Graduate School
Doctor of Education in Educational Administration
The goal of the Ed.D. program at Bethel University is to produce public intellectuals who can speak on educational issues of concern to society, and who will affect the tenor of institutions and the lives of teachers and students.
Developing Public Intellectuals
The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Administration at Bethel University is designed primarily for experienced K-12 educators in public or private education who wish to complete a course of study leading to:
- a doctorate in educational administration;
- principal administrative licensure;
- superintendent administrative licensure; or
- a combination of these options.
Experienced faculty deal broadly with historical, cultural, philosophical, and ethical issues that have an impact on school administrators as they interact with both schools and society.
Program Components
- Majority of courses are online
- Courses offered during three two-week summer residencies on the Bethel University campus
- An extensive internship component
- A dissertation
Get started on your Ed.D. in Educational Administration degree today!
Instructional Design and Delivery
The delivery system is designed to provide a highly interactive, collegial learning environment for working professionals. It closely integrates course-based learning with formal research, a structured internship, and day-to-day application of learning to the workplace.
- Structured curriculum
Courses will be scheduled one at a time and sequentially, each in a specified "time envelope." This will allow for content design to be threaded through the program, each course building on previous courses. It also assures "same time-same place" progress for students, making interaction and collaboration possible. - Cohort-based organization
A group of students will progress through the program together, taking one course at a time, with other components—such as dissertation and internship—running concurrently at some points. This format allows for maximum group interaction, collaboration, and mutual support throughout the program. If students step out of the program for a time, they will join another cohort at an appropriate point. - Distance education courses
The majority of the structured content will be taught in eight-week distance education courses, mediated primarily through the internet, using the Blackboard course management system, and the Flashlight survey tool. Internet communication can be supplemented by telephone conference, fax, voice mail, and other media. Content can be presented in print, audio, and video format. Interaction can be carried out by email, online discussion, collaborative work assignments software, chatroom, and audio conference. -
Summer residencies
Two-week residencies on the Bethel University campus will be required during each of the three summers that the student is enrolled in course work. Click here for photo gallery of Summer Residency 2006.First residency: Provides substantial orientation to the program; establishes program themes, values, and content overview; introduces the portfolio process; introduces the basic framework, expectations, and techniques of doctoral-level research; and includes the first face-to-face course EDU800: Historical, Cultural, Philosophical Issues Impacting School Administration. During this introductory session, cohort members will have opportunities to develop an essential camaraderie with their colleagues through various learning and social activities and also establish a relationship with their student advisor.
Second residency: Focuses again on selected program themes, provide a checkpoint for portfolio development, and offers more instruction and mentoring on research knowledge and skills. Individual meetings with student advisors and dissertation advisors will also be scheduled during this period. Cohort socialization and collegiality will be promoted through structured and informal gatherings. Students will have opportunity to offer program feedback during a "Town Hall" meeting. A face-to-face course EDU815: Technology in K-12 Education will be part of this residency.
Third residency: Carries out similar functions and objectives as the second at a more advanced level and includes the face-to-face course EDU850: Doctoral Research.
- Internship
A supervised internship of 320 hours or eight weeks within 12 continuous months—earning four credits—will be scheduled for students as part of the licensure requirement to accomplish the prescribed learning objectives of the degree program. A partnership between a Bethel internship mentor/supervisor and an on-site mentor/supervisor appointed by the school district will guide and evaluate the student's internship experience. The internship may be paid or unpaid, depending on district policies, and may be accomplished within a contracted administrative position. NOTE: A separate internship is required for the principal and superintendent licensure. - Dissertation
The dissertation will earn 12 credits. In order to provide research background and skills for this major program component, supporting coursework involving research purpose, theory, design, ethics, and technique will be offered at appropriate points in the program. A dissertation advisor and committee of two readers will work with students in face-to-face meetings, e-mail, and telephone throughout the process. Successful passage of the preliminary written and oral exams will be required prior to formal approval of the dissertation proposal. A formal dissertation defense will be conducted by the student's dissertation committee in a face-to-face or video conference environment. - Portfolio Review
A portfolio review will be set up in the final year of the program. It will involve the candidate, one faculty member from the program, and two outside professional school administrators. All candidates will answer questions presented to them about artifacts in their portfolio. - Ed.D. Symposium
The symposium will be required at the conclusion of the program, culminating in the graduation ceremony. The symposium will be devoted to presentations by students of their dissertation work and will conclude with a recognition event.
