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Ph.D in Instructional Leadership for Changing Populations

Overview
Program of Study
Curriculum
Comprehensive Examinations
Dissertation
Course Descriptions

The Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership for Changing Populations is designed to prepare graduates who will be equipped to provide instructional leadership at the classroom level and whose research will contribute to knowledge in the field. The driving purpose of the program is to bring the best of relevant contemporary scholarship to bear on creating learning environments that improve the academic performance of all students and to meet the particular needs of these new learners. The program requires a knowledge core, a research core, comprehensive examinations and a formal dissertation.

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Program of Study

The program requires elements common to all doctoral studies: research methods, comprehensive examinations, research seminar and dissertation. The course content includes study of language, learning and instruction; historical, global and philosophical perspectives; change theory; and educational policy and legal issues.

Courses in the areas of language, learning and philosophical perspectives provide necessary understandings and approaches fundamental to all aspects of the program. Because they establish the foundation and focus for all other studies, these courses should be taken at the beginning of the doctoral program.

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Curriculum

Depending on the prior graduate work of the student, 45 to 60 credits will be required to complete the degree. In Phase 1 (initial 30 credits), the student successfully completes an introductory course in reading and interpreting educational research (3 credits); the Language and Learning Core (12 credits); and an additional 15 credits. In Phase 2, the candidate completes the final 30 credits while advancing to degree candidacy through:

  • Successful completion of remaining course requirements
  • Preparation for comprehensive exams
  • Successful completion of comprehensive examinations and advancement to the dissertation stage
  • Successful completion of EDU-705, the Dissertation Seminar, the dissertation and defense of the dissertation

Courses

Introductory Research Course (3 Credits)

This may be fulfilled by taking EDU-543 Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Educational Research.

Language and Learning (12 Credits)
EDU-647 Learning, Language and the Brain (3)
EDU-676 Educational Applications of Multimedia (3)
EDU-697 Language and Intercultural Communication for Changing Populations (3)
EDU-698 Linguistic and Cultural Diversity (3)

Philosophical Perspectives (12 Credits)
EDU-672 Changing School Populations in Historical Perspective (3)
EDU-674 Global and International Perspectives in Education (3)
EDU-675 Democracy and Education: Philosophical Perspectives (3)
IDS-500 The Human Spirit and the Liberal Arts (3)

Changing Populations (9 Credits)
EDU-615 Educator as Change Leader (3)
EDU-622 Education and Policy Analysis for Changing Schools (3)
EDU-660 Legislative and Legal Decisions Affecting Changing School Populations (3)

Research Core (9 Credits)
EDU-695 Research Design (3)
EDU-701 Methods of Quantitative Research (3)
EDU-703 Methods of Qualitative Research (3)

Special Interest Area (6 Credits)
Together with their advisors, students select two courses related to an area of special interest within the broad domain of instructional leadership and improving learning for changing student populations. The areas offered are: TESOL, reading, and special education. All three areas focus upon helping teachers to understand and enhance learning for the large number of linguistically and culturally diverse students currently in Maryland. The task for teachers is to create learning environments in which these new students will be successful. To accomplish this, educators need a world view, skills in language learning and in reading instruction. Each of these areas will provide relevant, research-based insights. Selected courses complement core courses by adding breadth to the student's understanding of the field, assisting students to prepare more intensively for aspects of the comprehensive examinations, enabling each student to explore a specific area which may become the focus of the student's doctoral research, extending each student's understanding by tapping resources beyond course offerings in professional education and supporting all students in attaining identified professional career goals. Courses are selected from those in program matrices projected by Graduate Studies for the time frame of the student's program. 6 credits from prior study may be transferred into the area of special interest.

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Comprehensive Examinations

Prior to undertaking the dissertation, candidates must pass oral and written comprehensive examinations demonstrating knowledge both of the broad conceptual and procedural aspects of instruction for changing populations and in-depth knowledge in the area of specialization in which the candidate proposes to undertake the investigations that will result in the doctoral dissertation. Students must complete the comprehensive exam requirement within two years of completing course work.

The comprehensive exam experience requires students to write essay answers demonstrating proficiency in writing, critical thinking, and holistic perspectives, and to demonstrate their ability to articulate their perceived roles as agents of change in education.

Written and oral examinations must be passed in the following areas:

  • Language and learning
  • Philosophical perspectives
  • Changing populations

Written comprehensive examinations are administered in September and January. If a degree candidate fails any section of the examination, that student will have one opportunity to rewrite that failed section. The written examinations are read by the candidate's comprehensive committee, consisting of two faculty specialists. In the event of divided scoring, a third faculty expert will be asked to review the examination. After two failures of any section, the candidate may not continue in the Ph.D. program. Written examinations are not returned to students.

The candidate may not sit for the oral examination until all sections of the written comprehensives have been passed. Oral examinations are scheduled within three weeks after the successful completion of the written tests. Two or three faculty reviewers conduct the session. In the oral examination, the candidate should be prepared to respond to questions that pursue issues raised in the written examinations, to discuss any other topic related to the program of study, or to explore how he/she plans to proceed with the dissertation. As a result of the oral examination, a candidate may be required to take additional course work in a specific area.

Grades assigned to comprehensive examinations are:

  • Pass with distinction (PH indicating honors)
  • Pass (P)
  • Fail (F)

Following oral and written examinations, the chair of the comprehensive committee submits an official ballot, graded and signed by each member, to the dean of education. Students are then officially notified of the results by the dean of education.

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Dissertation

The dissertation is the culmination of the candidate's doctoral studies. In this extended work of original and independent research, the candidate addresses a problem or issue relevant to education, conducts research that is quantitative or qualitative (depending on the chosen subject), and develops a dissertation that adds to knowledge in the field. After identifying the research topic and receiving approval from the dean of education, the candidate works closely with a dissertation advisor to complete each stage of the dissertation process.

The following two courses are required:
EDU-705 Dissertation Seminar (3 credits)
EDU-801 Dissertation (6 credits)

To be eligible to register for the Dissertation Seminar, the candidate must have completed successfully all required courses in the program, have passed the written and oral comprehensive examinations, and be a student in good standing at the University.

Subsequent to completing EDU-801, students must register for EDU-800 for each academic semester when they require additional time to work on the dissertation. This registration provides the candidate access to University facilities (the Loyola/Notre Dame Library, computer laboratories, etc.) and the continued guidance of the dissertation adviser.

Submission of the Dissertation

The candidate submits the completed dissertation manuscript to the dissertation adviser and to the second readers.

After the adviser and readers review the manuscript, the candidate makes the required revisions and submits a copy to the Dean of the School of Education. Due dates for submission of dissertations to the Dean are December 1 (for May graduation) May 1 (for December graduation) If the dissertation is then found to be satisfactory, the dissertation advisor schedules the dissertation defense. Manuscripts that do not follow the format expectations set forth by the Ph.D. Committee will not be accepted.

Dissertation Defense

The candidate defends the dissertation before a committee formed by the dean of education in consultation with the advisor and the candidate. The committee includes faculty from the School of Education. Where relevant to the student's research topic, the committee may also include a faculty member from a complementary discipline.

The dissertation defense must be successfully completed by these dates:

  • April 1 for May graduation
  • November 1 for December graduation

These are firm deadlines.

Dissertations are graded as follows:

  • Pass with distinction
  • Pass
  • Provisional pass (The dissertation advisor determines when the issues related to the provisions have been met.)

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Course Descriptions

Education Course Descriptions

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