Educational Leadership, Ed.D.
The Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership is a unique and relevant degree plan that specifically meets the needs of our local districts, who have articulated challenges in hiring leaders who have specializations in school leadership, special education, bilingual education, and early childhood education. Students will have the opportunity to select a strand of study that meets their interests and career goals to be a transformational leader in their community.
This degree is designed intentionally to provide an enriched plan of study that will meet the challenges Texas school leaders may face now and in the future. Graduates will be eligible to apply for school and district leadership positions and serve as transformative leaders who positively impact students to engage in the state’s workforce. This distinctive degree plan structure will result in graduates as educational professionals that are also able to teach at the college or university level as SACSCOC Highly Qualified instructors in different specialized content areas with 18 credit hours successfully completed in Educational Leadership, Research, and District Leadership, Special Education, Early Childhood Education, or Bilingual Education.
This program will begin in Fall 2026 pending approval by SACSCOC.
This program will begin in Fall 2026 pending approval by SACSCOC.
The Transformative System-Level Leadership doctoral degree at Texas A&M University-San Antonio will observe admissions standards commensurate with the expectations of identifying individuals with the drive to be social justice advocates in support of their learning communities. A committee composed of faculty teaching in the program will examine candidates who have the potential to meet admissions standards within two pathways:
Pathway 1: ADMISSION To District Leadership with Superintendency Certification Strand (ONLY)
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Complete the online application and submit all relevant documents
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Hold a master’s degree with a cumulative GPA higher than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
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Hold a current valid principal certificate in the state of Texas
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Record of leadership experience- applicants are expected to have at least three years of full-time educational leadership experience upon completing the program.
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Submit names of two professional references (minimum of 1 supervisor)
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Participate in an interview with faculty members.
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Submit one sample of academic writing or submit a personal statement of your Leadership Philosophy (no longer than one page)
Pathway 2: ADMISSION to Bilingual, Special Education, or Early Childhood Strands
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Complete the online application and submit all relevant documents
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Hold a master’s degree with a cumulative GPA higher than 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
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Submit names of two professional references (minimum of 1 supervisor)
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Participate in an interview with faculty members
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Submit one sample of academic writing or submit a personal statement describing your approach to Educational Transformation or Leadership Philosophy as it relates to the concentration to which they are applying (no longer than one page)
This program will begin in Fall 2026 pending approval by SACSCOC.
Students will complete 18 credit hours in Required Leadership Core Courses and 18 credit hours in Research, followed by 4 strands with specialized systems-level knowledge (District Leadership, Special Education, Bilingual Education, or Early Childhood Education), with one strand leading to Texas Superintendent certification.
The required Leadership Courses (18 credit hours) and the required Strand Courses (18 credit hours) were created to support the uniquely identified needs of our local school district partners, alumni, and research. The first two (EDAD 6350 and EDAD 6351) and the final two Research Courses (EDAD 6354 and EDAD 6355) are specifically designed to support the Capstone research and writing assignments woven into the course rotation that are the culminating product of this degree.
This degree plan is designed around the action-oriented “dissertation-in-practice" approach in which students design and conduct a research study that results in a Capstone Project that will result in two submitted publications to two different peer-reviewed journals.
Students will identify a problem of practice in their research courses and design their individual Capstone study to collect data in response to their identified research question. Students will focus on practical skills and real-world applications through the intensive academic inquiry that is woven throughout the courses in this degree.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDAD 6301 | Leadership in the Pursuit of Educational Excellence | 3 |
| EDAD 6302 | Advanced Learning Theory | 3 |
| EDAD 6303 | Leading Change: Cultivating, Sustaining, and Renewing Organizational Culture | 3 |
| EDAD 6304 | Policy and Politics in Education | 3 |
| EDAD 6306 | Principles of Legal and Ethical Leadership | 3 |
| EDAD 6310 | Advocacy in the Community and School | 3 |
| EDAD 6350 | Introduction to Education Research | 3 |
| EDAD 6351 | Survey of Research Methods | 3 |
| EDAD 6352 | Advanced Research Methods: Qualitative Methodologies | 3 |
| EDAD 6353 | Advanced Research Methods: Quantitative Methodology | 3 |
| EDAD 6354 | Capstone Seminar 1: Data Collection and Analysis | 3 |
| EDAD 6355 | Capstone Seminar 2: Findings and Discussion | 3 |
| EDAD 6356 | Capstone Seminar 3: Advanced Inquiry | 3 |
| EDAD 6382 | Innovation in Leadership and Problem-Solving for Special Populations | 3 |
| Subtotal | 42 | |
Students in this degree program will complete 18 credits in a focus strand, 18 credits in Educational Leadership, and 18 credits in Research for a total of 54 credits. The doctoral degree is designed for students who have already completed both a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree.
The curriculum is informed by national standards, state standards, and needs identified by our local community partners. The curriculum and learning experiences in this Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership at Texas A&M University-San Antonio are designed to prepare doctoral candidates to become transformative system-level leaders in District Leadership, Bilingual Education, Early Childhood Education, or Special Education who drive improvement in support of their learning communities.
Fall 2024: 9 credits (1 Leadership, 1 Strand, 1 Research)
Spring 2025: 9 credits (1 Leadership, 1 Strand, 1 Research)
Summer 2025: 6 credits (1 Strand, 1 Research)
Fall 2025: 9 credits (1 Leadership, 1 Strand, 1 Research)
Spring 2026: 9 credits (1 Leadership, 1 Strand, 1 Research)
Summer 2026: 6 credits (1 Leadership, 1 Strand)
Fall 2026: 6 credits ((1 Leadership, 1 Research)