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EDD in Educational Leadership Course Descriptions

Educational Leadership Core

LEAD 7400 (4-4-0) Educational Foundations

The course provides an introduction to educational leadership with an emphasis on leadership practice, development, and implementation. The work and challenges of educational leaders will be examined. The student will study the roles of servant leadership, credibility, vision, empowerment, and strategy for educational leaders.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Fall

LEAD 7402 (4-4-0) Biblically-Based Servant Leadership

This seminar introduces the nature and purpose of spirituality from the biblical perspective as it relates to leadership, assisting students in constructing and refining those spiritual principles that are philosophically, theologically, and pastorally relevant to the human condition with the Christian community and other religious traditions. The seminar develops a working biblical- exegetical, theological, and historical template for examining and evaluating current leadership styles and principles. Students will apply this template to the leadership examples and principles found within the selected biblical narratives, specifically focusing on Moses, David, Jesus, and Paul. The seminar concludes with the synthesis and application of principles discovered in the development of a biblical model for servant leadership today within current vocational contexts.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Summer.

LEAD 7403 (4-4-0) Theories of Human Development

This course explores human development research, focusing on physical, cognitive, social, emotional, personality, (moral and faith) development from conception to death within the context of psychological and sociological theories of development with an emphasis on their contributions to the practices of Christian nurture, instruction, and leadership formation.

Requisites: None.

Offered:  Fall.

LEAD 7404 (4-4-0) Theories of Leadership and Management

Leadership is essentially the ability of an individual to influence other persons to achieve a purpose, attain a goal, or create a change. Contemporary businesses, educational institutions, and other organizations expect mastery of strategic leadership elements and a comprehension of motivational and problem-solving approaches from their leaders. This course provides a survey of the key components of leadership theory, concepts, and models within the context of a Christian worldview. Learners will examine leadership theory, ethics, values, attitudes, character development, diversity, and leadership behavior with an emphasis on developing the requisite skills for effective servant leadership.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Summer.

LEAD 7405 (4-4-0) Theories of Learning (S-L)

This course explores the major theories of and ongoing research in learning with application of these theories and research studies to curriculum design and instructional strategies in school districts, colleges and universities, and church settings. Emphasis is given to an analysis of learning styles as well. This course contains a field-based service-learning component.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Summer.

Concentration Studies - Educational Ministry

 LEAD 7430 (4-4-0) Global Leadership in Educational Ministry

(LEAD 7431, 7432)

With a Christ-centered perspective, this seminar explores the phenomenon of globalization and the study of educational ministry leadership from a global perspective, with an emphasis on historical leadership within English history, examining the role of the United Kingdom as a former global empire. In addition, the course will not only take into account the impact of Western leadership on the non-Western world, but it will also examine non-Western leadership in its own particular contexts. Attention will also be paid to modern challenges posed by globalization, both on leaders and on various cultures.

Requisites: Approval of Program Director.

Offered:  Summer.

LEAD 7461 (4-4-0) Christian Education and Faith Formation

Learners will research systems of faith formation related to all age groups and current Christian education processes with a view toward developing quality Christian education models for spiritual formation in the various age groups of preschool, children, youth, and adult.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Spring.

LEAD 7463 (4-4-0) Curriculum Design and Application in Ministry

Learners will research church curriculum design and best practices among various Christian denomination publishers and groups to identify principles, evaluative criteria, and practices to gain knowledge, understanding and appropriate application for churches of various sizes and styles given special focus to the role of biblical teaching and basic discipleship. Learners will also research the process of curriculum development and writing for general application and specific age group relevance.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Winter.

LEAD 7465 (4-4-0) Strategic Planning in Educational Ministry

(LEAD 7475, 7485)

This course explores organizational strategy from a theoretical perspective with an emphasis on the application of strategic models and tools to lead effectively within the higher education, church, business, and denominational environments.

Requisites: None.

Offered:  Spring.

LEAD 7466 (4-4-0) Leading Change in Ministry Organizations

(LEAD 7476, 7486)

This course is designed to assist doctoral students in exploring selectively, some of the key areas of the field of organizational behavior. The course examines organizations from a sociological perspective to gain a comprehensive understanding of both the theoretical and practical workings of business, ministry, and higher education organizations. Topics covered will be the field of organizational behavior, levels of analysis, and disciplines that contribute to organizational behavior and change. Human problems of adjustment, communication, and performance in business, ministry, and higher education organizational structures will be examined.

