Educational Leadership, PhD

Overview

The College of Education’s Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) program is designed to meet the professional development needs of educational leaders. Ph.D. graduates complete a concentration in Educational Leadership. Birthed from Columbia International University’s long-standing commitment to Christian school and Christian higher education, the Ph.D. program aims to develop educators to lead, model, think, communicate, and research with biblical excellence. Students will grow in their ability to articulate Christ-centered perspectives in educational institutions and to represent education from a biblical perspective in the broader society. Courses are provided 100% online with the possibility of summer intensives when desired. Students must be accepted into the Ph.D. program to enroll in courses. CIU Education Programs are endorsed by the Higher Education Approval Program (HEAP) of the Association for Christian Schools International (ACSI). Program graduates who meet specific requirements are eligible to apply without fee for appropriate ACSI teacher or administrator certificates.

Purpose

The Ph.D. program strives to produce leaders who have a biblical perspective and mentor educational communities while addressing needs through learning.

Objectives

Students will demonstrate learning in specified areas of educational leadership. The program specifies competencies which students must satisfactorily demonstrate for completion of the degree. The competencies are supported by program courses, and assessed in a summative portfolio of student assignments and projects, a qualifying exam taken near the conclusion of coursework, and a doctoral dissertation.

All students must demonstrate satisfactory competence in all required outcomes; no competencies will be waived. Students who do not take a specified program course which is associated with a specified competency must still prepare to demonstrate that outcome through the portfolio or qualifying exam.

Candidates will understand, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate:

• Education from a biblical perspective, foundational theories, research findings.
• High-quality educational leadership from a biblical perspective, theoretical approaches, research findings, and alternative models of effective leadership and functioning of organizations, groups, and individuals within organizations.
• The components and process of quantitative and qualitative research which produce new theory, knowledge of effective practices, and solutions to educational questions and problems within an educational institution.

Admission Criteria

In addition to satisfying the general admission requirements of the university, students applying to the Ph.D. are reviewed by a College of Education faculty admission panel, including an interview in person (or electronically). This panel recommends acceptance according to the applicants’ satisfaction of the following criteria:

1. Master’s degree from an accredited institution that provides a relevant foundation for doctoral studies in educational leadership. (An education-related field is the strongly preferred focus of the master’s degree.)
2. Performance in graduate coursework indicating an ability to be successful in doctoral-level studies.
3. Command of the English language as evidenced in a writing sample that demonstrates the ability to do doctoral research and writing.
4. Sufficient leadership experience to undergird degree program requirements.
5. Administrative or teaching experience (K-12th grade, higher education) and other evidence indicating that the doctoral degree will enable the applicant to enhance his or her leadership role and contribution to the cause of education.
6. Official GRE test scores or official MAT scores. (The exam must have been taken within the last five years.)

Residency and Transfer Policies

A maximum of fifteen credit hours of appropriate graduate coursework in education may be applied toward the Ph.D. program, as determined by the program director. Transfer credit must be from an accredited institution with a grade of “B-” or above. Students who have completed an Ed.S. from an accredited institution within the previous five years may transfer up to fifteen hours of appropriate masters’ level work and up to an additional six hours of post-master’s level work, as determined by the program director. Students who have completed the Ed.S degree at CIU within the previous five years may transfer the 30 hours of the Ed.S. based upon acceptance into the Ph.D. program.

Time Limitation

The time limit for completing the program is six years, from the student’s first class to graduation. In extenuating circumstances, a student may petition for additional time to complete the dissertation.

Completion Requirements

Although advisors assist students in planning their courses of study, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all requirements for graduation have been met.

• Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 (on a 4.0 scale), with no grade below “B-” applicable to the degree. (Transfer grades are not calculated in the cumulative GPA.)
• Demonstrate competency on each of the program’s outcomes through satisfactory completion of courses, portfolio requirements and the qualifying examination.
• Complete and orally defend an approved dissertation that exhibits the student’s ability to do competent research, think critically, and communicate effectively.