• ED 801 Introduction to Doctoral Studies (3 credits) The course prepares doctoral students for success. Students explore possible research interests, formulate research questions and investigate topics such as communities of practice, leadership and innovation, action research, and organization systems. Students will access resources for research, begin to identify research topics, read and share research in educational trends.
• ED 805 Characteristics of Innovative Educational Leadership Practices (3 credits) The course focuses on leadership skills needed in higher education. Learners will examine qualities needed by successful leaders, analyze various leadership theories and their sources, and participate in self-assessment of leadership qualities. Action research will be conducted about leadership skills needed for the emerging higher education environment.
• ED 810 Leadership for Diverse Populations (3 credits) The course analyzes race, class, and gender issues relating to learning and organizational development. Candidates identify and analyze the social and cultural issues affecting policy and practice of education in a pluralistic society, and monitor instruction and learning in a culturally diverse system. Candidates explore the impact of policy on equal educational opportunity for domestic ethnic and gender groups. Decision-making framework for developing equity cultures in schools and other organizations is applied to program development and its components of staff training, instructional methods,interactional patterns, and assessment.
• ED 817 Educational Policy, Ethics, and Law (3 credits) The course focuses on use of legal and moral reasoning in analysis of educational policy issues. Specific topics may vary depending on interests of instructor and students and current controversy. Topics will include implications of social justice. Prerequisite: ED 727 – Legal Issues in Education or similar course
• ED 820 Innovative Practices in Instruction and Assessment (3 credits) The course develops understanding of leadership within the dynamic and systemic nature of organizations with emphasis on the evolution of best practices in curriculum design and instruction. It will focus on current issues and challenges in higher education and explore innovative applications and solutions. Directed field experiences will be part of the class. Prerequisite: ED 720 Curriculum Design and Assessment or equivalent course 
• ED 824 Organizational Structures in Education (3 credits) The course will examine factors such as personnel assessment, reflecting student outcomes with a relationship to innovation. Comparisons will be made between the innovation/success relationship in education and the same relationship in business and other areas. Directed field experiences will be part of the class.
• ED 828 Collaborative Leadership for Growth (3 credits) The course focuses on the understanding and use of evidence-based, action research for improvement of instruction and learning in education, on the foundation and growth of professional learning communities, and investigation of current educational issues, leading to collaborative solutions for improvement and growth. Directed field experiences will be part of the class.
• ED 825 Design Methods of Educational Research (3 credits) The course provides students with basic competencies in the application and interpretation of multiple research designs, ability to comprehend and apply statistical analysis of numerous between- and within-subjects designs and be able to understand and interpret different experimental designs and their application to educational research. The student will be able to examine and articulate the applied research process, have the ability to practice skills in building an argument with educational literature, examine the conceptual framing of research questions, develop a research design that addresses the research questions, and develop a plan of analysis. The course will support students’ thinking about their own research as well as the ability to critically analyze other applied research studies. Students will be required to develop a research proposal that addresses each of the elements of study in the course. It is expected that this proposal will be used as the basis for a dissertation. 
• ED 830 Advanced Methods Research and Analysis (3 credits) The course develops understanding of data collection, analysis, interpretation in studies using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods of inquiry, situated in action research, evaluation and data-informed decision making. Prerequisite:PYY 731 Statistical Analysis for Behavioral Sciences or equivalent course
• ED 831 Statistical Analysis for Educators (3 credits) Statistical logic and procedures, properties of statisticalanalysess, and application to data collected are emphasized. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests constitute the major portion of statisticalanalysess and reasoning. Also stressed is the interplay between statistical questions and answers and research questions and answers. Prerequisite: ED 825 Design Methods of Educational Research
• ED 834 Leadership and Organizational Behavior for Higher Education (3 credits) The course develops understanding of dynamic and systemic nature of organizations, with emphasis on higher education leadership for building organizational capacity and learning, and effective communication strategies. Directed field experiences will be part of the class.
• ED 838 Resource Management in Higher Education (3 credits) The course is designed to provide students with an overview of economics and financing of American higher education. Students will explore financial issues in higher education, access and affordability issues, state and federal funding, price setting, tuition discounting, merit-aid sources of revenues and expenditures, cost-cutting measures, collective bargaining, and budgeting models. Directed field experiences will be part of the class.
• ED 842 Data-Driven Program Assessment and Evaluation (3 credits) The course is a study of the theory of program evaluation, techniques used in program evaluation, and the standards of quality for professional evaluation practice in higher education settings. The focus is on application of program evaluation processes used by leaders in higher education settings, including department, school or college, and university-wide review. A student increases his/her leadership abilities to plan and evaluate educational programs in a systematic manner.
• ED 850 Innovative Leadership in a Culture of Change (3 credits) Focuses on theoretical foundations and history of educational systems. Examines literature and scholarship that builds knowledge of educational theory, the tradition of change in American education, and the challenges and opportunities of innovative leadership for future change.
• ED 860 Dissertation (variable - 1 to 3 credits) The doctoral dissertation provides the candidate with hands-on, directed experience in primary research methods. It provides a means for the candidate to demonstrate breadth of scholarship, depth of research, and ability to investigate problems independently and efficiently. The dissertation is an extended, coherent, and written work that demonstrates the student’s comprehensive knowledge and mastery of methodological, historical, topical, empirical, and theoretical issues relevant to the chosen research subject. The dissertation contains the results of critical research of documentary source materials and fieldwork.
• ED 865 Advising Seminar (0 credits) These seminars, scheduled at strategic times throughout the program, provide an opportunity for faculty advisors and students to review and discuss progress in the outcomes of the program and projections for future courses and projects. Seminars allow for focused discussions on the concerns and challenges facing students, and they allow the cohort to celebrate progress.
• ED 899 Capstone Project (1 credit) This project stands for a comprehensive exam. Students provide representative artifacts for each course, as well as a reflection on each piece. The artifacts demonstrate competency in each of the Program Learning Outcomes.

The program develops educational leaders who:

• Exhibit innovative leadership behaviors such as: cultivating a culture of effective communication, fostering collaboration, creative problem solving, and reflective practices to facilitate the change
• Analyze current issues and best practices in educational instruction, assessment, and innovation
• Demonstrate responsiveness to the varying needs of communities, organizations, and stakeholders and recognize the strengths and challenges in working with diverse populations
• Demonstrate ethical standards related to political, economic, cultural, and legal issues in the educational arena
• Create a culture that values professional learning, continuous improvement, and communities of practice in their educational settings
• Evaluate leadership actions that promote collaboration, risk taking, conflict resolution, and future thinking in transforming educational structures
• Develop skills for collecting, analyzing, and evaluating current research, educational models, and assessment results to make data-driven decisions
• Conduct original research demonstrating high-level analytical thinking, advanced research design, and problem-solving skills in the implementation of innovative leadership practices