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2024 2025 Academic Catalog
Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
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 Return to: Programs of Study
Carlson Hall
Telephone: (203) 576-4097
Fax: (203) 576-4200
The on-campus Educational Leadership Doctoral Program at the University of Bridgeport was the first of its kind in Connecticut, approved by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and has been operating since 1979. The program was designed to enhance and improve the effectiveness of public and private organization leaders, school administrators, and researchers. Graduates and current students have held and hold significant positions in state-wide school systems, for-profit, non-profit institutions, colleges, and universities. The advanced graduate curriculum integrates the sound principles of administration, management, organizational psychology, information technology, program evaluation, grant writing, quantitative, and qualitative research methodologies.
The Hybrid (predominately online) Educational Leadership Doctoral Program was instituted in the Fall of 2015. It is closely aligned to the on-campus program, but requites four International Education courses. These four courses, described later in this handbook, replace four courses that are a component of the traditional “on the ground” Educational Leadership Doctoral Program.
The program is specifically tailored for working professionals anywhere in the world, as all classes (except for two one-week summer doctoral residencies) are offered online. The successful completion of the program leads to the Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D.).
The 62-credit program takes approximately three years for completion including two years (six semesters) of formal study, and one year to complete the dissertation. During the first two years, students typically take nine credits pf doctoral seminars per semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer). For students to be considered full time, they must take a minimum of 6 credits Fall and Spring semester until they have completed all courses with the exception of EDLD 845 A -DL (Comprehensive Examination) and EDLD 846 -DL Dissertation Proposal Defense). These two courses are repeatable as necessary. Once EDLD 845 A and EDLD 846 -DL are successfully passed students take EDLD 850 -DL (zero credit=full time) continuously Fall and Spring semesters and under advisement of the Director or Chair for the summer term until they have graduated. Students must take a one-week Doctoral Residency (EDLD 825 -DL) during the first two summers as part of the requirement of the program.
Note: On-campus courses (without the -DL designation) may be substituted for the (Distance Learning) courses with the approval of both Program Directors.
Learning Outcomes
The candidates will be able to:
- Integrate principles of administration, management, organization and program evaluation n a research agenda;
- Produce a dissertation proposal that reflects a student’s research interests;
- Exhibit the mastery of principles of leadership and be able to pass the comprehensive examination questions;
- Research, write, and defend a Doctoral dissertation.
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Required Courses to add 092 Certification
on-campus
Additional Information
Note: This program requires a minimum of 62 post-master’s credits, or 42 credits for students with an accredited Sixth-Year or Education Specialist post-master’s degree, to meet the credit requirement of the doctoral degree.
Residency
A period of residence must be included in a doctoral program to provide significant faculty-student interaction, opportunities for exposure to and engagement with cognate disciplines and research scholars working in those disciplines, and significant face-to-face peer interaction among graduate students. Residency is established through continuous enrollment, fall, spring, and summer (which is highly recommended) with a minimum of 3 credits per semester in the first two years. It is established through two on-campus summer Doctoral Residency week (EDLD 825). Residency provides the opportunity for a mentor-apprentice relationship between faculty and students and time for in-depth and direct faculty support of students. Thus, the intent of the residency requirement is to ensure that doctoral students contribute to, and benefit from, the complete spectrum of educational, professional, and enrichment opportunities provided on and off the University of Bridgeport campus. ELD 845 Comprehensive Examination and EDLD 846 Dissertation Proposal Defense should be taken in sequence and are considered making adequate progress in the program. Students enrolled in EDLD 850 Continuous Dissertation, which is a 0-credit course, are considered full time.
Dissertation Preparation
The dissertation proposal draft is a 30-50 page overview od he student’s ideas or his/her dissertation and a well-developed draft of her/his literature review. The draft is created in the first year of the program as part of EDLD 811DL Introduction to Research , EDLD 812 Quantitative Research and EDLD 813 Literature Review . The proposal provides opportunities for guidance from dissertation committee members and is a basis for further expansion of methodology in EDLD 813A Literature Review and EDLD 814 Qualitative Research taken in the second year. The purpose for the dissertation proposal draft is to state the problem, purpose, research questions, methodology and procedures to conduct the research project. The proposal draft will include a graphic depiction of the methodology and methods and a time line for completion of the dissertation including literature review and Human Subject approval. Discussing the research proposal in draft format with a potential committee chair, other potential committee members, and peers enable the student to obtain advice early in the dissertation process as to the suitability of the topic and as to whether or not the research questions, methodologies, and procedures are logical, appropriate and sound.
Comprehensive Examination and Dissertation Proposal
All matriculated doctoral students wishing to become doctoral candidates must pass the EDLD 845 A course inclusive of the written comprehensive examination. The comprehensive exam consists of (a) one research methodology question; (b) one program focus question and (c) one area of specialization question related to the students’ dissertation topic. Questions for the comprehensive examination are created by doctoral faculty with input from the student to rigorously assess mastery and knowledge garnered during coursework. The comprehensive examination also gauges the student’s potential for independent dissertation research. Students should take the exam after all coursework has been completed.
Doctoral students who passed their comprehensive examination can consequently enroll in the EDLD 846 course inclusive of the defense of the dissertation proposal.
The UB Doctoral Guidelines are derived from standard practices among universities, libraries, and publishers. The student, their committee, and the School of education expects careful attention to APA 6th style and format in the proposal document. The proposal includes the student’s statement of a research problem and the chosen method of investigating it. The proposal is the first step toward completion of the dissertation, which is an original contribution to one’s field of study. The study may be applied research; it may be experimental quasi-experimental, or non-experimental in its design; it may include quantitative, qualitative, action, mixed or critical methodology.
The dissertation proposal is an overview of the student’s ideas for their dissertation. The purpose for the dissertation proposal is to state the problem, purpose, research questions, outline the method and procedures to conduct the research project. The proposal draft will include a graphic depiction of the methods proposed and a time line for completion of the dissertation proposal including literature review and Institutional Review Board approval. Discussing the research in draft format with a potential with a potential committee chair, other potential committee members, and peers will enable the student to obtain advice early in the dissertation process as to the suitability of the topic and as to whether or not the research questions, method, and procedures are logical, appropriate, and sound.
Dissertation-Doctoral Candidacy
Once the student has successfully passed the Comprehensive Examination and completed the Dissertation Proposal, he or she is eligible to apply to be a Doctoral Candidate. The student should submit the form “Admission to Doctoral Candidacy” to the Director. This designation will be conveyed to the student by an official letter from the School of Education and/or the Department of Educational Leadership. Doctoral Candidacy allows the student to register for dissertation advising EDLD 850 which is a 0 credit course but is deemed to be full time. A student must be a candidate for at least two semesters prior to the granting of the degree. Student may not, unless granted a waiver, defend the dissertation during the semester immediately following the semester during which he or she completed the proposal. The purpose of this requirement is to assure a minimal lapse of time for effective work on the dissertation after acquisition of the basic competence and after delineation and approval of the research problem and methodology. Once students are advanced to candidacy they must be enrolled in EDLD 850 continuously for dissertation advising and supervision (fall, spring and summer semesters) until graduation. If the student is not advanced to candidacy Educational Leadership Doctor of Education Degree within six years from the time of admission to the doctoral program, the student should be dismissed from the program. Each student has a three-member dissertation committee, the director of the Ed.D. Program, and the Dean of School of Education.
Additional Information
Note: Completion of Doctoral Degree
The degree must be completed within seven years of the date from which the student started coursework in the doctoral program. In exceptional cases, the department may recommend that the Dean grant an extension of this limit.
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