Since 1997, the University of Missouri Statewide Cooperative EdD Program in Educational Leadership has served over 700 educational leaders in Missouri (and surrounding areas). The program offers a professional doctorate in educational leadership to enhance the knowledge and competencies of leaders in PK-20+ educational organizations. We work with four partner institutions to deliver the program at
locations throughout the state of Missouri: Missouri State University, Northwest Missouri State University, Southeast Missouri State University, and the University of Central Missouri. This regional delivery system is designed to provide flexibility to pursue a doctoral degree while working full-time anywhere in Missouri or in bordering areas. We are excited to explore the possibility of a virtual cohort (synchronous, and with some residency requirements) for our next group, Cohort 12! Cohorts of students are admitted every 2 years, and each cohort progresses through 2 years of coursework together. This cohort model facilitates collaboration and the sharing of perspectives amongst students and the faculty. The curriculum is thematic, integrated, problem-based, and team-oriented. The EdD Program curriculum incorporates four main critical lenses essential to educational leadership: leadership theory and practice, organizational analysis, educational policy, and content and context of learning. In addition, students engage in research, inquiry, and evaluation coursework in order to further develop the tools necessary to transfer knowledge into practice. Courses are delivered in-person at sites around the state and online through the use of distance technologies. Following coursework, students complete written and oral comprehensive examinations during their third year in the program. The written comprehensive examinations are completed individually and students are asked, as scholarly practitioners, to provide evidence of their ability to improve practice based on theory and research. The oral examinations are then often completed in a small group format, building on the collaborative experience of the cohort model. The culminating event is the completion of an individually designed dissertation-in-practice. These rigorous dissertation studies are designed to address real world problems of practice in education, specifically within a student’s own laboratory of practice. As one of 21 charter members of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate, the dissertation-in-practice is just one example of our program redesign efforts. A taskforce of EdD Program faculty from around the state, with input from alumni and current students, spent 2 years developing a dissertation-in-practice format that entails well-designed, applied research with substantial value for informing educational practice.
