Contact

Jason Asdourian, M.Ed
Assistant Director Graduate Programs in Education
jasdourian@une.edu

Program Description

The UNE Doctor of Education program is designed to prepare professionals from a variety of fields to develop or enhance their leadership skills and knowledge. Leadership, ethical decision-making, and dissertation preparation are explored with a solid grounding in the theoretical underpinnings of education as a discipline. Graduates of the Ed.D. program become experts in their unique areas of research through the dissertation process.

This program requires completion of 51 credits. The program (including dissertation) will be completed entirely online with no residency requirement.

Transfer Credit

Students who are currently or previously enrolled in a University of New England-College of Professional Studies (UNE-CPS) CAGS or PMC program may, upon acceptance to the Doctor of Education program, apply to transfer up to four UNE-CPS Education courses earned in these programs.

UNE transfer courses should be:

• Taken and completed in a UNE-CPS CAGS or PMC program
• Taken within five years of application
• Worth three credits
• Completed with a grade of B or better

Students who are currently or previously enrolled in a doctoral program at another institution may, upon acceptance to the Doctor of Education program, apply to transfer up to two courses earned in this program.

Non-UNE transfers courses should be:

• Classified as doctoral level earned in a terminal degree program
• Taken at an institutionally accredited institution
• Taken within five years of application
• Worth three credits
• Completed with a grade of B or better
• Equivalent to one of the required program courses or an elective course that meets programmatic goals

To request consideration for transfer credit, a student must provide an official transcript. For non-University of New England College of Professional Studies courses, students must submit a syllabus for each course. Transfer credit is awarded at the discretion of the College of Professional Studies based on specific program details listed. Requests for approval of transfer credit should be submitted to and will be granted at the discretion of the Program Director.

Admissions

See Online Admissions for more information.

Financial Information

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. Please consult this catalog’s Financial Information page for specific tuition and fees information.

Financial Aid

Detailed information and applications are available on request from the Financial Aid Office. Call (207) 602-2342 or visit the Financial Aid website.

Curricular Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Program Required Courses
EDU 801	Preparation for the Doctoral Journey	3
EDU 802	Qualitative Research Design	3
EDU 803	Quantitative & Mixed Methods Research Design	3
EDU 804	Leading in a Culture of Technology 1	3
EDU 805	Understanding Change Management in Organizations 1	3
EDU 806	Policy Analysis 1	3
EDU 807	Constructing the Literature Review	3
EDU 810	Ethical Decision Making	3
EDU 811	Organizational Dynamics 1	3
EDU 812	Capstone Proposal I	3
EDU 813	Capstone Proposal II	3
EDU 814	Dissertation Completion-Phase I	3
EDU 815	Dissertation Completion-Phase II	3
EDU 816	Dissertation Completion-Phase III	3
EDU 817	Dissertation Completion-Phase IV	3
EDU 830	Understanding Educational Theory and Best Practices across Disciplines	3
EDU 831	Build Concept & Theor Frmwk	3
Total Hours		51

¹

Please see the transfer credit policy below regarding these four courses specifically.

Academic Policy

Minimal Grade Standard and Academic Progress

Candidates may proceed to subsequent courses in the curriculum with one Low Pass (LP) grade. A second LP (or below) course grade may result in termination from the doctoral program. For those needing to report course completion status to employers, a Pass equates to a B or better. An LP or F that is replaced through retaking the course does not count toward this policy.

Program Progression

The UNE Doctor of Education program is designed for students to earn their doctorate by completing 51 credits. Those individuals who do not complete the program within this timeframe are afforded the opportunity to continue work on their dissertation by enrolling in a series of one-credit continuation courses that provide continued access to faculty and the full resources of the university provided to all enrolled students and doctoral candidates. This enrollment keeps students in active status and on the path to graduation, increasing the likelihood they will complete the Ed.D. program within the mandatory seven-year period.

Students in need of additional coursework to progress into EDU 814 Dissertation Completion-Phase I-EDU 817 Dissertation Completion-Phase IV (Dissertation Completion Courses) and EDU 818 Dissertation Continuation I-EDU 823 Dissertation Continuation VI (Dissertation Continuation Courses) may be advised to take EDU 850 Dissertation Apprenticeship or EDU 851 Dissertation Apprenticeship II. The program will assign a Dissertation Chair to students who have met the minimum program requirements for manuscript chapters 1, 2, and 3. Students may take EDU 850 Dissertation Apprenticeship and EDU 851 Dissertation Apprenticeship II only once.

Students who do not complete the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program may choose to transfer 800-level course work successfully completed in the Doctor of Education program to the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) program. At the discretion of the program, students may be awarded a CAGS if they have successfully completed 30 credits or more of 800-level courses within the Doctor of Education Program (Ed.D.) program.

With approval from the program, matriculated students in the Doctor of Education program (Ed.D.) may take up to 12 credits of interprofessional course work offered within the College of Professional Studies, including approved courses within the Master of Education (MSEd) and CAGS programs, to replace elective courses.

Dismissal from the Program

Termination from the Program may occur when the Education Program Director becomes aware of one of the following:

• Surrender of a teacher license in any jurisdiction for disciplinary reasons.
• Documented academic dishonesty (Note this also includes course online postings and email communications with faculty and staff. Students are advised that their behavior while participating in the program should exemplify the ethical behavior of a professional educator with respect to all communications).
• Academic failure (see Minimal Grade Standard and Academic Progress above).

Learning Outcomes

Students will learn to:

• Participate fully and responsibly in supportive learning environments for colleagues in K-12 education, higher education, health, business, and other sectors.
• Use technology for research collaboration and dissertation development (e.g., web/videoconferencing).
• Fully utilize an integrated curriculum that combines elements of each candidate’s program of study into a coherent whole.
• Fully utilize online search tools and databases to identify research studies and other relevant resources.
• Write and successfully defend a dissertation that has been developed throughout the program.

Program Goals

• Provide candidates with a student-centered interdisciplinary program that emphasizes scholarly research of publishable quality and the development of a theoretical framework related to their area of interest and professional goals.
• Examine and bridge the gap between educational theory and its connection to leadership theory, philosophical theory, and scientific theory.
• Afford students the opportunity to be actively engaged in the topic selection and construction of the dissertation throughout the program under the direction of experienced faculty and a carefully selected dissertation committee.
• Promote the use of technology that is educationally effective and academically rigorous.
• Prepare professionals who are future-focused and capable of fostering innovation and change.