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Doctor of Education

Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration (HEA)

Bradley University’s post-master's Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program in Higher Education Administration is offered as a fully online, distance education program. Created upon the values of Lydia Moss Bradley, founder of Bradley University. the program's mission is to prepare working professionals who have a broad and diverse background in education and/or leadership and seek a career or career advancement in higher education administration. In alignment with Mrs. Bradley’s life work, the cover values of leadership, scholarship, social justice, professionalism, cultural relevance, advocacy, and equity are woven throughout the program's curriculum.

Overall Program Goal

The overall goal of the Ed.D. program in Higher Education Administration is to engage graduate students in interactive, research-based leadership development experiences within authentic educational contexts connected to student learning, quality instruction, and organizational effectiveness to prepare them for leadership positions in higher education settings.

Program Objectives

Based on the program mission, core values, and overall program goal, the following five program objectives guide the teaching and learning within each course and throughout the program:

  1. Core Courses: To provide foundational knowledge, skills, and theory related to boards and educational governance, ethical and political foundations, technology, and trends in assessment and data-drive decision-making in higher education.
  2. Higher Education Administration Courses: To develop foundational knowledge, skills, and theory related to higher education leadership, administration of online programs, student and academic affairs, contemporary learners, and financial affairs in higher education.
  3. Scholarly Research Project: To immerse students in the process of planning, conducting, writing, and presenting a comprehensive empirical action research project related to current trends and issues in higher education.
  4. Internship: To immerse students in the application of knowledge, theory, and skills by serving in a leadership capacity within an authentic higher education setting under the supervision of a currently practicing higher education administrator.
  5. Social Justice: To engage students in self-reflection and critical examination of leadership practices and policies related to equity and opportunity in higher education.

Admission Requirements

  1. Minimum degree required: earned master’s degree
  2. Official transcript(s) of all master's level work
  3. Master's level GPA of 3.00 or higher; no more than one final grade of C
  4. Current and complete resume or CV
  5. Spoken response to an interview prompt (video recorded)
  6. Two written responses to interview prompts (typed)
  7. Two letters of recommendation from professors or professional colleagues

Ed.D. Program Requirements

To satisfy graduation requirements for the Ed.D., students must successfully
complete 16 courses at 3 credits each for a total of 48 credits. Students can
complete the program in seven semesters by following a prescribed Plan
of Study. The Plan of Study varies based on students' term of entry (e.g., spring, summer or fall). A five-chapter Scholarly Research Project and a two-semester internship are the Ed.D. program's capstone experiences. The action research courses that support completion of the Scholarly Research Project begin in the first semester; the internship takes place in the last two semesters of the program. Students are responsible for finding their own internship site and site supervisor.

Program Core Courses - 12 hrs.

  • ENC 708 Boards and Educational Governance—3
  • ENC 709 Ethical and Political Foundations of Educational Policy—3
  • ENC 710 Learning in an Era of Technology—3
  • ENC 711 National Trends in Assessment, Data Analysis, and Accountability—3

Required Courses - 36 hrs.

Scholarly Research Courses

  • ENC 703 Action Research 1: Introduction to Action Research—3
  • ENC 704 Action Research 2: Action Research Design and Ethics—3
  • ENC 705 Action Research 3: Data Collection in Action Research—3
  • ENC 706 Action Research 4: Data Analysis and Reporting in Action Research—3
  • ENC 707 Action Research 5: Scholarly Writing and Presentation in Action Research—3

Higher Education Administration Courses

  • ENC 717 Leadership in Higher Education and Community College—3
  • ENC 718 Administration of Online Programs in Higher Education and Community Colleges—3
  • ENC 719 Student and Academic Affairs—3
  • ENC 720 The Contemporary Learner—3
  • ENC 721 Financial Affairs in Higher Education—3

Internship Courses

  • ENC 722 Internship 1—3
  • ENC 723 Internship 2—3

Ed.D. Program Transfer Credit Policy

  • Per Bradley University's Graduate Education Policy, students in the Ed.D. program may transfer in up to 9 semesters hours of doctoral-level graduate credit from an accredited program.
  • Students in the Ed.D. program must make a request for transfer credit at the time they apply to the program.
  • For transfer credit to be considered, students in the Ed.D. program must submit a copy of the syllabus for the course they wish to transfer in. The syllabus must be from the semester during which they completed the course. The syllabi will be uploaded to SLATE as part of the application materials.
  • The request for transfer credit will be reviewed by the appropriate Ed.D. program faculty member. Students in the Ed.D. program will receive notification of approved transfer credit in their admission letter.
  • Transfer credit will not be accepted after the first day of a student's first term in the Ed.D. program.
  • Transfer credit will not be accepted for the action research courses (ENC 703, 704, 705, 706, 707) or for the internship courses (ENC 722, 723).

This is the official catalog for the 2022-2023 academic year. This catalog serves as a contract between a student and Bradley University. Should changes in a program of study become necessary prior to the next academic year every effort will be made to keep students advised of any such changes via the Dean of the College or Chair of the Department concerned, the Registrar's Office, u.Achieve degree audit system, and the Schedule of Classes. It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of the current program and graduation requirements for particular degree programs.