• Admissions Requirements
• Requirements for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy
• Requirements for Graduation
• Doctorate Requirements (60 units)
• Program Learning Outcomes    

The hybrid Ed.D. Program in Educational Leadership at San José State University is dedicated to developing outstanding education leaders who are well prepared to meet the demands and challenges of schools, today and in the future. The hybrid program builds on the following two basic principles: (1) schools are learner-centered and justice-oriented organizations; and (2) educational leaders serve in equity-driven human-care systems. The expected role of educational leaders involves creating an equitable and inclusive learning community that promotes collaboration, shared decision making, and emancipatory practices. The hybrid Ed.D. Program is designed so that it may be completed in nine semesters over three consecutive years. This time frame allows for the completion of all coursework, dissertation proposal, and completion of the dissertation.

The hybrid doctoral program begins with an intensive weeklong in-person meetings in early June in Summer Year 1 to help admitted students establish a cohort community and build community norms. The weeklong meetings take place on the San José State University campus and provide students the opportunity to meet with their cohort, get to know each other, establish norms and cohort practices, and hear from guest speakers. Students complete the requirements for the first three summer courses online. During the fall and spring semesters in Years 1 and 2, two online classes each semester are scheduled. Summer Year 2 includes a required global experience that includes a two-week educational and cultural experience outside of the United States. In summer Year 3, students complete the remaining coursework online, including defending their dissertation proposal and submitting their Institutional Review Board application. No formal online class sessions are scheduled during the final two semesters of the hybrid Ed.D. program at which time students complete independent research as part of the dissertation.

Additional information is available in the Educational Leadership (EdD) Program  Office or website: www.sjsu.edu/edd.

Admissions Requirements

Candidates must meet all university and Ed.D. Program admission requirements. The university-level graduate application is separate from the application that is sent to the Ed.D. Program. Minimum requirements for the program include a master’s degree from an accredited institution and a 3.0 grade point average (B or better) in the last 60 semester units completed. In exceptional cases, experience and service will be considered in lieu of the Master’s degree requirement.

In addition to the university admissions requirements  as outlined in this catalog, applicants must meet the Ed.D. Program requirements below.

• Three letters of recommendation attesting leadership ability and potential for success in a doctoral program. One of the letters should be from a school district employer indicating support for participation in the doctoral program. Recommendation forms are available on the Ed.D. Leadership Program webpage at www.sjsu.edu/edd. Recommendation letters should be submitted directly from the person writing the recommendation letter to edd-leadership@sjsu.edu.
• Current professional resume or curriculum vitae that includes leadership experience and/or leadership strengths as indicated through job experiences, administrative credentials, and/or other evidence of leadership capacity and practice. Resumes or vitae should not exceed 4 pages.
• A written statement of purpose that explains the reasons for pursuing doctoral studies in educational leadership. The statement should include relevant personal and professional history and background, some of the core commitments and principles that drive one’s career goals, and challenges facing education and educational leadership in California, nationally, and globally. Statements should not exceed 3 pages, single-spaced.
• A recent writing sample (last 5 years) of an individually authored paper, research projects, or reports (maximum of 20 pages). All writing samples should be single-authored and include citations and references. The writing sample is intended to demonstrate the ability to construct a meaningful argument on an education-related topic and to cite research/literature to support one’s views. A PowerPoint presentation is not acceptable.

Requirements for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy

Students who have completed matriculation and have achieved classified standing in the hybrid Ed.D. Program curriculum will advance to candidacy for the Ed.D. degree. Students advance to candidacy after completing a minimum of 9 units of letter-graded work that is acceptable to the hybrid Ed.D. Program and fulfilling other university requirements for advancement to candidacy  as detailed in the Graduate Policies and Procedures . Candidacy includes the successful completion of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) .

Requirements for Graduation

University Graduation Requirements

Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, and GPA requirements as outlined in the Graduation Requirements  section of the Graduate Policies and Procedures .

Ed.D. Leadership Program Graduation Requirements

To be eligible for graduation, the candidate shall have completed all coursework and global out-of-country (or equivalent) requirements, the dissertation proposal, IRB, and the doctoral dissertation. Students are required to complete the dissertation proposal in two attempts in order to proceed with the dissertation.

Dissertation Requirements

• The Ed.D. dissertation is expected to contribute to an improvement in education practice and/ or education policy in the context of a particular educational institution. It is expected that the dissertation will show evidence of originality, critical and independent thinking, appropriate form and organization, and a rationale for the examined research problem or question.
• The dissertation must meet all university requirements as stipulated in this catalog and in the SJSU Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines. It will be written under the guidance of the candidate’s thesis committee chair with assistance from two other members of the dissertation committee. The Dissertation Committee consists of three members, one who serves as the committee chair (or in some cases, two co-chairs can be identified). Two members of the dissertation committee must be tenured or tenure-track members of the San Jose State University faculty. The third member of the committee is expected to be an external reviewer employed at a local school or school district or higher education and have achieved the terminal degree (e.g., Ed.D., J.D., Ph.D.).
• All students must enroll in a total of 12 units of dissertation credit during the final year of the program: 6 units in the fall semester and 6 units in the spring semester of Year 3 of the program. Once the candidate has enrolled in 12 dissertation units, the maximum allowable, continuous enrollment must be maintained until the dissertation is approved and filed and the degree is awarded.
• All students are expected to produce a dissertation that consists of five chapters, namely Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Results/Analysis, and Conclusions/ Recommendations. This is typically followed by a References section and relevant appendices. Alternatives to the traditional dissertation format will be considered, with approval by the faculty advisor/dissertation committee, within accepted norms of research, scholarship, and creative activities. The Lurie College of Education uses APA style for research and the SJSU Graduate Studies division provides additional formatting/style guidelines for theses and dissertations. An exception to the traditional five-chapter dissertation will be made on a case by case basis.
• After completing the dissertation proposal defense and obtaining IRB approval, students carry out the research plan described in the approved proposal, collect and analyze data, and continue writing the dissertation. The Dissertation Committee Chair and committee members will guide the students to ensure their dissertation conveys scholarly work that results from an appropriate research study and contributes to the understanding and/or improvement of educational practice.
• All students are expected to submit drafts of their dissertation to their committee members in the appropriate word-processed form. The completed final draft also includes the Abstract, Copyright Page, Title Page, Acknowledgments, Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, References, and Appendices. The students submit the final draft manuscript to committee members for a final reading and approval. The final dissertation may take a variety of forms depending upon the type of research undertaken. The conventional five-chapter dissertation may be revised to reflect a specific design and purpose.
• Dissertation Examination: Every candidate for the Ed.D. degree must successfully pass a final oral examination based on the dissertation. At the final oral defense, the candidate will make a public presentation of his or her dissertation research. The final oral defense is conducted as an open forum led by the candidate and guided by the Committee Chair and the two other members of the Dissertation Committee. The purposes of this formal meeting are to (1) examine and assess the quality of the dissertation; (2) evaluate the ability of the student to present research; and (3) provide an opportunity to share the research with the campus community. Unanimous agreement of the Dissertation Committee is required for approval of the dissertation and recommendation that the Ed.D. degree be conferred on the candidate.