Educational Policy, Planning & Leadership (EPPL)
Master’s Degree Programs
The Master’s Degree programs in Educational Leadership (PK-12 Administration and Higher Education Administration) blend elements of well-grounded theoretical perspectives with innovative practices in the preparation of educational leaders for entry-level positions in educational organizations.
Doctoral Degree Programs
For those students who already hold a master’s degree, we offer two options for advanced study:
- Our Ed.D offers a part-time program, in a hybrid or online format and is designed for the working practitioner.
- Our Ph.D. programs are intended for students interested in scholarly practice, research and/or teaching at the university level.
The Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership doctoral programs have the following components:
- Program Area Core Course Requirements
- Research Methodology courses (PhD) or Research Inquiry Courses (Executive Ed.D)
- Concentration Options
- Comprehensive Examination
- Dissertation
Concentrations for Doctoral Programs
The purpose of the concentration is to enable the student to develop in-depth knowledge and understanding of principles, concepts, theories, and practices in a particular area of Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership. Each student will be required to declare a concentration during the admission process.
For the Ed.D. program, there are concentrations in K-12 Administration, Higher Education Administration, Gifted Administration, and International School Leadership.
For the Ph.D. program, there are concentrations in Curriculum & Educational Leadership, Higher Education Administration, and Gifted Education.
Dissertation Committee - EPPL
In EPPL, the Dissertation Committee includes the Chair or Co-Chairs, and one or more additional members, with a minimum of three members. The composition of the Committee must include at least one member from the student’s department. The following guidelines apply in eligibility to serve on doctoral committees.
- The Committee Chair must be a faculty member within the School of Education; a minimum of two members of the Committee must be faculty in the School of Education. For Ph.D. students, the committee chair must be a full-time tenured, tenure-eligible, or non-tenure-eligible faculty member from the student’s department. A minimum of one member must be a faculty member in the student’s program area.
- For Ed.D. students, the committee chair may be a tenured, tenure-eligible, or non-tenure-eligible affiliated faculty member who regularly teaches full- or part-time in the Ed.D. program. Affiliated faculty members will be approved using departmental-criteria. A list of approved affiliated faculty will be maintained by the School of Education Registrar. Affiliated faculty members may serve as chair on Ed.D. dissertations after serving as co-chair with a full-time faculty member on at least two successful dissertations.
- Members outside of the School of Education must be approved by the Committee Chair as committee members.
- The academic advisor originally assigned to the student for program planning may be invited by the student to serve on or chair the Committee, but inclusion of the academic advisor is not mandatory.
- All members of the Committee must have terminal degrees and are required to participate fully in review and assessment of the proposal and dissertation.
Students should complete the Dissertation Committee Approval form and obtain the signatures of each committee member. The completed form should be submitted to the School of Education Registrar. Changes in the composition of the dissertation committee, once it has been formed, may be requested by contacting the School of Education Registrar.
EPPL Comprehensive Exam
Format
The EPPL Comprehensive Exam is a five-calendar-day take-home exam comprising two sections: a section that requires knowledge, synthesis, and/or application of topics addressed in the four EPPL core courses (EPPL 601, 602, 603, and 604), and an article critique that assesses knowledge of research design and methods gained in the required research or inquiry courses.
In section one, students respond to a prompt based on topics and materials from the EPPL core curriculum. The focus is on integration and application of knowledge explored in the core courses (EPPL 601, 602, 603, and 604).
In section two, students produce a methodological critique of a scholarly article chosen from a set provided by the faculty. Key to the assessment of this portion of the exam response is the sophistication of the student’s critique of the selected study’s design, suggestions for improvement, and explanations of all points and suggestions made. Prior knowledge of the content addressed in the selected article is not required to write a successful response to this section of the exam.
Eligibility
Doctoral students are eligible to take the comprehensive exam after successful completion of the required EPPL core and research/inquiry courses. The exam can be taken prior to completion of Ph.D. advanced-level research electives (e.g., EDUC 700 and EPPL 765). The student must be enrolled for at least one credit hour during the semester when the exam is taken.
