The program consists of four components. The first component is a set of five core courses, totalling 15 credit hours.
The second component consists of coursework in either advanced qualitative or advanced quantitative research methods. This component takes place in the second semester of study.
The third component is an oral comprehensive exam (3 credits). The comprehensive exam is designed to check students for overall leadership knowledge, skills, and dispositions. The exam is taken after the first three semesters of coursework during the fall semester of year two of the program, while the candidate completes the School Law and Equity Issues course.
The fourth and final component is the dissertation, which comprises the final 13 credit hours. Students take Dissertation I (2 credits) to define their problem statement and begin their dissertation’s first three chapters under faculty guidance as a cohort. The final Dissertation II (11 credits) begins as early as the spring of year two of the program and is the more typical independent work. It is expected that students will complete the final dissertation by summer of the third year. A fourth year is acceptable within the typical timeline. Extensions beyond this time must be appealed in writing and granted on a case-by-case basis. |