Doctoral Program
EdD in Instructional Leadership
Course of Study
The Doctor of Education (EdD) degree in Instructional Leadership prepares experienced educators to become effective practitioner leaders able to translate current research into policy and practice. The program prepares teacher leaders, department chairs, administrators and other education professionals to transform K-12 education, driving better educational experiences and outcomes across larger systems. The program provides clinically-focused doctoral training and a deep grounding in the research on educational practice, particularly as it applies to urban settings and suburban settings with increasingly diverse student populations. Students develop the ability to synthesize and apply new research to improve educational experiences and outcomes for students, and the skills to communicate their insights effectively as leaders in schools and communities
For a full list of requirements, progress standards, and exit requirements consult the Hunter College Course Catalog, Doctoral Student Handbook and Sample Course Sequence.
Credits : 54
Course Catalog
Review the course descriptions, progress standards, and exit requirements in the Course Catalog.
Course Catalog Summer 2022 onward
Course Catalog prior to Summer 2022
Curricular Structure
For Students Who Entered Prior to Summer 2020
Curricular Structure
The curriculum is structured into five distinct categories:
- 15 credits for the Instructional Leadership Core (ILC)
- 12 credits for the Research Toolkit (RT), which will serve as the critical and analytic foundation for all students
- 12 credits of Research on Effective Practice and Curriculum (REPAC)
- 12 credits of Special Topics courses that will deepen their knowledge of the field, standards of research practice, and the status of current work in the field. Depending on interest, special topic courses may be offered related to: 1) disciplinary subjects taught in school (e.g. literacy math, arts and humanities), 2) the learning process, or 3) other areas related to education and human development.
- Finally, the dissertation sequence of 9 credits will introduce, support, and ultimately supervise a student’s production of original research in the field.
For Students Entering Summer 2020 and Beyond
Curricular Structure
The curriculum is structured into four distinct categories:
- 18 credits for the Instructional Leadership Core
- 18 credits for the Research Toolkit, which will serve as the critical and analytic foundation for all students and includes Leader Scholar Seminars to support students’ preparation for the dissertation
- 15 credits of Applied Research and Electives
- Finally, the dissertation sequence of 9 credits will introduce, support, and ultimately supervise a student’s production of original research in the field.
The Dissertation
A dissertation is the required culminating assessment in the EdD program in Instructional Leadership. This handbook is intended to provide guidance to doctoral candidates in the EdD program as well as the faculty members who work with them. In keeping with the principles of the Carnegie Project on the Educational Doctorate (CPED), the EdD program encourages candidates to think of this culminating project in the program as a “problem of practice dissertation.” A problem of practice dissertation addresses a challenge in educational practice, seeks to investigate that problem empirically by describing it and/or testing solution(s) to address the challenge, identifies actionable implications for the findings of the dissertation research, and appropriately communicates these implications to relevant audiences and stakeholders (adapted from Belzer & Ryan 2013).
Dissertation Committee
The dissertation committee will include a minimum of three faculty members: one will serve as dissertation chair/mentor, and the others as support faculty, sometimes known as readers. All committee members must have Ph.D, EdD. or comparable terminal degree. At least two of the members must be from the Hunter College School of Education; the third member may be from another Hunter school or another university or comparable institution as long as they have the appropriate degree and hold a tenure-track/tenured position or have a research-based appointment and/or experience. Exceptions to these qualifications may be requested by the doctoral candidate, with dissertation committee chair support. Any exceptions must be approved by the Executive Leadership Committee of the EdD program.
Dissertation Proposal
The dissertation proposal will include:
- an introduction to the research problem or issue
- an abbreviated literature review including a theoretical framework for the study when appropriate
- a thorough methods section that includes the research question/s and methods of data collection and analysis
Once the written proposal is completed and reviewed by committee members, there will be an oral defense.
Dissertation Formats
EdD faculty have approved two format options for the Hunter College EdD in Educational Leadership doctoral dissertation:
Sample Traditional Five Chapter Dissertation
- Chapter 1: Introduction with research questions explicitly stated
- Chapter 2: Literature Review and Theoretical Framework
- Chapter 3: Methods
- Chapter 4: Findings
- Chapter 5: Discussion/Implications
- References
- Appendices
In this format, the doctoral candidate poses a major research question/issue and lays out its significance, contextualizes the question/topic within the relevant the research literature and one or more theoretical frameworks, explains research methods undertaken to answer the question, presents the findings and discusses the implications of findings for research, policy and/or practice. If in addition to a major research question, there are sub-questions, all questions are addressed in the methods and findings sections. The number of chapters may vary, according to the field or methodological approach.
Sample Journal Article Format
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: Study/Manuscript #1 (written for academic research journal)
- Chapter 3: Study/Manuscript #2 (written for practitioner focused journal)
- Chapter 4: Written professional presentation of the study (conference, PD series, website etc.)
- Chapter 5: Conclusion and Reflection
- References
- Appendices
In this format, the doctoral candidate decides, in agreement with their dissertation committee, on the number of studies/manuscripts suitable for the dissertation. The introduction describes the major research question/issue being investigated, the overarching goal of the study/ies, as well as the specific objectives of each individual study/manuscript. The introduction should link thematically the studies/ manuscripts by describing their collective meaning and contribution and enable the reader to connect the individual studies/manuscripts in a meaningful and coherent way. Similarly, the concluding chapter restates the conceptual coherence of the research and its contribution to the question or issue under investigation. The concluding chapter also discusses “next steps” in generating additional research, policy or practices related to the question/issue under investigation.
Dissertation Defense
Once the doctoral candidate completes the dissertation, they will send it to committee members for review. The oral defense includes a doctoral candidate presentation of the proposal and then faculty questions and discussion. Doctoral candidates should confer with their chair to plan for the defense, which generally lasts about an hour.