Program Description and Goals

Collaborative Online Doctorate in Educational Leadership (CODEL)

“Working together to develop the leaders our schools need and deserve”

The Collaborative Online Doctorate in Educational Leadership (CODEL) program is a joint Ed.D. program offered by CSU Channel Islands and Fresno State. The CODEL program is dedicated to enriching and supporting leaders who are devoting their lives to social justice and democracy in and through education. This program has two options:

P-12 Educational Leadership and Post-secondary Educational Leadership (including community college leadership and administration).

Participants will deepen their knowledge, skills and efficacy in the following areas:

1. Leading successful educational change and reform for teaching and learning in the 21^st century through ethical, equitable and research-based best practices
2. Employing critical and systems thinking to identify root causes of complex educational problems and develop meaningful solutions to address educational inequities
3. Respecting and engaging diverse families, organizations and communities through collaborative partnerships and networking
4. Collaborating with others to generate and apply a professional knowledge base that integrates both experiential and research knowledge to inform leadership decisions; be able to undertake appropriate critical inquiry and research studies to inform leadership decisions
5. Constructing and using program evaluations and assessments for the purpose of improving program quality

Admission Requirements

The CODEL program may admit only candidates who meet the academic requirements for the Ed.D. degree program and who possess personal qualities and professional experiences that suggest a strong potential for success as doctoral candidates and as educational leaders. Meeting the minimum requirements qualifies an individual for consideration, but does not guarantee admission to the Program. Admission will be granted on a competitive basis.

The CODEL program requires the following of all applicants for admission to the doctoral program:

• An earned baccalaureate degree and master’s degree from accredited institutions of higher education with a grade point average in upper division and graduate studies of 3.0 or above;
• Sufficient preparation and graduate training and experience pertinent to educational leadership to benefit from the Program;
• Submission of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores on the Verbal, Quantitative, and Written GRE tests, taken within the last five years;
• Demonstrated educational leadership potential and skills including successful experience in school, postsecondary, community, and/or policy leadership;
• Demonstrated academic excellence, problem-solving ability, and an interest in critically assessing and bringing about improvements within current educational policies and practices;
• Three letters of recommendation attesting to the leadership, ability, and scholarship of the candidate;
• A written statement of purpose reflecting an understanding of the challenges facing the public schools or community colleges/institutions of higher education in California;
• Professional resume, including whether the applicant has proficiency in a second language;
• Examples of professional and/or academic writings (e.g., masters thesis, school newsletters, program or grant proposals)
• A statement of support for the candidate’s doctoral studies from her/his employer;
• Response to a writing prompt administered on campus prior to the interview; and,
• A personal interview with the Admissions Committee.

Other university graduate admissions standards for graduate students also apply to all Ed.D. candidates.

Curricular Design

The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership is a 60 unit degree with 27 units of Core courses, 21 units of Specialization courses, and 12 Dissertation units. Fieldwork components are embedded in many of the Core and Specialization Courses. The degree program has two focal areas or strands, one in P-12 Education Leadership and the other in Post-secondary Education Leadership (including Community College leadership and administration).  Students progress through the program in cohorts. Students from both strands will take core courses together, and then will split off during their specialization phase.

The program can be completed in three (3) years, or nine (9) semesters (Summer/Fall/Spring continuous enrollment). Students desiring to take longer may do so by not registering for dissertation units during the final year. The target population for this program is educators who are leaders or have the potential to be education leaders in either the P-12 or Higher Education (Community College) sectors. The program is organized by 15 eight-week course sessions and 3 one-week intensive residencies scheduled during the summers.

Specialization Courses (21 units). May be different from cohort to cohort.  Specific courses to be offered will be based on the needs of the student members of each cohort. Specialization course topics may include leadership for equity and social justice, curriculum leadership, human resource administration, professional learning communities, community college administration, interpersonal leadership and conflict resolution, professional ethics and moral issues in education, and writing for publication.

Mode of Delivery. Seventy-five percent of contact hours will occur via distance/online delivery.  This program is comprised of 9 core courses (27 units or 405 contact hours), 7 specialization courses (21 units, 315 contact hours) and 12 hours of dissertation units, for a total of 60 units that can be completed in a three-year period. Of 720 course contact hours, 180 will be offered in person during three summer residencies, each of which will be approximately one week long (a minimum of 60 contact hours per residency).

Policy on Transfer Credits

No more than nine (9) units of transfer semester credits or twelve (12) quarter credits may be transferred into the joint Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership, pending review and approval by the Co-Directors.

Any units accepted by the program Co-Directors may be counted toward the specialization courses and may not be counted towards completion of the core courses. Courses must be graduate-level courses with a grade of B or better. Course syllabi, catalog descriptions of the courses, the course numbering and grading system, information clarifying whether the institution used the semester or quarter system, and a copy of the transcript showing the posted grades for the courses must be submitted to the program Co-Directors along with the request to accept the transfer credits.

FEES

The California State University has established the CSU Education Doctorate State University Fee for students enrolled in the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership. The CSU Education Doctorate State University Fee rate is linked to the University of California graduate fee rate and will be subject to the same fee increases assessed by the University of California.

The CSU Education Doctorate State University Fee rate is currently $5,960.50. Doctoral students will attend three semester terms per year (fall, spring, and summer). In addition to semester fees, costs associated with attending a minimum of three (3) summer residencies will be applicable. All fees are subject to change.

Requirements for Graduation

Students must complete the 60-unit course sequence with a grade of B or better in each course, pass the Qualifying Examination, and pass a preliminary and final defense of their dissertation.