Requisites: None.

Offered:  Fall. 

Concentration Studies – Higher Education

LEAD 7431 (4-4-0) Global Leadership in Higher Education

(LEAD 7430, 7432)

With a Christ-centered perspective, this seminar explores the phenomenon of globalization and the study of higher education leadership from a global perspective, with an emphasis on historical leadership within English history, examining the role of the United Kingdom as a former global empire. In addition, the course will not only take into account the impact of Western leadership on the non-Western world, but it will also examine non-Western leadership in its own particular contexts. Attention will also be paid to modern challenges posed by globalization, both on leaders and on various cultures.

Requisites: Approval of Program Director.

Offered:  Summer.

LEAD 7470 (4-4-0) Higher Education Leadership

Learners will participate in an in-depth analysis of the various institutional models of higher education as well as their organizational roles on a national perspective. The principal administrative and leadership functions, including faculty personnel, business management, public relations, and the liaison of student personnel with other administrative and leadership functions will be analyzed and evaluated.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Winter.

LEAD 7472 (4-4-0) Higher Education Finance and Law

Students will participate in a variety of authentic and research-based activities to provide budgeting and finance knowledge for higher education institutions, including issues of local, state, and federal laws and policies. The course will also survey federal and state law governing colleges and universities in the United States of America with a focus on the application of education law to specific fact patterns commonly presented to various academic administrators.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Spring.

LEAD 7475 (4-4-0) Strategic Planning in Higher Education

(LEAD 7465, 7485)

This course explores organizational strategy from a theoretical perspective with an emphasis on the application of strategic models and tools to lead effectively within the higher education, church, business, and denominational environments.

Requisites: None.

Offered:  Spring.

LEAD 7476 (4-4-0) Leading Change in Higher Education Organizations

(LEAD 7466, 7486)

This course is designed to assist doctoral students in exploring selectively, some of the key areas of the field of organizational behavior. The course examines organizations from a sociological perspective to gain a comprehensive understanding of both the theoretical and practical workings of business, ministry, and higher education organizations. Topics covered will be the field of organizational behavior, levels of analysis, and disciplines that contribute to organizational behavior and change. Human problems of adjustment, communication, and performance in business, ministry, and higher education organizational structures will be examined.

Requisites: None.

Offered:  Fall.

Concentration Studies – General Leadership

LEAD 7432 (4-4-0) Global Leadership in Leadership Studies

(LEAD 7430, 7431)

With a Christ-centered perspective, this seminar explores the phenomenon of globalization and the study of leadership from a global perspective, with an emphasis on historical leadership within English history, examining the role of the United Kingdom as a former global empire. In addition, the course will not only take into account the impact of Western leadership on the non-Western world, but it will also examine non-Western leadership in its own particular contexts. Attention will also be paid to modern challenges posed by globalization, both on leaders and on various cultures.

Requisites: Approval of Program Director.

Offered:  Summer.

LEAD 7480 (4-4-0) Ethics in Leadership

Learners will participate in the study of leadership models and application from an ethical perspective. They will be expected to participate in critical thinking and problem-solving research, case studies, and authentic organizational applications designed to expand principled focus from a servant leadership perspective.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Winter.

LEAD 7482 (4-4-0) Professional Leadership Development

This course explores coaching and mentoring, giving particular attention to these topics in today’s corporate world. Learners will determine qualifications of successful coaches and mentors, as well as identify how coaching and mentoring affect change, culture, learning, and relationships within organizations.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Spring.

LEAD 7485 (4-4-0) Strategic Planning in Leadership

(LEAD 7465, 7475)

This course explores organizational strategy from a theoretical perspective with an emphasis on the application of strategic models and tools to lead effectively within the higher education, church, business, and denominational environments.

Requisites:

Offered:  Spring.

