UMass Boston

EdD or PhD?

An EdD or PhD in Urban Education Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Massachusetts Boston is both research oriented and directed towards educational practice.

The PhD student would typically be a person who is:

• anticipating a faculty career or a profession which demands research expertise
• excited by theory and conceptual analysis
• tending toward research and has potential for primarily advancing the theory in the field rather than implementing its practice

An EdD student would typically be a person who is:

• planning on working in the field primarily as a practitioner
• especially interested in developing and improving practice
• interested in research which tends to emphasize development, evaluation, or field-based projects

Application Requirements

Applicants must meet general graduate admission requirements in addition to the following program-specific requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution of recognized standing or an international equivalent at the time of enrollment
• A minimum, cumulative GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale (or international equivalent) in all undergraduate work
• A master's degree or the equivalent from a college or university of recognized standing
• Official transcripts for all institutions where you have earned more than 6 credits; if your transcript is in a language other than English, please include an English translation, validated by an official public translator
• Résumé or curriculum vitae
• Essay (Personal Statement)
  A personal statement essay of no more than five pages (double spaced) should be sufficient to explain the applicant's academic background, motivation, and research interests. More specifically, this personal statement essay should describe your background and career aspirations with an emphasis on the kinds of changes in elementary or secondary education you are interested in enacting. The essay must include a description of a critical incident (involving change) in which you took part, explaining your role and actions in the incident. The statement should describe your potential area of research and how this research interest relates to your past experience or future professional commitments.
• Writing Sample
  In addition to the statement of purpose essay, a writing sample will also be requested from applicants who are selected for an admissions interview. The four main types of academic writing are descriptive, analytical, persuasive, and critical. Each of these types of writing has specific language features and purposes. Examples of writing samples are, but not limited to:
  1. Book report
  2. Essay
  3. Research paper
  4. Grant/Research proposal
  5. Literary criticism
  6. Conference paper
  7. Literature review
  8. Lab report
  9. History report
  10. OpEd
  11. Blog Post
  12. Short Story
• Two (2) letters of recommendation
  Recommenders should have worked closely with the applicant in an academic, professional, or community service setting. Letters should not be written by friends or family members of the applicant and should focus on the applicant’s abilities and past academic performance. The letters should also assess the applicant’s level of motivation for and commitment to a leadership role in urban education. Former professors familiar with the applicant’s academic abilities could address the applicant’s capacity to perform graduate-level work. Supervisors or colleagues at the current place of employment could describe and give evidence of the applicant’s potential as a social-change agent in urban educational contexts.
• Employer Agreement Form
  The Employer Agreement Form shows year-by-year how the applicant and their employer will arrange the applicant’s work schedule to permit the applicant to meet the program’s requirements. Please upload the Employer Agreement Form to the Documents section in the Slate application.
• If applicable, request official TOEFL, IELTS, PTE and Duolingo scores to be sent to the University of Massachusetts Boston

All application materials should be sent directly to Graduate Admissions via the GradCAS application. Do not send the materials to the Leadership in Education department office. Materials must be sent directly to admissions in order to be processed.

The admissions committee will interview all finalists before making its recommendations for acceptance into the program.

Deadline: April 1 for summer

Application Fee: The nonrefundable application fee is $75. UMass Boston alumni and current students that plan to complete degree requirements prior to graduate enrollment can submit the application without paying the application fee.

Program Cost Information: The degree options in the Urban Education Leadership and Policy Studies Program include a 65-credit EdD or PhD. The total for tuition and fees can be calculated by using the graduate tuition rates listed on the Bursar's website.

This is one program with two degree options (PhD/EdD). Students take the below required courses in both degree options. In addition to these courses, PhD students take one advanced research methods course and five electives, totaling 60 credits. EdD students take an advanced research methods course and four electives, totaling 54 credits.

