Curriculum and Instruction, Ed.D.

Program Description

The Doctor of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction is offered through the cooperative efforts of the University of Louisiana at Monroe and Louisiana Tech University, and coordinated through the Louisiana Education Consortium (LEC) Governing Board. All consortium institutions offer designated foundation courses and other graduate courses required in the Ed.D. program in Curriculum and Instruction based upon faculty expertise and other institutional resources. The Doctor of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction will be awarded by the institution to which the student has been admitted for doctoral study, with coursework being completed on the two campuses in order to provide diverse academic experiences. A unique strength of the Louisiana Education Consortium is that these two institutions strategically pool faculty, equipment, library resources, and technology.

The programs are designed for P-16 personnel, including teachers and administrators. The primary goal of the doctoral programs is the preparation of practitioner-scholars for roles in elementary, middle, and secondary school settings.

Program Admission

Student admission in Regular status to the doctoral program is based upon the following criteria:

1. The applicant must hold a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in an area related to his/her proposed program of study.
2. The applicant must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.75 and a minimum cumulative graduate grade point average of at least 3.25.
3. The applicant must have completed the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) with a minimum score of 1000 (Verbal and Quantitative) or 1500 (Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical). If Analytical score is from 2004 or later, a score of 3.5 or higher is required.
4. The applicant must have teaching and/or administrative experience in a kindergarten, elementary, middle, or secondary school or similar educational setting.
5. A valid teaching certificate is required for admission. A renewable counseling certificate issued by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education may be used in lieu of a teaching certificate.
6. The applicant must submit three letters of recommendation from individuals who are familiar with his/her character, teaching/administrative performance, and ability to perform academically on the doctoral level.
7. Finalists in the application process may be required to have a personal interview with the doctoral admission committee on the campus from which the student wishes to receive the degree.
8. Applicants should complete their admission portfolios, including a personal resumé and samples of their writing, particularly writing that has been published.
9. In addition to demonstrating evidence of academic competence and capability, those persons selected each year for this program will be applicants who are already considered leaders in their educative fields and who have clearly articulated their educational commitment to public schools. It is expected that the application process will be extremely competitive.

Any applicant meeting all other requirements for admission except minimum GPA or GRE scores may appeal to the Consortium Governing Board for admission in conditional status. The Board may admit to individual campuses, under these conditions, only 2 students during any academic year. No student shall be admitted when the student’s GRE test performance is in the lowest quartile among students taking the test on the same date.

Eligibility to Remain in The Doctor of Education Degree Program: Students enrolled in the doctoral program must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 during each term of enrollment. Failure of the student to maintain an overall graduate grade point average of 3.0 or receipt of any grade lower than C in graduate coursework, may result in termination from the program. The student must successfully complete all coursework with a minimum grade point average of 3.25 and all experiential and examination requirements.

A graduate student who is denied admission to or further continuance in the Doctor of Education degree program may appeal for admission or readmission. All appeals must be approved by the appropriate committee on the student’s campus of enrollment and by the Consortium Governing Board.

Program of Study for The Ed.D.

Coursework: The approved degree program for each doctoral student must include a minimum of 66 hours beyond the master’s degree of which at least one half must be in coursework open only to doctoral students. Individuals possessing the Education Specialist Degree in the area in which they are pursuing the doctorate must complete a minimum of 51 additional semester hours of credit for the doctorate.

The consortium program for the Doctor of Education degree consists of the following components:

Initial campus enrollment may not be changed during the student’s matriculation in the doctoral program. Each student pursuing the doctorate through the Louisiana Education Consortium will be required to enroll in classes on the campus of each participating institution. A minimum of fifteen semester hours of the minimum sixty six hours required for the doctorate must be taken on the campuses of participating institutions other than the host campus. At least two courses must be taken on each campus.

Preliminary Examination: Upon completion of a minimum of fifteen semester hours and not more than 27 semester hours of doctoral coursework, each student will be required to take a Preliminary Examination. The Preliminary Examination is designed to measure student competence in 1) educational foundations, 2) research, 3) statistics, and 4) general professional knowledge. This common six-hour written examination will be constructed by the three campus program directors. Following the evaluation of the written Preliminary Examination, an oral examination may be conducted by the program directors. Student performance on one or both components of this examination will form the basis for any revisions of the program of study. Failure to pass this examination after two attempts will result in termination of the student from the program.

Comprehensive Examination: The second doctoral examination, the Comprehensive Examination, is administered upon completion of all program coursework. This examination consists of a six-hour written component and a two-hour oral examination. Failure to satisfactorily complete this examination will result in a revision of the program of study and an additional examination. Failure to pass this examination after two attempts will result in termination of the student from the program. After satisfactory completion of the Comprehensive Examination, the student is admitted to candidacy.

Internship: The Louisiana Education Consortium is unique in preparing students to become practitioner-scholars. These individuals will apply the knowledge acquired in program components to practical settings. To achieve this goal, six semester hours of internship will be required. Students are eligible to apply for internship only after successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination. The internship must be completed at a site other than the student’s place of employment. The student’s Doctoral Committee will assist the student in internship placement.

Dissertation: In addition to the research requirements associated with each course, all doctoral students are required to complete a dissertation. The dissertation should be directed toward the degree specialization and must include field-based research. Students are encouraged to pursue the identification of a dissertation topic and the review of the literature prior to the Comprehensive Examination. The dissertation prospectus must be approved by the student’s Doctoral Committee after the Comprehensive Examination has been successfully completed. Other research requirements, for example, the use of human subjects, must be approved on the campus on which the student is enrolled.

The student will be expected to enroll for a minimum of three semester hours of dissertation credit for each semester/quarter in which the student is working with faculty on the dissertation. The student must be enrolled in a minimum of three semester hours of dissertation credit during the semester/quarter in which the degree is conferred. No less than nine semester hours of credit shall be earned for successful completion of the dissertation.

Following completion of the dissertation, the student will be expected to defend this scholarly work during a Dissertation Defense.

Doctoral Committee: The student’s Doctoral Committee shall consist of the Major Professor and a minimum of three additional faculty. The Major Professor is the committee chair and must be selected from the institution in which the student is enrolled. Each institution shall have at least one representative on each doctoral committee. Each committee will include a professor from the cognate area (Curriculum and Instruction only). Additional committee members may be added to address specific student program or research needs. The student’s Doctoral Committee is selected by the student, appointed by the appropriate administrator on each campus, and approved by the Consortium Board.

Transfer of Credit for The Doctor of Education Degree: A maximum of 15 semester hours of post-master’s graduate credit appropriate to the student’s degree program may be transferred from other institutions offering regionally accredited graduate programs if earned in residence at that institution. No credits for which a grade of less than B has been earned may be transferred. Neither internship nor dissertation credit may be transferred into consortium programs.

Time Limit for The Doctor of Education Degree: All coursework, internships and the dissertation must be completed within a nine year time period from date of candidacy in the program. Courses taken or transferred into the doctoral program must be within a nine year time limit for completion. Any appeal for extension must be approved by the institution’s Graduate Council and the Consortium Governing Board.

Requests for Time Extensions: To utilize graduate credit taken prior to the nine-year time limit, the student may request a time extension. These requests should be submitted before or during the semester in which the time limit expires. For further information please contact the Major Professor or the Graduate Studies School.

Policies and Procedures: Policies and procedures for the Louisiana Education Consortium Ed.D. are detailed in The Louisiana Education Consortium Handbook.