Ed.D. in Educational Leadership

The University of South Alabama College of Education proudly offers an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. The program is a 60 credit hour, cohort-based program designed for professionals who wish to earn a terminal degree in educational leadership. Delivered in an executive format, the Ed.D. program allows students to maintain their current employment while also studying full-time, but also supports pathways for full-time doctoral students, including graduate assistantship opportunities.

The program is aligned with the recommendations of the Carnegie Project on the Educational Doctorate to redesign the Ed.D. to make it a stronger and more relevant degree for the advanced preparation of P-12 school leadership practitioners, higher education leaders, and professional staff for the nation’s schools and colleges and the learning organizations that support them.

There are two tracks available in the program, one for P-12 administrators and one for higher education administrators.

Coursework is delivered by highly qualified professors using a combination of intensive, face-to-face classes on campus or over video-conferencing platforms and asynchronous online learning formats. The program is not a fully online degree.

Course of Study

Shared Programmatic Content

While the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program in Educational Leadership at the University of South Alabama offers specialized pathways, both the P-12 School Leadership and Higher Education concentrations are anchored in a cohesive, rigorous core of shared leadership domains. These shared domains ensure all doctoral candidates develop executive-level competency in systemic learning organization management:

Advanced Organizational & Change Theory:
Both pathways engage with complex systems thinking and change management models (e.g., Kotter, Lewin) to diagnose organizational issues, map stakeholders, and design structured consulting proposals that drive transformational growth.

Financial & Resource Strategy:
Students in both tracks master the mechanics of budgeting, fund securement, and the operational tensions of balancing fiscal efficiency with institutional equity and adequacy.
Legal & Ethical Governance:
Each concentration prepares leaders to navigate high-stakes statutory compliance, administrative policy, and risk management while formulating their own resilient, defensible codes of professional ethics.
Programmatic, Curricular, and Learning Design:
Focuses on instructional innovation, adult teaching and learning theories, program evaluation, and systemic school or department improvement plans.
Legal, Regulatory, and Policy Compliance:
Prepares leaders to operate complex institutions within federal and state regulatory frameworks. Students critically evaluate public policies, statutory laws, and landmark judicial precedents to ensure defensive compliance and legal alignment while upholding institutional neutrality, intellectual diversity, and merit-based opportunity.
Human Relations & Mentoring:
Cultivates the psychological and communicative dimensions of professional leadership, establishing foundational skills in emotional intelligence, soft-skill development, collaborative coaching, and veteran professional mentorship[cite: 17, 24].

P-12 Educational Leadership Concentration

Tailored for district-level administrators, superintendents, and school-building executives, the P-12 Educational Leadership concentration grounds executive management in the specific regulatory and structural realities of school districts. Coursework directly engages with the historical evolution and unique complexities of the Alabama Tax Structure, the Education Trust Fund, and the Alabama Foundation Program to optimize district resource distribution. Candidates master P-12 personnel management, professional staff development processes (including State Department rules like EDUCATE Alabama), and school-community collaboration. This pathway emphasizes instructional leadership, supervision, and data-driven school improvement plans aligned with state standards, equipping leaders to transform public and private school systems into high-performing, equitable environments for children and educators alike.

Higher Education Concentration

Designed for aspiring and active postsecondary executives, the Higher Education concentration targets the governance, culture, and administrative challenges unique to colleges and universities. Students dive into the economics of higher education, exploring student access and affordability, price-setting, federal/state revenue streams, and athletic department finance. Curriculum is framed around institutional policy-making post-SCOTUS, Title IX/Clery Act compliance, and the delicate balance of academic freedom vs. active equity. Furthermore, the concentration offers a distinctly global outlook, examining comparative international tertiary education, the impact of culture on global leadership, and the strategies required to implement diversity plans in highly complex, decentralized academic institutions.

P-12 Leadership

The Educational Doctorate in Educational Leadership (P-12) only admits in the summer semester (deadline March 15).

▼ P-12 Leadership Admission Requirements

Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum 3.25 cumulative graduate GPA.

*USA students applying to a USA graduate program in the College of Education and Professional Studies should complete a transcript request form (PDF) found on the University Registrar's Office website.

In the Name/Organization field for the transcript recipient write, "USA Graduate School". There is no charge associated with this request. This option applies only to USA transcripts for students applying to USA graduate programs.

ALABAMA Class A or Class AA Professional Leadership Certification in Instructional Leadership.
Current service or experience at the level of PK-12 Assistant Principal or higher is preferred. Applicants must hold active professional positions that allow them to implement small-scale change.
Three letters of recommendation from individual’s familiar with the applicant’s work (to include the applicant’s principal or supervisor attesting to candidate’s leadership and management potential). Recommendations MUST BE COMPLETED ONLY on the Recommendation Form for Graduate Admission to the Educational Leadership Program (PDF) and SUBMITTED by email to: ceps@southalabama.edu.
Submission of official GRE scores. A minimum Analytical Writing score of 3 (out of 6) on the GRE Analytical Writing section is preferred.
A two-page narrative indicating the applicant’s career plan and goals in pursuing the Educational Doctorate in P-12 Leadership. Include how the program matches the applicant’s career goals (upload within online application).
Completed copy of the most recent performance appraisal to include the professional development component and evidence of ability to lead student achievement (upload within online application).
Completion of graduate level Research Methods and Evaluation course with minimum grade of “B”.
A resume with chronology of academic and/or professional employment (upload within online application).

Higher Education Leadership

The Educational Doctorate in Educational Leadership (Higher Education) only admits in the Summer Semester (deadline March 15).

▼ Higher Education Leadership Admission Requirements

Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum 3.25 cumulative graduate GPA.

Official transcripts* can be sent by mail or electronically. Instructions can be found under “Help” on the application.

*USA students applying to a USA graduate program in the College of Education and Professional Studies should complete a transcript request form (PDF) found on the University Registrar's Office website.

In the Name/Organization field for the transcript recipient write, "USA Graduate School". There is no charge associated with this request. This option applies only to USA transcripts for students applying to USA graduate programs.

Academic and/or Professional experience as a manager or director of units, or other supervisory position. Applicants must hold active professional positions that allow them to implement small-scale change.
Completion of graduate level Research Methods and Evaluation course with a minimum grade of “B”.
Three letters of recommendation from individual’s familiar with the applicant’s work (to include the applicant’s principal or supervisor attesting to candidate’s leadership and management potential). Recommendations MUST BE COMPLETED ONLY on the Recommendation Form for Graduate Admission to the Educational Leadership Program (PDF) and SUBMITTED by email to: ceps@southalabama.edu.
Submission of official GRE scores. A minimum score of 3 (out of 6) on the GRE Analytical Writing section is preferred.
A two-page narrative indicating the applicant’s career plan and goals in pursuing the Educational Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership. Include how the program matches the applicant’s career goals (upload within online application).