The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Instructional Management and Leadership degree program is designed to meet the needs and interests of working professionals such as teachers, administrators, college faculty, and corporate training professionals who wish to become better managers and leaders of the instructional process and/or seek to pursue teaching positions in higher education.

About the Program: Dual Focus Research Program Goals Program Format Curriculum Course of Study Career Outlook

Highlights of this three-year program include:

• Eighteen credits of coursework with a dual focus in instructional management and leadership
• Twelve credits of research courses to prepare you for the dissertation, the culminating project of the program
• A three-semester practicum, in which you'll gain practical knowledge and competency in an area of interest
• A time plan to meet the needs of working professionals

The program has a strong base in educational research while providing practical applications to issues and problems. A strong emphasis is placed on how educational leaders direct and manage research in order to bring resolve to important matters that affect students, teachers and the community.

A major strength of the program is the developmental progression of research courses, which provides the skills needed to complete the course work and dissertation in just three years.

Dual Focus
The Ph.D. in Instructional Management and Leadership program focuses on two skills critical to educators today - management and leadership. Often, educators are forced to choose between the two, yet both must work interdependently to accomplish the goals of the educational institution.

As Stephen Covey (1992) suggests, "You manage things, but you lead people." This program provides learning opportunities for teachers to better manage resources in the classroom or their respective disciplines while learning better, more effective ways to manage students. For administrators, the program offers problem-solving strategies in the areas of curriculum, technology and supervision that relate to management, and it offers creative applications of leadership in working with faculty and parents in the educational setting.

Finally, with its emphasis on both instructional management and leadership, the program provides a diverse yet highly specialized background in education, which may help teachers or administrators find positions in higher education.

Research
Research is a comprehensive, integrated component of the program. Each semester includes a research course designed to build upon and support previous work while exploring new concepts that will lead to the completed dissertation.

You'll enroll in dissertation seminar classes upon completion of an initial sequence of four research courses. The dissertation seminars guide you through the formulation of a problem to defending the dissertation proposal by allowing you to apply the skills mastered in previous research courses.

Opportunities to apply the methods and techniques acquired in the first four research courses are also provided in three practicum courses beginning in the second year. The Leadership Practicum enables you to complete a project-based experience in collaboration with an exemplary mentor and your faculty advisor. Continuing academic advisement throughout the three-semester practicum enables you to identify links between the practicum and dissertation seminars.

Program Goals
Upon graduating from the program, you will be able to:

• Understand the complex interrelationships among the diverse stakeholders in the instructional process;
• Serve as a competent instructional manager and leader in the educational environment;
• Demonstrate mastery of the research skills of a teacher/scholar through professional presentations, scholarly writing and successful completion of a dissertation;
• Improve student achievement; and
• Foster the effective use of technology.

Program Format
The three-year program has a unique format. Each year, students are admitted to the program in the summer semester and move through the program together as a cohort. Students attend classes one evening per week during the fall and spring semesters and complete a two-week residency each summer for three years. Each course is enhanced with online instruction. The leadership practicum courses and the dissertation credit courses are offered via a seminar format.

Curriculum
The 60-credit curriculum for the Ph.D. in Instructional Management and Leadership degree program is divided into five components: instructional management and leadership, research, practicum, dissertation and related courses.

1. Instructional Management and Leadership (18 credits)

Managing Finances and Budgets (3)
Managing the Instructional Environment (3)
Managing Instructional Technology (3)*
Instructional Leadership in Curriculum Planning (3)
Instructional Leadership in Program Evaluation (3)*
Effective Practices in Supervision (3)
2. Research (12 credits)

Critical Readings in Educational Research (3)
Quantitative Research (3)
Statistical Methods I (3)
Qualitative Research (3)
3. Practicum (3 credits)

Leadership Practicum I (1)
Leadership Practicum II (1)
Leadership Practicum III (1)
4. Dissertation (12 credits)

Dissertation Seminar I (1)
Dissertation Seminar II (1)
Dissertation Seminar III (2)
Dissertation Seminar IV (2)
Dissertation Seminar V (6)
5. Related Coursework (15 credits)

Law and Ethics in Education (3)*
Applying Instructional Technology (3)
Best Practices in Teaching and Learning (3)
Communities, Schools and Families (3)**
Writing for Publication (3)

Course of Study  

Year 2
Summer (4 credits)
Leadership Practicum I (1)
Managing Instructional Technology (3)*
Fall (8 credits)
Dissertation Seminar I (1)
Leadership Practicum II (1)
Instructional Leadership in Program
Evaluation (3)*
Effective Practices in Supervision (3)
Spring (8 credits)
Dissertation Seminar II (1)
Leadership Practicum III (1)
Law and Ethics in Education (3)*
Best Practices in Teaching and Learning (3)

Year 3
Summer (8 credits)
Dissertation Seminar III (2)
Communities, Schools and Families (3)**
Managing the Instructional Environment (3)
Fall (8 credits)
Dissertation Seminar IV (2)
Writing for Publication (3)
Managing Finances and Budgets (3)
Spring (6 credits)
Dissertation Seminar V (6)

*Online/on-ground format; **Totally online

Career Outlook
Generally, a Ph.D. is required for full-time, tenure track positions in four-year colleges and universities. According to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, employment opportunities for post-secondary teachers are expected to grow by 38 percent through 2012. Employment is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2010. The Occupational Outlook Quarterly indicates that employment opportunities for college and university faculty will grow faster than average because of rising enrollments, with approximately 195,000 new positions anticipated.