60
Credit Hours
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
The Doctorate of Education (Ed.D) in Educational Leadership (EDL) is a practice-based program delivered at both the Miami University’s Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester Township and in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Ed.D. prepares democratically minded leaders who will engage with issues of equity, ethics, and social justice to create solutions to complex problems of educational practice. A dissertation of practice is the capstone of this Ed.D. program. This 60-credit hour program, taught by EDL faculty, is for educational leaders working in P-12 contexts and institutions.
Quick Facts
February 1
Application Priority Deadline
Fall
Program Start Term
$595
Per Credit Hour
Program Description
Our doctorate program is aimed at practitioners in the P-12 educational field who seek to grow in their knowledge of school leadership, policy, and best practice while attaining a degree commensurate with their high level of scholarship and intellectual challenge.
As this is a part-time student program for working adults, students take classes while continuing to work in their respective school leadership roles in surrounding public, charter, or private schools. Miami's goal is to provide the highest level of relevant, challenging course work and advising through to dissertation completion all focused on "problems of practice.
The Miami Ed.D. program seeks to prepare graduates with the adaptive skills needed not only to survive, but thrive in the 21st century global interdependent world and economy. P-12 practitioners understand that being a school leader today is far different from the past. While school and district leaders were formerly viewed as “keepers of the status quo,” today’s leaders are to be instigators of change with a vision that includes how to support a learning mission while making the best use of new technologies and limited resources. Central office leaders in particular must now communicate directly and effectively with diverse community members in culturally relevant ways, and be transparent about decision-making. The chain of command of today’s educational institutions has become more flattened causing people to feel more accessibility to district leadership, expanding leadership roles to seemingly 24-7 positions. Today’s school leader also feels the impact of widespread budget cuts requiring creativity to fund all the important programs impacting students.
Curriculum
Miami’s Ed.D. program is based on our department’s Seven Principles, which are also reflected in the program’s goals for learners in the Ed.D. program.
These principles spell out the program’s emphasis on democratic leadership for socially just institutions that serve all families and students in a district or school, as well as the program’s emphasis on preparing graduates who can collaborate with multicultural families and diverse institutions in their communities.
Finally, these principles also spell out our priority of program graduates being prepared to generate professional knowledge which informs their future practice.
Ed.D. Current Cohorts
To date, there are 9 cohorts - 85% of the Ed.D. Candidates in cohorts 1-4 have graduated.
- Cohorts 1 and 3 were located at Upper Arlington.
- Cohorts 2, 4, 6, and 8 are located at West Chester, Ohio – Voice of America Learning Center (VOALC).
- Cohorts 5 and 7 are located in Wilmington, Ohio.
- Cohort 9 began in Cincinnati, Ohio in Summer of 2022.
- Cohort 10 located at West Chester, Ohio began in Summer of 2023.
Ed.D. Students are Cohort Members
Admission into the Ed.D program means that the student becomes a member of a cohort, which provides for a prescribed sequence of course delivery. Miami’s cohort model is designed for the purpose of student success by fostering a community of learners who engage with and support each other intellectually in an environment of mutual respect.
Contact Us
Contact Guy Parmigian, Ph.D. for assistance and advice as you contemplate earning an Ed.D. with us at Miami University.
Program Goals
- The primary goal of this degree is to prepare democratic leaders who engage issues of equity, ethics, and social justice to create solutions to complex problems of educational practice.
- Prepares leaders who can construct and apply knowledge to advance democratic principles to benefit diverse individuals, families, organizations, and communities.
- Provides opportunities for leaders to develop and demonstrate collaboration and communication skills to work with multicultural, multilingual communities and to build partnerships with and for those communities.
- Provides field-based opportunities to analyze problems of practice by integrating intellectual, moral, and craft knowledge to develop meaningful solutions.
- Engages in the scholarship that integrates intellectual, moral, and craft knowledge, linking theory with systemic and systematic inquiry.
- Emphasizes the generation and use of professional knowledge and practice in order to prepare leaders to transform organizations while navigating cultural, political, and policy contexts.
- Inspires engagement with citizens and stakeholders, and embraces technology innovations for improving communication, curriculum, and leadership.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students will be able to describe and utilize theories and principles of justice and equity relevant to the problems of P-12 educational institutions.
- Students will be able to articulate concepts and multiple perspectives on democratic life and democratic governance as related to P-12 institutions and communities.
- Students will be able to use conceptions of cultural identity and cultural diversity to collaborate with diverse individuals, families, and communities in their school or district.
- Students will be able to collaborate and communicate across diverse contexts to work with multiple constituencies and communities in partnerships.
- Students will be able to relate theory and abstract thinking with concrete, applied analysis of problems of practice.
- Students will be able to utilize tools to generate knowledge that can transform educational organizations within cultural, political, and policy contexts.
- Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of technological literacies for school and community leadership.
Application Process
Candidates must apply and be accepted by Miami University's Graduate School and the Department of Educational Leadership. The Graduate School requires an applicant to have a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 2.75.
Submit an electronic Graduate School application, including:
- Transcripts from the school you obtained your undergraduate degree from and any other college or university at which you have done graduate work.
- An autobiographical statement and professional vita.
- Name and email address for two letters of reference, one from a current supervisor.
- A $50 non-refundable application fee.
Additional Application Details
The autobiographical statement, submitted electronically with the Graduate School application, is intended to provide the admissions committee with information about your professional background and aspirations.
Your statement should include the following:
- Briefly describe your professional experience since receiving your baccalaureate degree
- Describe your interest in leadership roles in education and give some examples of your leadership accomplishments
- Describe your professional goals and explain how our doctoral program can help you achieve them
- Describe one or two areas of interest for a dissertation study involving a problem of practice in your building, community, district, region, or state
- Explain how you satisfy your intellectual curiosity
The admissions committee requires a professional vita. It should include:
- Educational background
- Professional experience in education and other professional experiences
- Leadership roles
- Presentations and publications
Submit two references from colleagues, teachers, or peers who can attest to your professional work, potential for successful graduate study, and potential for making a positive contribution as a leader in an educational context.
The Graduate School will evaluate your application to determine whether you meet the minimum university requirements. If you meet these standards, your application will be forwarded to the Department of Educational Leadership (EDL) for further consideration.
The Ed.D. Admissions Committee in EDL reviews the application, grades, letters of reference, test score, and autobiographical statement. Students who do not meet department standards are denied admission at this stage. Applicants who exhibit potential for academic success and who appear to have a good "fit'' between their goals and the department's program are invited to an interview with the Ed.D. Admissions Committee in February.
Applicants will be notified as soon as possible after the interview process about an admission decision.
Contact our Ed.D. Coordinator, Guy Parmigian, Ph.D., for the West Chester Township Ed.D. Cohort 10.
Contact Érica Fernández, Ph.D. for the Cincinnati Ed.D. Cohort planned for Summer 2024.
Costs
Costs for the Ed.D. program follow a Market-Driven Tuition (MDT) model established by Miami University. The tuition rate for the 2024-25 academic year is $595 per credit. The program is 60 credit hours.
Tuition for the Ed.D. Program cannot be covered with internal fee waivers, including but not limited to the following: TEAM Scholarship, Graduate Assistantships, Grant-in-Aid awards, and McNair Awards. The faculty, staff, or family tuition fee waiver will only cover the standard instructional portion of each of these per credit hour rates. Eligible students can also choose to purchase student health insurance at an additional cost.
A limited amount of financial assistance may be available to Ed.D. students through the Department of Educational Leadership or Miami University's Graduate School.