LEAD 7486 (4-4-0) Leading Change in Organizations

(LEAD 7466, 7476)

This course is designed to assist doctoral students in exploring selectively, some of the key areas of the field of organizational behavior. The course examines organizations from a sociological perspective to gain a comprehensive understanding of both the theoretical and practical workings of business, ministry, and higher education organizations. Topics covered will be the field of organizational behavior, levels of analysis, and disciplines that contribute to organizational behavior and change. Human problems of adjustment, communication, and performance in business, ministry, and higher education organizational structures will be examined.

Requisites: None.

Offered:  Fall.

Research Core

LEAD 7320 (3-3-0) Statistics I

(PHDL 7320)

If students did not have a course in statistics in their graduate degree, then they must choose to take this statistics foundational course. Statistics is the science of conducting studies to collect, organize, summarize, present, analyze, and draw conclusions from data. Descriptive statistics consists of the collection, organization, summarization, and presentation of data. Inferential statistics consists of the analysis of data in order to draw conclusions when generalizing from a sample to a population. Students in this course will study both descriptive and inferential statistics, elements of probability which support statistical theory, and theoretical distributions. Tests of hypotheses will include z-tests, t-tests, chi-square tests, one-way and two-way analysis of variance, and nonparametric tests. Other topics are confidence intervals, correlation, linear regression, and multiple regression. Students will apply statistics to the decision-making process for leadership position holders and will design,  conduct, and report a study that demonstrates their statistical skills.

Requisites: Approval of Program Director.

Offered:  Spring.

LEAD 7440 (4-4-0) Educational Research

Examination of quantitative, qualitative, historical, and other research designs and methods to enhance the evaluation of higher education research and to prepare the students for applications in research design.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Fall.

LEAD 7441 (4-4-0) Quantitative Methods of Research

Learners will expand previous knowledge for analysis, interpretation, and decision-making in quantitative research to be used in education leadership. Learners will use statistical software to aid in their research.

Requisites: Master’s level Statistics with a grade of B or higher or LEAD 7320 or Approval of Program Director.

Offered:  Spring.

Dissertation

LEAD 7088 (0-0-0) Leadership Proposal II

To enroll in this seminar, doctoral students must have completed five semesters of leadership core and concentration courses, including Leadership Proposal Design and Quantitative Methods of Research. Doctoral students will be guided and assisted in the development of the dissertation proposal, identify the research questions, select the method of research used to investigate the problem, define, state, and justify the thesis or theory, refine chapters and submit the dissertation proposal to the dissertation committee for formal approval. Upon approval of the dissertation proposal, students will defend the proposal in a hearing before faculty and candidates. Upon completion and successful defense of the dissertation proposal, students will implement and document the research methodology outlined in the dissertation proposal.

Requisites: LEAD 7441, LEAD 7490, Approval of Program Director.

Offered:  Spring or Summer.

LEAD 7089 (0-0-0) Leadership Proposal III

To enroll in this seminar, doctoral students must have successfully defended the dissertation proposal. Doctoral students will be guided and assisted in the continued development of the dissertation, implementing and documenting the research  methodology outlined in the dissertation proposal, analyzing data derived from the research, and drawing conclusions from the research.

Requisites: LEAD 7088, Approval of Program Director.

Offered:  Summer or Fall.

LEAD 7490 (4-4-0) Leadership Proposal Design

The Leadership Proposal Design course is designed to provide the learner with an academic foundation and practical research skills essential to successfully plan, write, defend and complete a scholarly dissertation. The course incorporates decision- making in the areas of topic refinement, related literature research and development, research methodology and statistical design and scholarly writing. The course is appropriate for students that are completing their coursework, have selected a topic and are moving into the research and dissertation phase of their study.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Fall.

LEAD 7491 (4-4-0) Leadership Dissertation I

Doctoral students will be guided and assisted in the completion of dissertation research, development and writing of their dissertation chapters, data analysis, conclusions, recommendations, and preparations for final methodology review.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Spring.

LEAD 7492 (4-4-0) Leadership Dissertation II

A continuation of Leadership Dissertation I, doctoral students will be guided in the completion of edits required by the dissertation committee and methodology review, and preparation for the dissertation defense.

Requisites: Admission to EDD program.

Offered:  Summer. 

