The Educational Doctorate in Professional Practice prepares the candidate to bring both theory and praxis into their specific area of educational practice. This program was developed by the faculty of the Helen DeVos College of Education along with Local Education Agency (LEA) partners to give candidates the skills and dispositions to impact education administration, policy, and instruction. This includes understanding the nature of change, the relational aspects of administration, and the leading of an organization that is constantly in flux. Analytical data skills and current assessment techniques are foundational to the degree.
This ongoing degree program is seen as the final degree level offered in the college; it is expected to be a logical extension of the already successful Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree. The primary target audience of this program is currently employed educators in local education agencies, Pre-K through Higher Education. Instructional delivery will be almost exclusively through the traditional classroom setting with certain clinical requirements conducted in Local Education Agencies and other educational environments off-site. Admissions will be rolling throughout the academic year with an expected enrollment of twelve annually.
Ed.D. Core Requirements |
EDLR 510 Foundations of Leadership (3)** |
EDLR572 Organizational Theory (3)** |
EDUC 612 Intro to Comparative & International Education |
EDUC 665 Legal and Ethical Issues (3) |
EDUC 675 LEA Technologies (3) |
EDUC 683 Instructional Leadership and Coaching (3) |
EDUC 684 Curriculum Theory and Design (3) |
EDLR 685 Education Policy and Advocacy (3) |
EDUC 686 Professional Learning Communities (3) |
EDUC 701 Professional Praxis in Modern Education (3) |
EDUC 703 Quantitative Research Methods (3) |
EDUC 705 Quantitative Research Method (3) |
EDUC 791 Dissertation I (3) |
EDUC 792 Dissertation II (3) |
EDUC 793 Dissertation III (2) |
EDUC 794 Dissertation IV (2) |
EDUC 795 Dissertation Continuation |
Ed.D. Electives |
BUSN 510 Management Philosophy and Ethics (3) |
COUN 514 College Student Development (3) |
COUN 558 Social and Cultural Diversity (3) |
EDLR 571 School Finance and Facilities (3)** |
EDLR 573 Curriculum and Instruction (3)** |
EDLR 574 Interpersonal Relationships (3)** |
EDLR 596 Building Leadership Practicum (3)** |
EDLR 681 Community Relations(3) |
EDLR 696 District Leadership Practicum (3) |
EDUC 599 Cross Cultural Practicum (3) |
HEDS 500 Higher Education Environments |
HEDS 510 Higher Education Practicum (3) |
MAFT 511 Introduction to Family Studies (3) |
MAFT 523 Human Growth and Development (3) |
MAFT 707 Applied Multivariate Statistics (3) |
MAFT 734 Self-Care and Resilience (3) |
MAFT 737 Evidence-Based Strategies with At-Risk Youth and Famililes (3) |
Other graduate-level courses approved by committee
** Leads to Tennessee ILL-A Licensure
17 Elective Hours Required
60 Total Hours Required
Bowers, Lynda (F) |
Ph.D. West Virginia University
M.S.Ed. Kinesiology, Southern Illinois University |
Brown, Shane |
Ed.D. Liberty University
M.Ed. Educational Leadership, Lee University |
Chan, Roy (F) | Ph.D., History, Philosophy, and Policy in Education, Indiana University M.A., Higher Education Administration, Boston College M.Ed., Comparative Higher Education, The University of Hong Kong B.A. University of California, Irvine |
Estes, William (F) | Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill MSE, Admin Sec. Education, University Central Arkansas |
Fisher, Kimberly (P) | Ph.D., Trevecca Nazarene University M. Ed., University of Tennessee at Chattanooga |
Lawson, Daniel (F) | Ed.D., University of Mississippi Ed.S., University of Missouri MSE, Science Education, Missouri State University |
McDaniel, Johnny (P) | Ed.S., Educational Leadership, University of Tennessee at Knoxville |
Milliron, James (F) | Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary |
Moffett, Kimberly | Ph.D. Tennessee Technological University |
Pierce, Allison (F) | Ph.D., Business Administration, North Central University MBA, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga |
Price, Delia (F) | Ed.D., Trevecca Nazarene University |
Raper, Randal (P) | Ed.D., Educational Leadership, Liberty University Ed.S., Instructional Leadership, Lincoln Memorial University |
Rapson, Paige | Ph.D. Special Education, Northcentral University
M.Ed. Educational Leadership, University of the South |
Rogers, Brandon (F) | Ph.D., Marriage and Family Therapy, Virginia Tech |
Sargent, Jeff (F) | Ph.D., Educational Psychology, University of Alabama |
Thomas, Jennifer (P) | Ph.D., Counseling Education and Supervision, Regent University |
VanHook, Jayson (P) | Ph.D., Educational Studies, University of Nebraska |
Wood, Jesse (F) | Ph.D., University of Tennessee, Knoxville M.A., B.A., Lee University |
For more information and application procedures please contact Ashley Swartzentruber, Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Education, [email protected], (423) 614-8544.