Frequently Asked Questions

 

General Program Questions  

  • What are the admissions requirements? Do you require the GRE for admission?

    Please see our Admissions Requirements. No, we do not require the GRE as part of admission to our programs.

  • When is the priority deadline to apply? 

    Our Ed.D. program has a priority admissions deadline of January 15 to be considered for August enrollment. Applications received by May 15 will be considered for August enrollment, as space is available. New students are only admitted in the Fall semester; we do not admit students mid-year (e.g., Spring). Please see our Welcome Page for information about admissions for the next cohort group. In addition, if you are not admitted for the current term and would like to reapply for the next year’s cohort, you will need to submit a new application.

  • How many students do you admit to the program? 

    Cohort sizes vary and are determined by each specialization depending on resources available to adequately support students. Cohort sizes can range from 10 to 15 students per specialization.

  • How long will it take for the admission committee to make their decision?

    Application review processes vary significantly by specialization. For fall admissions, the earliest decisions may be made in February, with the review process continuing into March or April (particularly for those being considered on a space-available basis). If you have questions about the timeline for admissions decisions or the reasoning behind those decisions should be addressed directly to the specialization to which you applied.

    Admission to the Educational Leadership doctoral program is competitive, and admission rates differ each year depending on the strength of the applicant pool. In addition, admission rates vary by specialization and are determined by the specialization separately depending on resources available to adequately support students.

  • Is an interview part of the admissions process?

    Given the increase in applications to the Ed.D. program and the varied cohort sizes across the specializations, each specialization may require an interview as part of the admissions process. Generally, the specializations will determine the criteria for selecting applicants for interviewing. Interviews allows the program faculty to get as much information about your qualifications, assess whether there is a good match between students and the prospective specialization, and ability to succeed at the graduate level.

  • How many course credits will transfer from another program? 

    According to UNCW Graduate School policy, a maximum of twelve semester hours of graduate credit may be transferred from another regionally accredited institution in partial fulfillment of the total hours required for any graduate degree. Students may not transfer in more than one third of the required hours for any program. The courses must be post-master’s level and appropriate to the program of study; students also must have earned a “B” or better in the course. Authorization of transfer credit is subject to approval by the program coordinator, Associate Dean of Watson College, and the UNCW Graduate School. For more specific information on transferring courses, please refer to this page.

  • What is the difference between a Ph.D. and an Ed.D. degree? 

    Both degrees are terminal degrees (i.e., the highest degree attainable in a field of study). A Ph.D. in Education is a Doctorate of Philosophy in Education; an Ed.D. is an Education Doctorate. The Ph.D. is a research-focused degree, whereas the Ed.D. is a professional degree focused on scholarly practice. It is similar to other professional doctorates such as a Medical Doctorate (M.D.), a Juris (Law) Doctorate (J.D.), and a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.). A Ph.D. degree in Education requires a dissertation study generally focused on original research to inform disciplinary knowledge. An Ed.D. degree requires applied research, in the form of a dissertation, or other similarly rigorous research project. The Educational Leadership Program is an Ed.D. program that requires a dissertation focused on applied research that will benefit educational practitioners and audiences.

  • What is distance education? What is a “hybrid” course?

    We currently have two options for students to be enrolled in our program, a Main Campus or Distance Education option. Distance education students are not required to meet at all on campus. Distance education students attend the synchronous face-to-face class sessions using Zoom, a platform that allows them to be part of the classroom experience virtually. You can take a look at our website for more information. Ours is a hybrid program which blends face-to-face instruction and online instruction where students meet in person (our main campus students in a classroom and our distance education students via Zoom) alternating weeks during the semester with online work on the opposite weeks.

  • How long does it take to complete the program? 

    The program is designed so that students may complete required coursework in three academic years, including summers. Once coursework is completed, students register for six required credits to complete their dissertation study over one or two semesters. If the dissertation is not completed within those six credit hours, the student registers for one "Research" credit each semester until the dissertation is completed. Therefore, the minimum amount of time within which a student could complete the program is three and one-half years; however, four years is a more realistic estimate for most students, depending on the requirements of their dissertation study and other demands on time. The maximum amount of time allowed for program completion is six years. Students may request a one-year extension subject to approval of the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program Coordinator, Educational Leadership Department Chair, and UNCW Graduate School.