Educational Leadership (K-12) Core Courses

EDDL 7300 (3-3-0) Foundations of Education

The course provides an introduction to educational leadership with an emphasis on leadership practice, development, and implementation. The work and challenges of educational leaders will be examined, as well as topical issues relevant to all educational leaders. The student will study the roles of servant leadership, credibility, vision, empowerment, and strategy for educational leaders.

Requisites: None.

Offered: Fall, Spring.

EDDL 7301 (3-3-0) A Study of Historical and Contemporary Leadership

This course explores the developmental aspects of leadership in order to address the question: Are leaders born or made? Through the lens of developmental and learning theory research, students are engaged in an in-depth study of the lives of national leaders to gain a fuller understanding of leadership formation.

Requisites: None.

Offered:  Summer.

EDDL 7303 (3-3-0) Organizational Behavior and Leadership

This course examines organizations from a sociological perspective to gain a comprehensive understanding of both theoretical and practical workings of K-12 and educational systems. Chaos, complexity theory, and appreciative theory will also be addressed, along with the common and diverse elements of structures, rational, natural, and open systems perspectives including application to school districts.

Requisites: None.

Offered: Spring, Summer.

EDDL 7304 (3-3-0) Leadership and Management Theories

Leadership is essentially the ability of an individual to influence others and themselves to achieve a purpose, attain a goal, or create a change. Contemporary organizations expect mastery of strategic leadership elements and comprehension of motivational and problem-solving approaches from their leaders. This course provides a survey of the key components of leadership and management theory, concepts, and models within the context of a Christian worldview. Students will examine leadership theory, ethics, values, attitudes, character development, and leadership behavior with an emphasis on developing the requisite skills for effective servant leadership.

Requisites:

Offered:

EDDL 7305 (3-3-0) Strategic Planning

This course explores organizational strategy from a theoretical perspective with an emphasis on the application of strategic models and tools to lead effectively within the K-12 institutions.

Requisites: None.

Offered: Fall, Spring.

EDDL 7306 (3-3-0) Marketing and Public Relations

The content of this course emphasizes the following concepts:

1.     Principles underlying public relations in K-12 education

2.     Foundational elements of marketing in educational institutions

3.     Strategies for management and communication in a crisis situation

4.     Development of school community understanding and support

5.     Relationship development and collaboration among consumers, educators, members, constituents, governing boards, agencies, media, and the various publics to maximize educational programs and services

6.     Communication distribution strategies for public relations, marketing, promotion, and advertising

Requisites: None.

Offered: Fall, Spring.

EDDL 7336 (3-3-0) Local and State Policy Studies

This course is designed to provide students with a broad knowledge of educational issues at the local and state levels.   Students will travel to Austin, Texas, and participate in various activities, including attending a superintendent’s conference, visit state legislative offices, meet with state-level educational leaders, etc.

Requisites: None.

Offered:  Summer.

EDDL 7337 (3-3-0) National Policy Studies

This course is designed to provide students with a broad knowledge of educational issues at the national level. Students will travel to the greater Washington, DC area and participate in various activities, including meeting with national education and association officials, visit historical sites related to leaders and leadership events, visit federal government buildings and officials, etc.

Requisites: None.

Offered:  Summer.

EDDL 7338 (3-3-0) International Education Policy Studies

This course provides an introduction to educational leadership in international schools with an emphasis on leadership practice, development, and implementation. The work and challenges of educational leaders will be examined. The student will study the roles of servant leadership, credibility, vision, empowerment, and strategy for educational leaders in other countries.

Requisites: Attend the Nazareth Baptist School Mission Trip through the EDD K-12 program.

Offered:  Summer.

Educational Leadership (K-12) Research Core Courses

 EDDL 7330 (3-3-0) Principles of Educational Research

This course is an examination of the Treatise process for advancing a new point of view resulting from scholarly research with a focus on topic ideas and selection, literature review, research models (designs) and methodology. American Psychological Association (APA) formatting, and formal research writing. The course is designed to prepare the student for the EDDL 7333 Quantitative and Qualitative course.

Requisites: None.

Offered: Fall, Spring.

EDDL 7333 (3-3-0) Quantitative and Qualitative Methods and Analysis

This course is designed to prepare the student for planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative, qualitative and mixed method research. It will build on previous knowledge of analysis, interpretation, and decision making in educational leadership and school improvement roles by connecting research methods to the scholastic K-12 educational settings. Prerequisite: Master’s level statistics with a grade of B or higher.

