Doctor of Education Program

Doctor of Education Program

Carlos A. Martinez, Dean

Faculty

Jearl Helvey, Director

Patsy Robles-Goodwin

Mission

The Doctor of Education Program builds upon the best practice and leadership knowledge and skills that the applicant gained during her/his master’s degree in education or related fields and from her/his professional practice and experience developed as a leader in a learning community. The successful doctoral student will continue to develop advanced, in-depth application, analysis and reflective problem solving ability in areas of effective educational communities, curriculum, instruction, and will strengthen the leadership skills beyond those gained at the master’s level.

It is expected that graduates of the Doctor of Education Program will continue to work as leaders and specialists in urban school districts, community colleges, public and private learning communities, and/or in universities.

Program Length/Structure

The Doctor of Education Program is designed to provide students the opportunity to complete the 48 credit hour program in three years. The program is delivered virtually with courses, seminars, and mentored dissertation research projects, all of which may be aided by using Wesleyan’s online classroom component Canvas, Wiki, and other available technologies. Professors use various methods of delivery including lectures, discussion, examinations, on-line technology, chat rooms, and collaborative assignments.

Admissions Committee for the Doctor of Education Program

The Admissions Committee reviews applications, interviews students, and makes recommendations for both full and conditional admissions. This committee is comprised of the Doctoral Faculty.

Admission to the Doctor of Education Program

All applicants must provide evidence that they possess the intellectual, professional, and social qualities necessary for successful completion of the program requirements.

Admissions Criteria

• Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a GPA of 3.2 or greater on a 4.0 scale;

• Letter of Intent detailing why the applicant wishes to engage in doctoral studies, the areas of study in which he or she wishes to specialize, his or her intended future use of the Ed.D. degree, and a description of his or her unique preparation and fitness for study in the field;

• Interview: The interview does not assess specific content knowledge. Rather, it is designed to assess the use of correct English grammar and language construction, clarity of expression, depth of understanding of educational issues, analytical ability and the ability to communicate as required by the program.

Required Documentation

• Application for admission;

• Official transcripts from all universities/colleges attended;

• Letter of Intent:

• Curriculum Vitae/Resume;

• Non-refundable Application Fee.

Selection Criteria

The admissions committee considers various indicators of an applicant’s ability to succeed in the doctoral program and, thus, for admission. At minimum students must have the following:

• Master’s Degree;
• Master’s G.P.A. of 3.2 or greater on a 4.0 scale.

In addition the committee will review the following required documentation:

• Letter of Intent;
• Curriculum Vitae/Resume;
• Interview.

Education Background

Applicants must have educational experience as a teacher (minimum of two years) or administrator (must include teaching experience) in a public, private, or higher education setting.

Among the applicants who meet the above criteria, those deemed most highly qualified will be interviewed by the Ed.D. Program faculty.

Admissions Process Timeline

Admission Deadlines:

Admission Deadlines are subject to change. Contact the Graduate Admissions office for current dates at (817) 531-4930.

Students will be notified of the admission decision by mail.

The Doctor of Education Program reserves the right to deny admission to any applicant as determined by the Doctor of Education Program faculty. All decisions by this committee are final and not subject to appeal.

Ed.D. Admissions Status

Unconditional Admission

Applicants to the Doctor of Education Program who have met all of the admission criteria are eligible for unconditional admission. The unconditionally admitted status can be postponed for up to 1 year without resubmitting an application to the program.

Conditional Admission

Students who do not meet all admission requirements may be considered for conditional admission. Conditional admission status will be for 12 credit hours in the program. Conditionally admitted students earning a grade less than a B in any of the courses within the first 12 hours will be dismissed from the program. Students admitted conditionally and who complete the first 12 hours with grades of B or higher in each course will have their status changed from conditional to unconditional.

Provisional Admission

Applicants lacking one or more official documents may be admitted provisionally for one semester only. Provisional status will not proceed past one semester, and a hold will be placed on all incomplete files which will prevent grades from being released and will prevent permission to register. Once all required documents are received and approved, students will be moved to full or conditional admission.

Orientation and Registration for the Doctor of Education Program

Graduate students are advised by the director of the program or her/his designee to facilitate course enrollment and academic program planning. To enroll, prospective students attend a mandatory orientation before the start of the program. Online registration is not available to doctoral students.

The orientation allows students to become familiar with the university and student services that it provides. Students will have the opportunity to learn more about their coursework and academic policies. A course schedule with required books is provided for the upcoming term. Registration will be processed by the administrative office.

Academic Policies for the Doctor of Education Program

Grading

Grading policies for each course will be identified in each course syllabus. Grades will be posted on the University’s Ramlink page in accordance with University policy. All students admitted into a course/program will receive an orientation to Ramlink following admission.

No final grade assigned for a graduate/doctoral level course may be raised unless an error has been made. The substitution of a different course for one completed with a lower grade is not permitted.

A student wishing to raise a grade in a completed course must retake the completed course and pay full tuition for that course. The student must first gain approval from the course instructor and then petition the Doctoral Advisory Committee to the Doctor of Education Program through the Director of the Doctor of Education Program. The decision of the committee is final.