  • What coursework is required for the program? 

    Find more detailed information on specific program course requirements by clicking on the specialization of interest at our website.

  • How many classes or credits should I or could I take during a semester? 

    Our curriculum is designed to support working professionals and sequenced for students to successfully take 6 credits, or 2 classes, at a time. The curriculum and course sequence are designed to facilitate students' knowledge building and development with information from their previous coursework throughout the program. Due to the prescribed course sequence design of the curriculum "loading up" on courses is generally not feasible due to course offerings.

  • How is this program offered? 

    We currently have two options for students to be enrolled in our program, a Main Campus or Distance Education option. Distance education students are not required to meet at all on campus. Distance education students attend the synchronous face-to-face class sessions using Zoom, a platform that allows them to be part of the classroom experience virtually. Ours is a hybrid program which blends face-to-face instruction and online instruction where students meet synchronously (our main campus students in a classroom and our distance education students via Zoom) alternating weeks during the semester with online work on the opposite weeks.

  • How often do distance education students meet on campus in Wilmington, if at all?

    Distance education students are not required to meet at all on campus. Distance education students attend the synchronous face-to-face class sessions using Zoom, a platform that allows them to be part of the classroom experience virtually. You can take a look at our website for more information.

  • What is a cohort model? 

    Students are admitted into a cohort group that begins the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program together and completes required program coursework together (i.e., students take most of their required coursework with the group of students with whom they entered the program). The use of a cohort model has been identified as a best practice for adult learning as it supports social knowledge construction, collaboration, group affiliation, and peer support.

  • How do I set up a Directed Independent Study?

    You can find more information on DIS by visiting this page.

  • How does the internship requirement work for full-time professionals?

    You are required to complete an internship and we have several ways you can do that. We have an international internship; or you can set up your own internship at your institution or another one in your area with the caveat that you are not completing the internship in your current functional area. For more specific information on internships, please see the Internships and Directed Independent Study page.

  • Some doctoral programs will waive students out of courses they completed at the master’s level (e.g. Today’s College Student) and allow them to take an elective/different course in its place. Do you all do this? 

    The Ed.D. program is 60 hours of course work post-master’s degree, so credit is not accepted from a completed master’s program. Often the knowledge content of previous courses is no longer current enough to be considered relevant toward an Ed.D. Our program strives to ensure that students are provided a rigorous education that includes curriculum comprised of current knowledge and an accurate understanding of relevant information, theories, and practices. In addition, our curriculum is designed in such a way that students learn and acquire knowledge in the core leadership content, research methods, and specialization content in a prescribed sequence.

  • Can I simultaneously complete the Community College Leadership certificate?

    The CCL certificate and the Ed.D. can be done simultaneously or separately (both having separate application processes). We also allow students to concentrate their electives in the Ed.D. program with CCL classes so they can have a "stream" of electives in CCL but not have to pay the separate application fee to be admitted into the CCL certificate program. As each of the programs, CCL and Ed.D., have separate admissions processes there is no guarantee that if you are admitted to one (i.e., the CCL certificate program) that you would automatically be admitted into the other (i.e., Ed.D.).

  • How much does tuition cost? 

    Tuition and fees are established by UNCW at the end of each academic year for the following year. Please see here for the most current information.

  • If I am not a North Carolina resident, how can I establish residency? 

    Please see UNCW’s Residency Information.

  • Who should I contact for financial aid information? Are there scholarships I can apply for?

    Please see the UNCW Financial Aid Office. Click here for more information on Scholarships from the Graduate School.

  • Are Graduate Assistantships available? 

    There are a limited number of doctoral level graduate assistantships (GA) available in the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership and the Watson College of Education for which doctoral students may apply. However, graduate assistantships are not guaranteed. Graduate assistants may not be working full time outside of their doctoral studies. They must be available to work on campus for 20 hours each week, between the hours of 8am and 5pm. Follow this link for more information on Graduate Assistantships on campus.

  • Will I be able to teach in higher education with this degree?

