Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)

Our Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership program is designed to support the training of scholarly practitioners in PreK-12 leadership positions, who address a real-world problems of practice as they advance through the program.

A photo of an educational leadership seminar course.

Program overview

The Educational Leadership program in the University of Maine College of Education and Human Development has offered a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree since 1982. The program serves educators in Northern New England and beyond who seek a deeper understanding of K-12 schools, school districts, state and national policy, and leadership practice. Our unique cohort model is 100% online, bringing together scholarly practitioners from diverse backgrounds, who support each other in addressing their own individual problems of practice. Our classes meet synchronously via video meeting platforms, allowing students to learn from their office or home. The Educational Leadership faculty are well-versed in the challenges and opportunities facing contemporary schools and communities. They bridge the gap between theory and practice to support students on their own journeys of addressing the the social, political, cultural, spatial and organizational contexts of K-12 schools, and making informed decisions using their laboratories of practice.

The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program consists of 51 credit hours, with the option to add either a 6 credit superintendent internship or curriculum coordinator internship. The competitive program supports educators in PK-12 leadership positions through a four-year design, where students take two eight-week classes in the fall, two eight-week classes in the spring, and one intensive class in the summer.

The cohort model allows leaders to learn theory in a contextual manner and apply their knowledge through connected methodology courses.

An overview of the program is as follows:

  • Foundations of Education (15 credits)
  • Instructional Leadership Core (9 credits)
  • Research and Evaluation (12 credits)
  • Dissertation Planning and Execution (15 credits)
  • Optional Internship (6 credits)

Faculty

Catharine Biddle, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership
Esther A. Enright, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership
Maria Frankland, Lecturer in Educational Leadership (Program Coordinator)
Lindsey J. Kaiser, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership

The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program prepares students for hands-on administrative leadership positions in K-12 schools, school districts, nonprofits, government agencies and other organizations serving youth, families or communities. Our alumni are superintendents, principals, curriculum coordinators, special education directors in Maine and beyond. The curriculum is designed to help alumni achieve their professional and personal goals through research-informed strategic decision making, problem solving and organizational change.

The mission of the Graduate School of the University of Maine is to produce engaged scholars and professionals by promoting excellence in all aspects of the graduate student experience. The Graduate School provides advanced education and professional training through innovative teaching, mentorship, research, and creative activity in established and emerging areas. This rigorous education prepares students to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of the state of Maine, the nation and the global community.

The University of Maine Graduate School prepares engaged scholars and professionals to make meaningful contributions to their communities of practice: research consortia, clinical practices, studios, workplaces, classrooms, and political collectives. As graduate students are key agents in helping to sustain an environment supportive of learning through teaching, collaborative inquiry, mentoring or demonstration, they are critical ambassadors for public higher education during their coursework and after graduation. During and after graduate training, accordingly, the Graduate School’s doctoral, masters, and professional-certifications degree programs will enable students to:

Understand, interpret, shape, and augment the knowledge base by

  • Contributing research, scholarship, creative work, and informed practice to our developing understanding of the social and material world;
  • Staying abreast of methodological, pedagogical, and professional advances;
  • Consuming research for continuing professional knowledge and practice; and
  • Committing to professional development through engagement in professional societies and other knowledge-transfer modes.

Share disciplinary expertise openly, effectively, and accurately by

  • Accurately distilling and disseminating complex expertise to help solve problems;
  • Responsibly integrating developing research consensus into professional best-practices;
  • Working collaboratively across domains to develop new insights and effective practices;
  • Responding with principled recommendations to emerging concerns that confront their communities of practice; and
  • Respectfully observing (and where necessary, helping to shape) the communicative conventions of the community of practice.

Demonstrate responsible and ethical practice by

  • Attending to sustainability, responsiveness, and potential long-term implications when engaging local-global context and communities;
  • Learning from and working respectfully with diverse cultural perspectives, knowledge-systems, and priorities;
  • Giving and acting on productive feedback;
  • Complying with best-practices in methodology and pedagogy and in making informed recommendations to employers, coworkers and the broader public;
  • Maintaining a critical awareness of structural inequities in their communities of practice and working to redress them; and
  • Assuring that context–and discipline-informed modes of inquiry are safe.

For current information about tuition and fees, please visit the Bursar’s office.

Applicants interested in the University of Maine Ed.D. program will need the following:

  • A recommended minimum 3.0 GPA from undergraduate coursework
  • A recommended minimum 3.5 GPA from master’s coursework (totaling no less than 30 credits)
  • Official transcripts from all post-secondary coursework (master’s and above)
  • A completed application, which includes:
  • An updated resume/CV detailing educational experiences
  • A one page (250 words or less) description of the leadership role of the applicant, which typically includes superintendents, principals/assistant principals, curriculum coordinators, or department chairs
  • Preference will be given to applicants who have formal leadership roles to ensure they can control how they address a problem of practice
  • A three page (750 words or less) description of the problem of practice the applicant hopes to address, which includes:
  • Identification of the problem of practice and its relevance to the applicant’s leadership, specifically as it relates to the everyday practice of the applicant
  • Discussion of the contributing factors that exacerbate the problem of practice, and what has been done in the past to address the problem
  • Analysis of how the applicant hopes to address the problem of practice as they develop as a scholarly practitioner, and how they envision themselves being able to bridge the theory-practice gap
  • Three signed letters of recommendation
  • One letter should come from a school official/direct supervisor who can a) attest to an applicant’s qualifications, b) speak to support that will be offered to the applicant to address her/his problem of practice throughout the coursework, and c) address why the applicant’s problem of practice is important to address in the school system in which the applicant is a leader
  • Two letters should come from professors who have firsthand knowledge of the applicant’s ability to function as a scholarly-practitioner and conduct a rigorous study to address a problem of practice

Contact Us

For information about when a new Ed.D. in Educational Leadership cohort will begin, please contact program coordinator Dr. Maria Frankland. For general queries, coehd@maine.edu.

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