Program Design
The Ed.D. program will:
- Be taught by Christian faculty who are experienced, practicing professionals in the field of educational administration and who emphasize the importance of a Christian worldview, values, and sound ethical decision making in positions of administrative leadership.
- Be grounded in the liberal arts, including a foundation in the historical, cultural, and philosophical underpinnings of K-12 education in the United States.
- Combine the opportunity to receive both licensure (principal and/or superintendent) and a doctoral degree within the same program.
- Employ a learner-centered approach in which students are the focus of the design of the curriculum and where adult learning theory is foundational.
- Incorporate the rich resources found in the personal and professional experience of educational professionals.
- Provide experience in the theoretical application to actual practices in adult education.
The curriculum will:
- Be a rigorous, structured and sequential group of learning experiences that emphasizes the application of theory to actual practice and decision-making processes.
- Be a unique blend of online course work and three required residency sessions during the summer months.
- Be portfolio-based, allowing candidates to receive credit for coursework and/or experience that can be applied toward administrative licensure and the Ed.D.
- Incorporate quantitative and qualitative research methodology, with application in field-based problems, measurement and assessment, and dissertation research.
- Require the completion of preliminary oral and written examinations, and a dissertation on the topic.
- Include a 320-hour internship.
- Include an emphasis on leadership in technology.
Students will:
- Learn in cohort groups with built-in mechanisms that aid in forming a collective identity to foster personal growth and establish lifelong professional bonds.
- Be guided by faculty, advisors, and mentors who will provide on-going academic, professional, and personal support that will guide them to degree completion.
- Develop relational skills and abilities including respectful leadership, healthy communication, team building, conflict resolution, and change implementation.
- Articulate a personal ethical foundation as a basis for administrative leadership decision making, particularly as it relates to the school setting and interaction with multiple constituencies.
Program Outcomes
Outcome I: Students will provide evidence of personal attributes necessary for effective leadership.
To meet this outcome, students will:
- Support the role of faith in society.
- Demonstrate leadership in areas of inclusion, multiculturalism. antiracism, and anti-sexism.
- Use ethics and personal/cultural values in the decision-making process.
- Interpret the role of education in a democratic society.
- Display attributes of sensitivity, tact, and conflict management skills.
- Appraise the impact of technology on education and management in today's schools.
Outcome II: Students will demonstrate understanding of what it means to be a public intellectual.
To meet this outcome, students will:
- Demonstrate evidence of knowledge in the liberal arts.
- Apply critical and complex thinking to issues and problems.
- Communicate articulately and effectively in writing and in discourse.
Outcome III: Students will demonstrate ability to understand and apply formal research methodologies and to plan and conduct a formal research project.
To meet this outcome, students will:
- Explain the philosophical foundations of research design and methodology.
- Assess the validity and relevance of educational research related to ongoing issues in the field of education.
- Select appropriate research designs and methodology for studying school system issues.
- Identify and apply research tools for testing innovations and disseminating new knowledge.
- Prepare a formal research project, conduct a literature review, gather and analyze data, and write and successfully defend the final dissertation.
Outcome IV: Students will meet the competencies stipulated in the Minnesota State Board of Education rules for licensure of K-12 principals or superintendents and in the standards established by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium.
To meet this outcome, candidates for licensure must demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following areas:
- Leadership
- Information collection
- Problem analysis
- Judgment
- Organizational oversight
- Implementation skills
- Delegation of authority
- Instruction and the learning environment
- Curriculum design
- Student guidance and development
- Staff development
- Measurement and evaluation
- Resource allocation
- Motivation
- Sensitivity
- Oral and nonverbal expression
- Written expression
- Philosophical and cultural values
- Legal and regulatory applications
- Policy and political influences
- Public and media relations
Questions?
- If you have questions regarding financial aid, call 651.638.6241 and identify yourself as a graduate applicant.
- For questions regarding all other payment options, call 651.638.6428 and identify yourself as a graduate applicant.
- For all other questions, contact an admissions advisor at 651.635.8000 or 800.255.8706, ext. 8000.