Timing
The comprehensive exam must be taken within one year of completing the required EPPL core and research/inquiry courses. The comprehensive exam must be passed within five years from the time that the student is admitted to doctoral study.
Evaluation
Each comprehensive exam will be read independently by two EPPL faculty members, with a third reader assigned if there is a discrepancy between the assessments of the first two readers. Exams will be evaluated using blind review and on a pass/fail/honors basis. A unanimous vote is required for an honors designation; a majority is necessary for pass or fail evaluations. The review of exam responses will be completed within three weeks from the last day of the exam period. The designated review committee chair will notify the EPPL department chair of the evaluation results. The department chair will then inform the Office of Academic Programs, which subsequently will notify the student.
If any part of the exam receives a “fail” evaluation, the designated committee chair will provide feedback to the student’s program advisor, including recommendations for addressing deficiencies. A second exam will be scheduled during the next exam period for the portion(s) of the exam that were failed. If the student fails either section of the comprehensive exam twice, the student will be withdrawn from the program.
More information regarding policies for doctoral students can be found on the Doctoral Policies page.
MEd in Educational Leadership
PhD in Educational Policy, Planning & Leadership
EdD in Educational Policy, Planning & Leadership
- K-12 Administration
- Gifted Administration
- Higher Education Administration
- International School Administration
Certificate Program
Combined Degree Programs
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CRIN 766 | Advanced Studies in Curriculum Leadership | 3 |
| EDUC F65 | Research Methods in Education | 3 |
| EDUC 603 | The College Student: Developmental Themes and Social Contexts | 3 |
| EDUC 651 | Inquiry I: Data-Based Decision Making | 3 |
| EDUC 652 | Inquiry II: Action Research | 3 |
| EDUC 653 | Inquiry III: Program Evaluation | 3 |
| EDUC 663 | Quantitative Research Design & Methods I | 3 |
| EDUC 665 | Quantitative Research Design & Methods II | 3 |
| EDUC 694 | Qualitative Research, Part 1 | 3 |
| EDUC 695 | Qualitative Research, Part II | 3 |
| EDUC 700 | Quantitative Research Design & Methods III | 3 |
| EDUC 704 | Advanced Qualitative Research Design and Methods | 3 |
| EDUC 705 | Case Study Methods in Education Research | 3 |
| EDUC 706 | Mixed Methods Research in Education | 3 |
| EDUC 764 | Seminar in Counselor Education | 3 |
| EDUC 799 | Continuous Enrollment | 1-6 |
| EDUC 800 | Dissertation | 1-9 |
| EPPL 501 | Educational Leadership and Organizational Dynamics | 3 |
| EPPL 502 | Educational Leadership: Concepts and Cases | 3 |
| EPPL 503 | Higher Education Organizations and Contexts | 3 |
| EPPL 504 | Universal Design for Learning | 1 |
| EPPL 520 | College Teaching Strategies | 1-3 |
| EPPL 523 | Experiential Learning & Career Preparation in Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 525 | Assessment and Evaluation to Promote College Student Learning | 3 |
| EPPL 528 | History of Minority Serving Institutions | 1 |
| EPPL 530 | Introduction to Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 534 | Instructional Leadership: Administering Educational Programs | 3 |
| EPPL 535 | Instructional Leadership: Assessment and Evaluation | 3 |
| EPPL 536 | Instructional Leadership: Supervision and Professional Development | 3 |
| EPPL 550 | Leadership for Deeper Learning: Change, Innovation, and Inquiry in Schools | 3 |
| EPPL 561 | Leadership and Cultural Competence | 3 |
| EPPL 585 | Internship in Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 586 | Leadership Residency in PK-12 Administration and Supervision | 1-3 |
| EPPL 599A | Educational Research for Practice | 3 |
| EPPL 599B | Master’s Project | 3 |
| EPPL 601 | Educational Policy: Development and Analysis | 3 |
| EPPL 602 | Educational Planning | 3 |
