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School Improvement Ed.D.

Total Semester Credit Hours = 60

The School Improvement Ed.D. is designed to develop educators to understand the philosophical and historical perspective of school reform, diversity, learning opportunities for all, and address educational issues using a variety of strategies. Doctoral students will develop critical reasoning and a deep understanding of change theory to address challenges in school improvement contexts.

UT Tyler doctoral students will conduct research of practice and responsiveness to improve teaching and learning experiences, counseling and support services, school leadership, educational organizations and structures, and all other educational disciplines. The School Improvement Ed.D. prepares the next generation of educators with the knowledge, skills, and tools to utilize data to guide school improvement and policy and to improve learning outcomes leading to college and career readiness.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the School Improvement Ed.D. program, the applicant must:

  1. Hold a master’s degree in an education related field from a regionally accredited institution.
  2. Have at least 3 years of experience in education and submit an education service record.
  3. Submit a resume.
  4. Submit official transcripts from all institutions attended.
  5. Respond to a written prompt related to a school improvement problem of practice.

Completed applications will be reviewed by an admissions committee. The committee will select applicants and conduct the final interview.

Please refer to the College of Education & Psychology website for detailed information regarding admission criteria and application deadline.

Degree Requirements

Total Semester Credit Hours = 60

The School Improvement Ed.D. will be delivered fully online.  Students are required to attend a summer workshop at the UT Tyler campus prior to beginning coursework.

Students will be required to complete 60 credit hours of coursework. 

  1. School Improvement Major: 30 hours
  2. Research and Statistics: 15 hours
  3. Dissertation: 12 hours
  4. Residency: 3 hours

Transfer work. Transfer of graduate credit from a regionally accredited institution is limited to a total of no more than 12 semester hours.

Prescribed Required Courses (60 credit hours)

EDRM 6350 – Program Evaluation in the Education Setting 

EDRM 6351 – Design-Based Implementation Research

EDRM 6352 – Quantitative Research Methods in the Education Setting 

EDRM 6353 – Qualitative Methods in the Education Setting

EDRM 6354 – Design-Based Implementation Research II 

EDSI 6160/6170 – Dissertation I or Dissertation in Practice I

EDSI 6161/6171 – Dissertation II or Dissertation in Practice II

EDSI 6162/6172 – Dissertation III or Dissertation in Practice III

EDSI 6311 – Data-Driven Planning for School Improvement
EDSI 6312 – The Study and Application of Improvement Science 
EDSI 6313 – School Improvement & Accountability Models
EDSI 6314 – Research-Based Pedagogies for School Improvement 
EDSI 6320 – Leading Critical Conversations for School Improvement 
EDSI 6321 – Support Systems for Job-Embedded Professional Learning 
EDSI 6322 – Culturally Responsive Practices for School Improvement 
EDSI 6323 – Effective Coaching Skills for School Improvement Teams 
EDSI 6330 – School Culture & Community Engagement for School Improvement 
EDSI 6331 – Educational Policy and School Improvement 
EDSI 6360/6370 – Dissertation or Dissertation in Practice*
EDSI 6370 – School Improvement Policy Residency

*3 credit hours required. Upon completion of the 12 required dissertation hours, students must register for 1 dissertation credit per semester until the successful defense of the dissertation.

Candidacy. For a student to advance to candidacy, the student must complete all coursework from the following components: school improvement major, research, and statistics.

The student must prepare a dossier that includes:

  1. school improvement manuscript submitted to a practitioner-oriented journal;
  2. evidence of a conference presentation on a school improvement concept or issue at a state or national conference;
  3. review of literature for approved dissertation concept; and
  4. presentation from a successful defense of the dissertation proposal by the student’s doctoral committee.

Dissertation or Dissertation in Practice. The student may choose to write a dissertation or a dissertation in practice. The student must complete a minimum of 12 hours of doctoral dissertation credit to fulfill the requirements of the degree; 6 hours of dissertation will be completed throughout the program as students will be required to enroll in 1 credit hour of dissertation per semester starting in the second semester of studies. Upon completing the 12 required hours of dissertation credits, the student must take a minimum of one doctoral dissertation credit each semester while he/she is engaged in the research and writing of the dissertation.