (9 credit hours)
Exceptional Learner Concentration
Educational Leadership Core (27 credit hours)
Required Courses (15 credit hours)
Elective Courses (12 credit hours)

To be selected from the following courses:

Specialization Coursework (9 credit hours)

Qualifying Paper

A qualifying paper consisting of a comprehensive review of the literature on a topic selected is required in place of the traditional comprehensive examination. The student must successfully defend a qualifying paper to be admitted to candidacy.

Dissertation Director and Committee

After successful completion of the qualifying paper, the student shall select a Dissertation Chair willing to serve on behalf of the student and the Department. In consultation with said Dissertation Chair, a Dissertation Committee must be constituted of at least three members of the Graduate Faculty. The Dissertation Committee must be headed by a member of the Graduate Faculty of the Department or an approved other member of the Graduate Faculty.

Dissertation Proposal

The student must present and defend at a public hearing a dissertation proposal acceptable to the Dissertation Committee and the Graduate Faculty of the department. After acceptance of a dissertation proposal, the student must remain continuously enrolled for dissertation credit (excluding summers) until the dissertation is accepted.

Dissertation Defense

After the dissertation is completed to the satisfaction of the Dissertation Chair, it is to be presented in its completed form to the other members of the Dissertation Committee (including the external reviewer).

Final Submission

After the student has completed the oral defense of the dissertation, the student must file such copies as the Department and/or Graduate School may require (including electronic versions) and must submit the Abstract of the work in an acceptable form for publication in Dissertation Abstracts.