| EPPL 603 | Leadership in Education | 3 |
| EPPL 604 | Cross Disciplinary Perspectives in Educational Theory, Research and Practice | 3 |
| EPPL 612 | Curriculum and Instruction for Gifted Learners | 3 |
| EPPL 613 | The Academic Life | 3 |
| EPPL 615 | Higher Education Operations Management | 3 |
| EPPL 617 | Institutional Advancement | 3 |
| EPPL 619 | Leadership & Change in Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 620 | Understanding and Facilitating Learning in Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 621 | Integration of Learning | 3 |
| EPPL 622 | Leading for Learning: Curriculum and Assessment | 3 |
| EPPL 623 | Leading for Learning: Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| EPPL 625 | Current Issues in Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 628 | The History of Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 632 | The Community College | 3 |
| EPPL 633 | Planning and Management in School Finance and Facilities | 3 |
| EPPL 635 | Advanced Organizational Theory and Governance of Educational Systems | 3 |
| EPPL 636 | Student Developmental Theory | 3 |
| EPPL 637 | Social Justice Praxis for Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 638 | Internationalization of Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 640 | Administering Special Education Programs | 3 |
| EPPL 642 | Leadership for School, Family and Community Partnerships | 3 |
| EPPL 643 | Human Resources Administration | 3 |
| EPPL 645 | Executive Leadership in Organizations | 3 |
| EPPL 650 | Developmental Perspectives in Gifted Education | 3 |
| EPPL 651 | Theoretical Perspectives on Curriculum Development & Evaluation | 3 |
| EPPL 652 | Engaging Students in Learning | 3 |
| EPPL 653 | Designing for Learning | 3 |
| EPPL 654 | Assessment, Evaluation & Accountability in K-12 Education | 3 |
| EPPL 655 | Learning in Context | 3 |
| EPPL 656 | Leveraging Technology for Learning | 3 |
| EPPL 657 | Evaluating Curriculum and Learning Design | 3 |
| EPPL 660 | Public School Law | 3 |
| EPPL 661 | Higher Education Law | 3 |
| EPPL 662 | Sociology of Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 663 | Foundations of Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 670 | Programs and Models in Gifted Education | 3 |
| EPPL 671 | Comparative and International Educational Policy Studies | 3 |
| EPPL 672 | Leadership in International Education | 3 |
| EPPL 673 | Intercultural Competence and International Education | 3 |
| EPPL 676 | The Financing of Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 678 | Branding in Higher Education | 3 |
| EPPL 680 | Teaching and Learning in Digital Spaces | 3 |
| EPPL 681 | Designing and Supporting Professional Learning | 3 |
| EPPL 686 | Readings and Research in Curriculum | 3 |
| EPPL 690 | Researching Social Processes in K-12 Schools | 3 |
| EPPL 711 | Survey of Evidence Based Curriculum for Gifted Learners | 3 |
| EPPL 712 | Administration and Policy Issues in Gifted Education | 3 |
| EPPL 713 | Higher Education and Public Policy | 3 |
| EPPL 720 | Seminar in School Neuropsychology | 3 |
| EPPL 722 | Advanced Psychoeducational Assessment & Evaluation | 3 |
| EPPL 733 | Seminar on Legal Issues in Education | 3 |
| EPPL 734 | Seminar in Human Resource Leadership in Education | 3 |
| EPPL 741 | Critical Issues in Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment | 3 |
| EPPL 742 | Seminar on Teacher and Leader Effectiveness | 3 |
| EPPL 751 | Coll:Ed Pol/Pln/Lead | 1-6 |
| EPPL 753 | Leadership for Inclusive Excellence in Education | 3 |
| EPPL 760 | Independent Study in Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership | 1-6 |
| EPPL 765 | Applied Field Research Project | 3 |
| EPPL 770 | Advanced Internship in Administration | 3 |
| EPPL 775 | Doctoral Internship in University Teaching | 3 |
| EPPL 781 | Ed.D. Program Research Seminar I | 1 |
| EPPL 782 | Ed.D. Program Research Seminar II | 1-4 |
| EPPL 790 | Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership Research Seminar | 3 |
| EPPL 801 | Dissertation Study | 1-6 |