Doctor of Education (EdD)
The online Doctor of Education in Leadership program is a 48 credit-hour, three-year, cohort-based learning experience offering students an opportunity to develop and transform educational processes, practices, and organizations, implement design thinking principles, applied research methodology and emerge as a scholar-practitioner. Each fall and spring scholar teams, including content experts and students, engage in the process of creative problem solving, research and developing a problem-based dissertation. Doctoral students receive individual and ongoing support throughout the EdD experience. All students select an emphasis: Curriculum & Instruction, Education Administration (Missouri Advanced Superintendent Certification), or Higher Education Administration when submitting an application. Should a student select a different emphasis area after semester one, year one additional credit hours/time to complete the program will be required.
During the first semester, Leadership, EdD students begin the dissertation in practice and continue to creatively problem solve throughout the coursework and the three-year experience. As part of the Carnegie Project of the Education Doctorate (CPED) faculty and staff engage in the process of continual program improvement to meet the needs of today’s adult learner.
GPA and Grades
Students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher for each term throughout the course of the EdD program. Students will be placed on probation for any term that the term GPA is lower than 3.5 in the doctoral program and will be dismissed from the program for two consecutive terms where the term GPA is below 3.5. Students may appeal.
If a student receives a grade lower than a B in any of the Problem of Practice courses, the course must be retaken.
If a student receives a grade of F the course must be retaken. Only the highest grade earned will be used in the calculation of the grade point average. Repeating a course does not remove the previous grade from the transcript.
Grades of I for Incomplete mean the student did not satisfy the course requirements during the term the course was taken. The student’s first responsibility is to complete the course requirements. Therefore, students with a grade of I may not enroll in another course without the approval of the department head, department of educational leadership.
Education Administration advanced superintendent certification applicants will be able to apply earned credit toward the Educational Specialist (EdS) program after the completion of a transcript review and approval by Director of Graduate Studies. Students must complete and submit a Change of Major form to change their degree from EdD to EdS.
Criteria for Admission to Leadership EdD Program
• Master's degree
• Completion of the Lindenwood University online application
• Supplementary Application to Leadership EdD
• GPA of 3.0 or higher in previous graduate studies
• Experience as an educational leader, teaching, administration, non-profit, or corporate work experience.
To earn the doctoral degree a student must complete the doctorate level coursework (including any 50000- or 60000-level courses that are required or being substituted)** with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, pass a comprehensive exam, and complete and receive approval of the doctoral dissertation in practice, and complete a dissertation in practice oral presentation approved by the Scholar Team Lead and committee members. For specific guidelines, please see the Lindenwood University Leadership EdD Handbook.
**Because the current SIS will not calculate the program GPA, any student with previous LU graduate coursework will need a Policy Exemption on file to explain which courses are to be calculated toward the graduation requirement.
Updated after publishing - March Addendum - 3/29/2023
Doctoral Continuous Enrollment Policy
All Leadership, Ed.D. students participate in the learning experience as a cohort during the core coursework sequence per the program planning guide within the Leadership EdD handbook.
Leadership, Ed.D. students, who completed Problem of Practice III, without completing the dissertation in practice and/or oral presentation must enroll in EDA78940 Capstone Experience working with the student’s Scholar Cohort Lead and committee members. Leadership, Ed.D. students become “Inactive” following two consecutive semesters of non-enrollment in coursework. Students who step out of the initial cohort, in which the student was admitted, will need to join a new cohort in which the sequence of coursework aligns. Anything beyond two consecutive semesters of non-enrollment in coursework, requires the Leadership, EdD student to re-apply to Graduate Admissions to rejoin the program and a new cohort understanding they will join the new cohort in which the sequence of coursework aligns.
All doctoral students are expected to complete the degree within five years and should work with their Scholar Cohort Lead and committee for degree completion. Failure to complete the degree in this timeframe will result in removal from the Leadership EdD program.