University Catalog 2026-2027

Educational Leadership

The program is designed to prepare systems-level leaders to improve the quality of K-12 schools by preparing the next generation of superintendents dedicated to educational excellence. Graduates are empowered with leadership strategies that improve student performance in environments that are dynamic, interactive, and culturally responsive.

Program Description

The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership leads to district/superintendent licensure and requires core courses in educational leadership, research methods (9 hours), an internship (6 hours), and a dissertation (12 hours). Students must be officially admitted to the Ed.D. program to enroll in doctoral classes. Please be aware that a Ph.D. in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis is also offered, but only the Ed.D. leads to superintendent licensure.

Course of Study

The program requires a minimum of 54 credit hours beyond the master’s degree. Students complete 27 hours of core and elective courses, 9 credit hours of research methods, a two semester internship (6 hours), and 12 hours of dissertation research.

More Information

Educational Leadership Program Website

Admission Requirements

Applicants must hold a North Carolina Principal’s license or be eligible to receive one; transcripts, three letters of reference (at least one must be from your current supervisor), resume (including teaching assignments, leadership experiences, and trainings); and personal statement of interest and fit with career goals.

Applicant Information

  • Delivery Method: On-Campus
  • Entrance Exam: None
  • Interview Required: At discretion of program faculty

Application Deadlines

  • Summer 1: January 5

Faculty

Full Professor

  • Anna J. Egalite
  • Bonnie C. Fusarelli
  • Lance D. Fusarelli
  • Lisa Bass

Associate Professors

  • Jennifer Ayscue
  • Timothy Drake

Teaching Associate Professor

  • Lacey E. Seaton

Teaching Assistant Professor

  • Claudia S. Smith

Practice/Research/Teaching Professors

  • Gregory E. Hicks
  • Henry Johnson
  • Francine Piscitelli Riddick

Courses

Educational Leadership EdD

Degree Requirements

Core Courses27
Select a minimum of nine of the following courses:
Contemporary Educational Thought
School Law For the Administrator
Educational Finance
Policy Research in Education
Education and Civil Rights
Politics of P-12 Education
Data Decision Making for School Administrators
Organizational Leadership & Mangement for School Leaders
Evaluation Theory and Practice In Education
Special Topics 1
Special Problems In Education 2
Research Methods and Data Analysis Courses9
Select a minimum of three courses of the following:
Applied Quantitative Methods in Education I
Applied Quantitative Methods in Education II
Introduction to Qualitative Research in Education
Advanced Qualitative Research and Data Analysis in Education
Internship Courses6
Internship In Educational Leadership and Program Evaluation 3
Dissertation Preparation / Writing Courses12
Problems Of Research Design In Education
Doctoral Dissertation Research
Total Hours54
1

ELP 795 Special Topics may be repeated for credit.

2

ELP 820 Special Problems In Education may be repeated once for credit.

3

ELP 851 Internship In Educational Leadership and Program Evaluation must be repeated consecutively.