Educational Administration Specialization
The ProgramThe specialization in Educational Administration focuses on the development of educational leaders, particularly for service in urban metropolitan areas. Individuals trained in this program can provide excellence in leadership and:
  • Nurture leadership among others in the school community
  • Create positive work environments for students, staff, and parents
  • Affect and contribute to the quality of teaching and learning in the district and within its schools
The curriculum is rooted in a knowledge base which draws from a variety of sources including current research and literature, national and state professional association standards, federal and state governmental guidelines, and the field of practice.

Knowledge domains that are incorporated into the program include:
  • Societal and cultural influences on schooling
  • Teaching and learning processes and school improvement
  • Performance assessment and accountability
  • Organizational studies
  • Methodologies of organizational studies and policy analysis
  • Leadership and management processes and functions
  • Policy studies and politics of education
  • Moral and ethical dimensions of schooling
The program takes a holistic, integrated approach to administrator preparation. The domains are woven throughout the curriculum in order to explore the complex interplay between the principles and theories as a whole.

Application DeadlineRolling admission: completed application file required 6 weeks prior to semester you wish to enter the program.

Program Requirements

All students complete course work in the following areas:
  • Urban Education Seminars (9 credits)
  • Research Methods Requirements (15 credits)
  • Minor Requirements (8 - 12 credits)
  • Educational Administration Specialist Coursework (27 credits)
  • Dissertation Research
All students must meet all of the program requirements of the Urban Education Doctoral Program including:

Urban Education Doctoral Seminars (minimum 9 credits)
  • EDUC 701 - Urban Education Issues
  • AD LDSP 801 - Urban Education: Doctoral Seminar in Administrative Leadership
  • EDUC 901 - Advanced Seminar in Urban Education
Research Design and Methodology (minimum 15 credits)
  • ED PSY 724 - Educational Statistical Methods II (prerequisite is ED PSY 624 and ED PSY )
  • AD LDSP/CURRINS 279 - Qualitative Research and Field Studies in Education Settings 
  • At least nine credits of additional advanced level coursework (800 or above) from either a qualitative or quantitative track.
Minor In a related discipline that supports the student's program of studies.
  • Option A: 8 or more credits in a single department outside of the School of Education
  • Option B: 6 or more credits in each of two departments, with at least one department outside of the school
Educational Administration Specialization Course WorkPh.D. Non-Certificate Orientation
 (30 Credits)
  • AD LDSP 832 Educational Politics & Policy Making
  • AD LDSP 842 Program Planning & Evaluation in Education
  • AD LDSP 862 School Finance
  • Electives in Administrative Leadership (700+)
Ph.D. Superintendent Certification Orientation(30 Credits)
  • AD LDSP 802 District Leadership for Learning
  • AD LDSP 812 School Personnel Supervision and Administration
  • AD LDSP 832 Educational Politics and Policy Making
  • AD LDSP 842 Program Planning and Evaluation in Education
  • AD LDSP 862 Economics of Education
  • AD LDSP 882 Practicum in School Superintendency
  • Electives in Educational Administration (700+)
Although a master's degree and certification as a principal are prerequisites to certification as a School Superintendent in Wisconsin, doctoral students may satisfy the requirements for both licenses within their Ph.D. program of study. Advisors will design programs based on an individual student's need.

Any post-master courses taken prior to admission while enrolled as a Specialist student in the District Administrator certification program do not have to be repeated if approval from a major professor and Director of Urban Education Doctoral Program. All such credits may be applied toward the 30 credits required in the area of concentration, but in no case may a Ph.D. area of concentration contain less than 9 upper level graduate credits (excluding dissertation credits) taken after admission to doctoral study. Individuals who have completed at least 6 credits of accepted graduate course work within the 5 years immediately prior to application must take a minimum of 15 credits.

Preliminary Examinations

The preliminary examination will include a section covering the student's Educational Administration specialization.

Dissertation

A dissertation with an emphasis in Educational Administration is required. The dissertation chair/major professor must be an approved doctoral advisor and a member of Educational Administration.

Exit Requirements

Contingent upon satisfactory completion of program requirements, the preliminary qualifying examination, and the successful oral defense of the dissertation, the Director of the Urban Education Doctoral Program will give final approval for the inclusion of "Urban Education: Educational Administration" on the student's transcript.