    The coursework and instructional experiences in our program are not designed to prepare students for the faculty role. However, this is a terminal degree and would potentially meet the criteria needed for selected faculty positions in post-secondary institutions. Generally, faculty at collegiate levels have doctorates or terminal degrees in their respective academic discipline already, as these credentials are often a requirement to teach at the collegiate level.

  • Who should I contact for more information about the program?

    https://uncw.edu/gradschool/admissions/deadlines.html 

    For more information about the program, contact the Program Coordinator for the specialization of interest:

    Dr. Amy Garrett Dikkers
    Leadership in Curriculum and Instruction
    garrettdikkersa@uncw.edu 
    910-962-2915

    Dr. Steven Hooker
    Leadership in Educational Administration
    hookersd@uncw.edu 
    910-962-7577

    Dr. Symphony Oxendine
    Leadership in Higher Education
    oxendines@uncw.edu 
    910-962-3430

 

Leadership in Educational Administration Questions

  • What jobs will this degree prepare me to do? 

    As a terminal degree, the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program in Education Leadership with a specialization in Education Administration prepares graduates for a variety of leadership roles in the community, PreK-12 system, nonprofit, or government. Program graduates typically continue to advance in their careers as directors, superintendents, and other related executive level administrative roles.

    Specific career possibilities depend on the graduate's experience and expertise. For a glimpse at current graduates, see the Where Are Our Graduates webpage.

  • Do I have to want to be a superintendent to be admitted to the program?

    No. The program prepares students to be superintendents and other system-wide B-12 public school leaders and provides an opportunity for those already in or planning to move into B-12 public school leadership positions to improve their educational leadership practice through an Education Doctorate (Ed.D.). Although many of our students hold an administrative license and will seek superintendent licensure upon completion of the program, this is not a requirement for admission.

  • Is there a superintendent licensure track?

    Currently, there is not a separate track for those students seeking superintendent licensure and we do not have a licensure-only program that is separate from the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program. The Watson College of Education will recommend superintendent licensure for those doctoral students holding a current North Carolina administrative license, complete the Educational Administration specialization, and who prepare and defend a superintendent e-portfolio that contains NCDPI approved Hallmarks. However, licensing is subject to the approval of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (See http://www.ncpublicschools.org/licensure/administrator ). See Program Coordinator for more information.

  • Can I be admitted to the program if I do not have a B-12 public school administrative background? 

    Yes, if you have at least three years of applicable leadership experience in B-12 or higher education.

  • Can I add on an administrative license or a curriculum/instruction and supervision license while completing the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program? 

    If you are interested in our Licensure-Only School Administration Program, please consult our Master of School Administration website. If you are interested in our Licensure-Only Curriculum/Instruction and Supervision Program, please consult our Curriculum/Instruction and Supervision website. Select courses (maximum 6 credits) from the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program may be applied toward Licensure-Only in consultation with the Master of School Administration or Curriculum/Instruction and Supervision Program Coordinator and the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program Coordinator. However, it may be difficult for students who are full-time working professionals to complete Licensure-Only requirements while completing the requirements of the Doctoral Program.

 

Leadership in Curriculum & Instruction Questions

  • What jobs will this degree prepare me to do?

    As a terminal degree, the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program in Education Leadership with a specialization in Curriculum and Instruction (C & I) prepares graduates for a variety of leadership roles in the community, PreK-12 system, nonprofit, or government. Program graduates typically continue to advance in their careers as Instructional Coordinators, Curriculum Specialists, educational consultant and other related roles.

 

Leadership in Higher Education Questions

  • Who is best suited to this program?

    Our program is geared towards those who are going to continue their careers in college student affairs and higher education administration in post-secondary institutions.

  • What jobs will this degree prepare me to do? 

    As a terminal degree, the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program in Education Leadership with a specialization in Higher Education prepares graduates to continue to advance in their careers at postsecondary education institutions as student affairs educators, administrative professionals in academic or student services, academic executive positions, or key leadership roles in education-related organizations.

  • Will I be able to teach in higher education with this degree?

    The coursework and instructional experiences in our program are not designed to prepare students for the faculty role. However, this is a terminal degree and would potentially meet the criteria needed for selected faculty positions in post-secondary institutions. Generally, faculty at collegiate levels have doctorates or terminal degrees in their respective academic discipline already, as these credentials are often a requirement to teach at the collegiate level.