Requisites: None.

Offered: Fall, Spring.

Educational Leadership (K-12) Leadership Cognate Courses

EDDS 7315 (3-3-0) Budgeting and Finance Principles

This course is designed to provide the graduate student with a practical knowledge of the business and financial aspects of K- 12 education administration. Students will gain an understanding of terminology, concepts, issues, and standard practices related to K-12 education budgeting and finance. Students will participate in a variety of applicable and research-based activities designed to provide the budgeting and finance knowledge and skills necessary to lead a school or school district. The content of the course will be discussed and applied from a Christ-centered servant leadership perspective.

Requisites: None.

Offered: Fall, Spring.

EDDS 7320 (3-3-0) Internship in K-12 Leadership (S-L)

Students will participate in a collaboratively developed, field-based internship experience in district level school leadership. These experiences are under the joint supervision of a district level leader and a university professor. Activities and  experiences will align with the Texas State Board for Educator Certification standards, domains, and competencies. Application for the internship must be made one semester prior to enrollment. This course contains a field-based service-learning component.

Requisites: None.

Offered:  Fall, Spring.

EDDS 7355 (3-3-0) Advanced School Law (K-12)

Students will participate in a variety of authentic and research-based activities designed to provide the legal knowledge and skills necessary to lead school districts. Issues of local, state, and federal laws and policies will be addressed and applied from a servant leadership perspective.

Requisites: None.

Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.

EDDS 7362 (3-3-0) Human Resource Management and Development

The purpose of this course is the practical study of personnel administration in the Texas public school system, aka human resources. All aspects will be explored, including legal issues, staffing, contracts, benefits, compensation, evaluations, leaves, labor, staff development, etc.

Requisites: None.

Offered:  Fall, Spring.

EDDS 7364 (3-3-0) The Superintendency

Students will participate in a variety of authentic and research-based activities designed to provide the global overview of superintendency state and national standards, domains, and competencies necessary to lead school districts from a servant- leadership perspective.

Requisites: None.

Offered: Fall, Spring.

EDDS 7373 (3-3-0) Supervision and Staff Development Training

This course explores the models, management techniques, and group process of supervision and staff development including an analysis of staffing patterns and organizational structure that support teaching and learning in K-12 education settings.

Requisites: None.

Offered: Fall, Spring.

EDDS 7378 (3-3-0) Curriculum Design and Administration

This course explores current and classical theories of curriculum development with an analysis of the various determinants of, approaches to, and the systematic evaluation of curriculum in K-12 education settings.

Requisites: None.

Offered: Fall, Spring.

Educational Leadership (K-12) Treatise Courses

EDDL 7335 (3-3-0) Treatise Research and Proposal Design

The Treatise Research and Proposal Design course is designed to provide the student with the academic foundation and practical research skills essential to successfully plan, write, defend, and complete a scholarly treatise. The course incorporates decision-making in the areas of topic refinement, related literature research and development, research methodology and statistical design, and scholarly writing. The course is appropriate for students who are completing their course work, have selected a topic, and are moving into the research and treatise writing phase of their study.

Requisites: EDDL 7333, Quantitative and Qualitative Methods and Analysis.

Offered: Fall, Spring.

EDDL 7388 (3-3-0) Treatise I

Doctoral students will be guided and assisted in the development of their treatise proposals, writing treatise chapters, design, data analysis, preparing articles for publication, proposing research proposals for professional conferences, and other professional arenas. Emphasis will be placed on individual student work with their Chair and Treatise Committee members.

Requisites: Students must have their treatise proposal approved by the EDD Committee for research involving human subjects prior to completion of this course. Students must maintain continuous enrollment in this course until this occurs.

Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.

EDDL 7389 (3-3-0) Treatise II

A continuation of Treatise Seminar I, doctoral students will be guided and assisted in the development of their treatise, writing treatise chapters, design, data analysis, preparing articles for publication, proposing research proposals for professional conferences and other professional arenas. Emphasis will be placed on individual student work with their Chair and Treatise Committee members.

Requisites: EDDL 7388 Treatise Seminar I.

Offered:  Fall, Spring, Summer.