“Incomplete” grades must be removed by the date designated in the University Calendar. On or before the designated date, the instructor will assign a grade and report it to the Office of Student Records. If a new grade is not reported by the designated date, the “I” will automatically convert to an “F.”

Time Limitation

Graduate courses expire within ten years from the date of course completion shown on the transcript; thus, at the time the student graduates with the Ed.D. degree, no course may be more than ten years old. Courses taken more than ten years prior to graduation must be retaken to meet graduation requirements. In the event that the required course is no longer offered, a substitute course of similar content must be taken in its place. Approval to take this course must be obtained from the Director of the Doctor of Education Program.

Qualifying Examination

Research and Statistics Competency. Students must complete course requirements in research and statistics as required by the program and must pass a Research and Statistics Qualifying Examination before the student is eligible to take the Written Qualifying Exam. A student may take this examination a maximum of three times. Upon failure of three times, a student may appeal to the Doctoral Advisory Committee.

Written Qualifying Examinations

The Written Qualifying Examinations are given once each fall, spring, and summer session and are taken after the student has passed the research and statistics examination as well as all core and concentration courses. The qualifying examinations are held in order to qualify students for dissertation candidacy. Doctoral Advisory Committee approval is required before the examinations may be scheduled. These examinations cover the core and concentration and are designed to assess content knowledge, problem solving ability and writing skills. The examinations are given over a two-day period and include a minimum of six 90-minute sub-examinations. A student must achieve a grade of B- or better on each sub-examination in order to pass. Written Qualifying Examinations are required for each area of concentration completed in the degree program. An additional testing date will be scheduled for students who have two concentrations.

Students will retake any sections they do not pass. The retake session will be scheduled at the next semester scheduled dates of the Written Qualifying Examinations. Students are allowed to retake failed sub-examinations a maximum of three times. Upon failure of three times, a student may appeal to the Doctoral Advisory Committee.

A student may be asked to elaborate orally on any of her/his written examination answers in order to further clarify answers. The oral clarification will take place in the presence of at least three Doctoral Program faculty members. Such oral clarification sessions will be scheduled three-four weeks after the written examinations have been graded.

Official Communications

A student’s Ram Mail address is the official e-mail address for Texas Wesleyan University. All official University e-mail communication will be sent to this e-mail address. Students may elect to forward Ram Mail to an alternate e-mail address. However, the University will not be responsible for the handling of e-mail to an alternate e-mail address. Students will be responsible for any information sent to their official e-mail address.

Access to Director

The Director of the Doctor of Education Program can be reached via email and telephone. Students wishing to meet with the Director will need to make an appointment. The Director can be contacted at (817) 531- 4962.

Prior to registration, the Director of the Doctor of Education program will be available for advising and guidance for prospective students.

Dissertation Process

Admission to Candidacy Criteria

To be admitted to candidacy the student must meet the following criteria

• Complete all core, research, and concentration coursework with an 3.2 overall GPA. To be admitted to candidacy, the student may only have two “C” grades in the above listed required coursework;

• Passing score on the Research and Statistics Qualifying Examination;

• Passing score on the Written Qualifying Examination.

The dissertation course is scheduled only with consent of Ed.D. department.

A student must enroll in EDU 8331 for a minimum of three credit hours during each long semester (fall, spring) until the completed dissertation has been accepted by the Dean of the School of Education. A minimum of 9 credit hours of dissertation coursework is necessary to complete the requirement. Registration in summer extended is required if the student is using University facilities and/or faculty time during that summer session. Failure to maintain continuous enrollment in the dissertation course will either invalidate any previous dissertation credit or will result in the student being dropped from the degree program unless granted an official leave of absence by the Dean for medical or other exceptional reasons.

The dissertation course (EDU 8331) will be repeated for a minimum of 9 total credit hours.

Candidates who do not complete the dissertation within 9 hours are required to continue enrollment in a minimum of one dissertation course (EDU 8331) per long (fall, spring) semester, until the dissertation has been successfully defended. Refer to summer extended rule above.

Graduation Requirements for the Doctor of Education

To qualify for graduation, a student must have completed successfully all program courses, required related courses, and either the curriculum and instruction or educational leadership concentration courses, and required dissertation research and defense. The student must have earned a 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale) overall grade point average and have no more than two “C” grades. An application for graduation must be filed in the Office of Student Records no later than the deadline specified in the Catalog.

All course work applicable to the Ed.D. degree must be no older than ten years.

Emphasis

A Doctor of Education student may choose to complete a 9-hour emphasis within the concentration area. The emphasis must include 9 hours of content coursework (EDU 8341, EDU 8342, EDU 8343) beyond the required core and concentration courses and a submitted paper to a peer-reviewed journal on the topic of emphasis.

The purpose of the emphasis is to gain additional knowledge in an area of educational interest. In order to declare an emphasis, the student must complete an emphasis application and plan of study, and submit the paperwork to the Ed.D. office for the Director and Dean’s approval. An emphasis will be granted once coursework is successfully completed and evidence provided of submission of the paper to a peer reviewed journal.