Required Core Courses (30 credits)

• EEDLDRS 701 - Leadership Workshop I 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 703 - Critical Issues I 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 705 - Introduction to Inquiry for Educational Leaders 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 720 - Teaching, Learning and Curriculum in Urban Contexts 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 730 - Historical Roots of Contemporary Urban Schooling 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 732 - Organization and Leadership in Educational Institutions 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 740 - Research Methods in Educational Leadership I 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 741 - Research Methods in Educational Leadership II 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 750 - Education Policy for School Leaders 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 760 - Qualifying Paper Seminar 3 Credit(s)

Advanced Methods (3 credits)

Complete one advanced methods course chosen in collaboration with the graduate program director.

Electives

• EdD students: Complete two courses (6 credits) chosen in collaboration with the graduate program director.
• PhD students: Complete four courses (12 credits) chosen in collaboration with the graduate program director.

Dissertation Courses (15 credits)

• EDLDRS 891 - Dissertation Seminar 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 892 - Dissertation Seminar II 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 893 - Dissertation Seminar III 3 Credit(s)
• EDLDRS 899 - Dissertation Research 1-9 Credit(s) - complete twice for 6 total credits

Certification

Students may use Urban Education courses to fulfill many of the requirements for certification as a principal, supervisor-director, or special education administrator.

In addition to coursework, students in the Urban Education Leadership and Policy Studies Doctoral Program must successfully complete four major benchmarks:

1. comprehensive assessment
2. qualifying paper
3. dissertation proposal and hearing
4. dissertation and defense

The dissertation is designed to demonstrate students’ ability to analyze a problem in urban education extensively and to assess its implications for practice or policy. The problem involves a specific issue or policy, which is of critical concern in urban education. The problem can be drawn from organizational or administrative practice, theories and practices regarding learning and teaching, historical or cultural issues, or public policy at the state, regional, national, or international level.

For more information on curriculum, including course descriptions and degree requirements, visit the Academic Catalog.

 In this program, students will:

• Engage with multiple sources of information (e.g., policy, research, history, and empirical data) and learn multiple research methods and theories within an area of concentration;
• Conduct original research on critical problems in K-12 education that relates to their professional practice and contributes to the ongoing academic conversation in their concentration area and in the fields of urban education and leadership;
• Create new knowledge from research that addresses real world problems, culminating in a dissertation;
• Apply social justice-oriented frameworks and research-based knowledge to real world academic and practical issues facing K-12 education institutions in order to be change agents in education;
• Advance their careers as leaders and successfully compete for employment in a wide variety of national and international school-based, agency, and community roles including higher education faculty, state department of education personnel, community agency/organization educational leaders, policy analysts, and researchers.

EdD Program Requirements

Complete 54 credits from 19 courses including 10 core courses, 2 electives, 1 advanced methods course, and 4 dissertation courses.

Students who enter with a master’s degree in an equivalent discipline may be considered for advanced graduate standing on a case-by-case basis. Alternatively, if a student is ineligible for advanced standing, the student may transfer up to 6 credits of coursework taken beyond the master’s level that has not contributed toward the award of any other degree.

Doctoral candidacy: Pass a comprehensive assessment and qualifying paper.
Dissertation: Propose, compose, and defend a dissertation based on original empirical research.

Statute of limitations: Seven years.

PhD Program Requirements

Complete 60 credits from 26 courses including 15 core courses, 4 elective courses, 1 advanced methods course, and 4 dissertation courses.

Students who enter with a master’s degree in an equivalent discipline may be considered for advanced graduate standing on a case-by-case basis. Alternatively, if a student is ineligible for advanced standing, the student may transfer up to 6 credits of coursework taken beyond the master’s level that has not contributed toward the award of any other degree.

Doctoral candidacy: Pass a comprehensive assessment and qualifying paper.
Dissertation: Propose, compose, and defend a dissertation based on original empirical research.

Statute of limitations: Seven years.

Graduate Program Director Patricia Krueger-Henney
patricia.krueger@umb.edu

Faculty

• Abiola Farinde-Wu, Graduate Program Director, Associate Professor of Urban Education Leadership and Policy Studies
• Patricia Krueger-Henney, Associate Professor, Urban Education Leadership and Policy Studies
• Wenfan Yan, Professor, Urban Education Leadership and Policy Studies
• Bodunrin Banwo, Assistant Professor, Urban Education Leadership and Policy Studies
• Melissa Colon, Assistant Professor, Urban Education Leadership and Policy Studies