Welcome to the Educational Leadership and Management Program Guide

The Program Guide has been designed and developed to support you in your doctoral journey by providing an overview of the program’s components.  The Program Guide is organized by tabs, each of which is focused on one particular feature of your doctoral experience. We are confident you will return to and benefit from the Program Guide throughout your program and have included links to it in each of your courses.

Competencies

The EdD is a competency-based program. Throughout your journey, you will be measuring your success in terms of the program’s specific competencies. Your program is aligned with recognized and respected national leadership and management competencies so that upon completion you will have demonstrated your readiness to meet the challenges of your profession.

Curriculum

The curriculum is integrated in such a way that you can be confident in your ability to succeed in your doctoral program and in your chosen educational leadership career. The curriculum is delivered in a fixed sequence of courses, with no electives and no transfer credits. The fixed sequence of courses provides benefits more random and elective curricula do not. For instance, because we know when you will be taking which courses, we are able to help you build your competence over time in areas like research, diversity, and technology. None need to be one time experiences – as they too often are in less innovative programs.

Research

The Capella Educational Leadership and Management EdD has a clear research point of view. The focus is on developing, practicing, and mastering the competencies and habits of mind that will permit you do meaningful, practical, site-based, educational improvement research. You are introduced to the program’s action research perspective in the first course you take (EDD8100).  In each of the required courses that follow you will engage in site based inquiry activities – which become increasingly more challenging as you progress, so that you are fully prepared for your dissertation work upon completion of your coursework. Because your research work will be site based, you need a site to complete these activities.

Professional Growth Plan

This tab includes a link to a self-assessment of the program’s competencies. 

The Portfolio

You will receive your electronic portfolio in your first course (EDD8100), and throughout your program you will add to it. You will share it with your faculty during the coursework phase of your program and with your mentor during the dissertation phase. In fact, it is the tool you will use to demonstrate your readiness to move from the coursework to the dissertation phase of your program. Everything you need to know about your electronic portfolio is available under the Portfolio tab and from your EDD8100 instructor.

Doctoral Resources

Capella University has been recognized for and is justifiably proud of its extensive array of learner success resources. This tab provides you with a few details about Capella’s virtual campus and available resources.  The most effective strategy for learning about doctoral resources, however, is to spend some time exploring iGuide and discovering the tools, tutorials, and vast array of information and resources housed there including the Library, Advising and Program Planning, Support Services, Research at Capella, Success Factors, and other scholarly resources such as the writing center and resources to enhance critical thinking.