The doctoral program in Illinois Teacher Leadership is designed for graduate students who would like to continue their careers as facilitators, instructional coaches, curriculum specialists, coordinators of district initiatives, trainers, and building- and district-level teacher leaders in various educational settings. The teacher leadership doctoral program focuses on fostering instructional improvement for increased student achievement, promoting teacher and staff development and growth, organizational change and school cultures, and outreach to families and communities.
This doctoral program encourages students to draw upon and build on knowledge and experiences related to their professional work, while also requiring students to develop strong research skills and a familiarity with data, school and instructional improvement, adult growth and development, and evidence-based decision-making. While grounded in topics related to teacher leadership, this program also provides opportunities to explore teacher and instructional leadership in various education settings: pre-Kindergarten through age 22, non-profit organizations, corporations and agencies.
General Graduate Admission Requirements
All applicants must meet the general admission requirements for Concordia University Chicago graduate programs as published in the Concordia University Chicago academic catalog.
New students are accepted into graduate degree-seeking, certificate, endorsement and/or post-graduate programs for online and on-campus study in the fall, spring, or summer semesters. Previously admitted students seeking to change programs may do so at the beginning of a semester (only) by submitting a Change-of-Program quick app. Applicants must be in good academic standing according to Concordia University Chicago’s satisfactory academic progress standards at the time of requesting a program change.
Students awarded the Ed.S. in Leadership (non-licensure) at CUC are not eligible for admission to this doctoral program at CUC.
Degree Requirements for Ed.D. Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Doctoral Program Core | ||
| EDL-7140 | Organizational Change (PK-12) | 3 |
| EDL-7210 | Policy Analysis (PK-12) | 3 |
| EDL-7300 | Ethics for Educational Leaders | 3 |
| FPR-7011 | Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations of Leadership | 3 |
| Research | ||
| RES-7605 | Quantitative Analysis | 3 |
| RES-7700 | Qualitative Research | 3 |
| RES-7900 | Research Design | 4 |
| Comprehensive Exam and Dissertation | ||
| COMP-7000 | Comprehensive Examination (fee-based) | 0 |
| DISS-7010 | Dissertation I | 3 |
| DISS-7020 | Dissertation II | 3 |
| DISS-7030 | Dissertation III 1 | 3 |
| Teacher Leadership Specialization Courses | ||
| EDL-6715 | Teacher Leadership: Providing Instructional Support | 3 |
| EDL-6775 | Leading School Based Professional Learning Communities (PLC's) 2 | 3 |
| EDL-7110 | Strategies of Educational Leadership 2 | 3 |
| EDL-7120 | Research-Based Decision Making 2 | 3 |
| EDL-7240 | Supervisory Theory & Practice 2 | 3 |
| EDL-7260 | School/District Improvement Using Data Analysis 2 | 3 |
| EDL-7310 | Organization and Community Partnerships 2 | 3 |
| EDU-7100 | Curriculum Theory and Design | 3 |
| EDU-7500 | Instructional Coaching for Effective Teaching | 3 |
| Capstone Experience | ||
| EDL-6988 | Teacher Leader Practicum 2 | 3 |
| Total Hours | 61 | |
- 1
Upon completion of the nine required hours of dissertation coursework (DISS-7010, DISS-7020 and DISS-7030), candidates must maintain continuous enrollment with DISS-8000 Dissertation Supervision until program completion.
- 2
Courses needed for the Illinois Teacher Leader endorsement only.
Degree Requirements for Ph.D. Track
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Doctoral Program Core | ||
| EDL-7140 | Organizational Change (PK-12) | 3 |
| EDL-7210 | Policy Analysis (PK-12) | 3 |
| EDL-7300 | Ethics for Educational Leaders | 3 |
| FPR-7300 | Philosophy of Scientific Knowledge | 3 |
| Research | ||
| RES-7605 | Quantitative Analysis | 3 |
| RES-7700 | Qualitative Research | 3 |
| RES-7800 | Mixed Methods Research | 3 |
| RES-7900 | Research Design | 4 |
| RES-7620 | Advanced Topics in Statistics | 3 |
| or RES-7710 | Advanced Qualitative Analysis | |
| Comprehensive Exam and Dissertation | ||
| COMP-7000 | Comprehensive Examination (fee-based) | 0 |
| DISS-7010 | Dissertation I | 3 |
| DISS-7020 | Dissertation II | 3 |
| DISS-7030 | Dissertation III 1 | 3 |
| Teacher Leadership Specialization Courses | ||
| EDL-6715 | Teacher Leadership: Providing Instructional Support | 3 |
| EDL-6775 | Leading School Based Professional Learning Communities (PLC's) 2 | 3 |
| EDL-7110 | Strategies of Educational Leadership 2 | 3 |
| EDL-7120 | Research-Based Decision Making 2 | 3 |
| EDL-7240 | Supervisory Theory & Practice 2 | 3 |
| EDL-7260 | School/District Improvement Using Data Analysis 2 | 3 |
| EDL-7310 | Organization and Community Partnerships 2 | 3 |
| EDU-7100 | Curriculum Theory and Design | 3 |
| EDU-7500 | Instructional Coaching for Effective Teaching | 3 |
| Capstone Experience | ||
| EDL-6988 | Teacher Leader Practicum 2 | 3 |
| Total Hours | 67 | |
- 1
Upon completion of the nine required hours of dissertation coursework (DISS-7010, DISS-7020 and DISS-7030), candidates must maintain continuous enrollment with DISS-8000 Dissertation Supervision until program completion.
- 2
Courses needed for the Illinois Teacher Leader endorsement only.
Doctoral Graduation Requirements
- Have on file an application as a doctoral graduate student in this program.
- Have on file one official transcript from EACH college/university attended of all previous coursework taken.
- Complete, for this degree and program,
- the credit hours and levels as designated,
- within the specified time limit,
- with grades of C- or higher,
- with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
- Students completing multiple advanced programs or degrees at CUC must have a 3.0 GPA in each academic program in addition to a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
- If transfer credit is approved to be applied: have on file an approved “Graduate Transfer Credit Approval” form(s) or evaluation(s).
- Have on file the Intent to Graduate/Complete form with the Office of the Registrar by the published deadline.
- Have on record the dissertation uploaded into ProQuest.
- Take and pass the final examination or terminal requirements in the program during or after the final course.
- Approval of the faculty.
- All administrative obligations to CUC must be cleared in order to prompt the release of CUC transcripts and diploma(s).
Every attempt has been made to include information to aid the student with information about his/her program, degree and graduation/completion requirements. It is, however, the student’s responsibility to complete all steps and meet all deadlines relevant to graduation requirements.
This program does not lead to initial Illinois licensure (PEL) but will, through direct university entitlement, lead to an additional credential on your existing PEL. The awarding of this credential will require the completion of this academic program and an existing and active PEL, and may require a passing score on the corresponding Illinois State Licensure Test(s), associated work experience, a previous master's degree, and completion of a state training academy. For specific requirements regarding this credential please refer to ISBE’s webpage or contact the Licensure Officer at licensure@cuchicago.edu.