Simmons College:
Ph.D. in Educational Leadership

About the Program

The Ph.D. program in Educational Leadership welcomes educators committed  to taking today’s schools into the future with vision, strategy, and innovation. The program investigates both the theory and practice of through practice and pioneer new practices stimulated by theories of and research in leadership. The program is a 64-credit program that explores one’s leadership potential, tackles leadership challenges, seeks to understand school management systems, studies and proposes meaningful professional development for educators, investigates in/equities, and considers current issues and topics in  education.  The program embraces the global contexts of education as well as the uniquely powerful and diverse frontier of American education. Throughout the program, research projects will allow doctoral candidates to explore effective modalities of learning and meaningful topics of study as they move toward the dissertation. Global learning and effective teaching, evaluation, and assessment methods compose a vital part of the program’s research agenda as it prepares future leaders with the tools necessary to build 21st century centers of teaching and learning.
 

Program Requirements

Candidates must have a Master’s degree or higher in education, a subject content area, special education or a related field. Additional requirements include a current résumé, an interview with the program director, a statement of purpose that outlines not only a candidate’s intentions in seeking the degree but also proposes an area of research, and an analytical writing sample that addresses a current issue in education. Finally, the application requires GRE general test scores, official transcripts of courses taken and degrees awarded, three letters of recommendation that speak to a candidate’s ability to engage in rigorous academic inquiry and research in educational leadership and address the candidate’s leadership practice and/or potential.

The Simmons Difference

For more than 100 years, Simmons has put the needs of our students first. Through an education that combines intellectual leadership with professional preparation, we help students lead meaningful lives and build successful careers for the 21st Century. The College's commitment can be seen in our state-of-the-art facilities for teaching, learning, living, and working at Simmons, as well as through our exceptional faculty and staff. Simmons College is located in the heart of Boston, a world class city renowned for unlimited educational, career, and social opportunities. All programs provide a challenging educational experience in which every student develops an informed, critical, and committed voice, and learns to be a leader and collaborative member of the professional community. Simmons College was named a “Best College” in its category in the 2010 US News & World Report. Simmons was also included in the 2010 Princeton Review “Best 351 Colleges,” and was named among the “Best in New England” in the first-ever edition of Princeton Review’s Best Northeastern Colleges.

 
Coursework

This program requires 64 semester hours, the equivalent of 16 courses. Students may enroll on either a full- or part-time basis beginning in the fall, spring, or summer semesters.   

CORE COURSES
DEDU651 Applied Statistical Analysis I
DEDU652 Applied Statistical Analysis II
DEDU653 Qualitative Methods Applied to Educational Research
DEDU654 Quantitative Methods Applied to Educational Research
DEDL 655 Education in a Democratic and Diverse Society
DEDU 670 Seminar: Developing the Dissertation Topic
DEDU699 Dissertation (8 credits)
 
COGNATE COURSES
DEDL 600 Leadership: Theory, Decision Analysis through Change and Transformation
DEDL 601 Global and Historical Perspectives in Education
DEDL 602 Financial Decision Making, Planning and Managing Schools and Facilities
DEDL 603 Legal Aspects of Education Governance
DEDL 604 Emerging Instructional Technologies
DEDL 605 Curriculum Leadership: Research and Practice
DEDL 606 Leadership Assessment and Development - Research and Professional Activity
DEDL 607 Human Resource Administration: Personnel Issues; Staff Development, Performance and Evaluation and Collective Bargaining in Education