General Admission Requirements

The Doctor of Education (Ed.D) in Educational Leadership is designed to accommodate the active lives of practicing professionals who wish to assume leadership roles in K-12 settings. The Doctor of Education degree requires a minimum of eighty-five (85) hours above the master’s degree, inclusive of dissertation and statistics.

Those individuals who wish to be considered for admission to the program should follow the steps listed below.

Submit the following admission credentials to the Graduate Office (Box 4029, Clinton, MS 39058-4029):

• A completed application for admission to the Graduate Office (with all required information) 
• A non-refundable $30.00 application fee 
• One copy of all official transcripts from previous collegiate work (associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and education specialist) and any transferable graduate credit 
• Submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores earned within the last five years directly from Educational Testing Services to the Graduate Office. Application packets without scores on the verbal, quantitative, and writing sections will not be processed. The applicant must have a composite (verbal and quantitative) score of 1066 on the Graduate Record Exam or a minimum score of 1600 based on the formula: graduate GPA x 200 + Composite GRE. The applicant must earn a minimum score of 4.2 on the analytical writing test. A score less than 3.5 is not acceptable. Applicants with scores between 3.5 and 4.1 will be required to complete two courses in writing. A grade of B must be earned in each course.

Additional information:

• An application portfolio submitted to the Coordinator of the Ed.D. Program by September 15. Application portfolios will not be accepted before June 1. Click here for portfolio requirements.
  
• All applicants must have a GPA of 3.25 on graduate work.
• All materials for admission to the Ed. D. program in Educational Leadership must be postmarked by September 15. 

For additional information, contact:

Dr. Ruthie S. Stevenson
Program Coordinator
601.925.3403
rstevens@mc.edu

Dr. Tom Williams
Chair, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership
601.925.3844
twilliam@mc.edu

Mississippi College Graduate School
601.925.3225
graduate@mc.edu

Doctor of Education Courses

Please do not use paper protectors or sleeves. Place all materials in a file folder. The portfolio will not be returned; therefore, copies of all documents should be retained by the student.  

Submit a professional portfolio to the Coordinator of the Ed.D. Program (Box 4009, Clinton, MS 39058) consisting, in this order, of:

• A completed application for the Ed.D. program
• Photocopy of master’s and specialist standard educator licenses
• Documentation of a minimum of five (5) years of educational experience (e.g., a letter from the district’s personnel office)
• Documentation of two (2) years of experience in a leadership role (e.g., team leader, department chair)
• An essay of no more than 750 words on the reasons for seeking the Doctor of Education degree --- The essay must be typed and double-spaced on white 8” x 11” paper and should include a summary of personal and professional goals.
• Three (3) recommendations from professionals who can evaluate the applicant’s potential for success as an educational leader---One of the forms must be completed by the applicant’s principal or immediate supervisor. The candidate should also provide envelopes, pre-addressed to the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership and
• stamped, so that recommendations can be sent directly to the program coordinator by the references. The recommendations will be added to
• the candidate’s portfolio by staff before it is reviewed.
• Examples of applicant’s work as a professional educator (e.g., workshop, school program)