Program Description
The purpose of the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership (DPEL) is to enhance the talents and skills of individuals who plan to devote their lives to the implementation of educational practices informed by research. The program provides students with a broad view of educational problems and a strong background in social science theory. In addition, the program prepares students to conduct and interpret inquiries on which sound educational policy and practice can be anchored.
Students in the program benefit from the teaching and research expertise of established scholars and practitioners. The faculty hail from a number of academic disciplines including educational administration, teacher education, and business and public administration, as well as from surrounding school districts and community colleges.
All courses are taught in Bakersfield and are held on Saturday to accommodate full-time working professionals. There are two specializations within the program: one for students who hope to apply their leadership knowledge and skills in P-12 educational settings, and the other for students who hope to apply their knowledge and skills to community college/higher education settings.
Admission Requirements and Application
Students are admitted in yearly cohorts that move through the program together. All students are admitted to the program for Fall semester only.
Applying to the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership is a two-part process. First, students must apply to the University through an online application found at https://www2.calstate.edu/apply. Second, students must apply to the program using the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership application forms found on our website at www.csub.edu/edd/. The application deadline and more detailed instructions for applying to the program may also be found on our website. Students must be admitted to both the University and the Educational Leadership program to enroll in the program.
The following minimum requirements must be met to be eligible for admission to the program:
- Master’s degree from an accredited institution.
- Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 in upper-division undergraduate and master’s degree coursework.
- Sufficient preparation, graduate training, and experience in educational leadership to benefit from the program.
- Demonstrated educational leadership potential and skills including successful experience in school, postsecondary, community, and/or policy leadership.
- Demonstrated academic excellence, problem-solving ability, and interest in critically assessing and bringing about improvements in current educational policies and practices.
- Positive review of other application materials including three letters of recommendation, a written statement of purpose, a statement of support from the applicant’s employer, and a personal interview with the program admissions committee.
The Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership is a competitive program with limited space available for students in each cohort. Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements for admission does not guarantee admission to the program. Admission decisions are made by the program admissions committee and are not eligible for appeal.
Transfer Credits
Graduate credit of up to six units from another accredited college or university may be applied toward the fulfillment of requirements in the student’s graduate program at CSUB if accepted by the faculty of the DPEL Graduate Group. In addition, graduate-level work taken through Extended University may be used to satisfy prerequisite requirements or specific degree requirements when such work is approved in advance by the Director of the DPEL.
No more than six (6) units of transfer and/or California State University, Bakersfield semester credits may be transferred into the Doctoral in Educational Leadership Program at California State University, Bakersfield pending review by the transfer unit committee. Any units accepted by the committee 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, and a copy of the transcript showing the posted grades for the courses must be submitted to the program director along with the request to accept the transfer credits.
Other Program Policies
Other policies applying to the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership (e.g., planned educational leave, unauthorized leave of absence, time limits for completing the program, academic policies) may be found in the CSUB Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership Student Handbook which can be located on the program website at www.csub.edu/edd/.
Student Classifications
Classified Graduate Student
Students will be admitted to the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership as a Classified Graduate Student, or advanced from Conditionally Classified, if they meet all requirements for admission listed in the previous section.
Conditionally Classified Graduate Student
Students will be admitted as Conditionally Classified if they are deficient in one or more of the admission requirements listed, but in the judgment of the admissions committee, will be able to remedy their deficiencies in a timely manner. Students must remedy their deficiencies before they enter Phase 2 (Specialization Phase) of the program or sit for the qualifying examination.
Advancement to Candidacy
Students who have completed all core courses, passed the qualifying exam (which is based on core course content), and received a positive recommendation from the Graduate Group will be advanced to candidacy. Students may not register for dissertation units until they have been advanced to candidacy.
Requirements for the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership
Students in the program move through three phases of study, comprising 60 units. Phase 1 involves nine core courses, Phase 2 involves seven specialization courses, and Phase 3 involves the dissertation. All students move through Phase 1 as a cohort. In Phase 2, students may choose to specialize in P-12 or postsecondary educational leadership with courses focusing on those concentrations.
