Education Policy and Leadership

The Education Policy and Leadership program provides doctoral training for students interested in career areas pertaining to educational policy, educational leadership, and higher education. The goal of the program is to prepare students to pursue careers and exert leadership in education as researchers, faculty, or administrators within educational organizations or other organizations that pertain to education. Students engage common coursework pertaining to education policy, leadership, research, equity, and diversity as well as specialized coursework that they select in consultation with their adviser to prepare themselves for the dissertation research that culminates their studies.

Admission Requirements

Applicants apply for admission to the program via the Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies.

All applicants must submit a resume, a statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation, and official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended.

GRE test scores are not required.

The language of instruction at Penn State is English. English proficiency test scores (TOEFL/IELTS) may be required for international applicants. See GCAC-305 Admission Requirements for International Students for more information.

Degree Requirements

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies.

A minimum of 42 credits is required.

In addition to the above course work, the Ph.D. degree requirements include successful completion of the following: a qualifying examination, English Competence requirements, a comprehensive examination, and a final oral examination (the dissertation defense). To earn the Ph.D. degree, doctoral candidates must write a dissertation that is accepted by the Ph.D. committee, the head of the graduate program, and the Graduate School.

Dual-titles

DUAL-TITLE PH.D. IN COMPARATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAC-208 Dual-Title Graduate Degree Programs.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Students must apply and be admitted to the graduate program in Education Policy and Leadership and The Graduate School before they can apply for admission to the dual-title degree program. After admission to their primary program, students must apply for admission to and meet the admissions requirements of the Comparative and International Education dual-title program. Refer to the Admission Requirements section of the Comparative and International Education Bulletin page. Doctoral students must be admitted into the dual-title degree program in Comparative and International Education prior to taking the qualifying examination in their primary graduate program.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

To qualify for the dual-title degree, students must satisfy the degree requirements for the degree they are enrolled in Education Policy and Leadership. In addition, students must complete the degree requirements for the dual-title in Comparative and International Education, listed on the Comparative and International Education Bulletin page. Some courses may satisfy both Education Policy and Leadership and Comparative and International Education degree requirements. Final course selection must be approved by the student's Ph.D. committee.

The qualifying examination committee for the dual-title Ph.D. degree will be composed of Graduate Faculty from Education  Policy and Leadership and must include at least one Graduate Faculty member from the Comparative and International Education program. Faculty members who hold appointments in both programs’ Graduate Faculty may serve in a combined role. There will be a single qualifying examination, containing elements of both Education Policy and Leadership and Comparative and International Education. Dual-title graduate degree students may require an additional semester to fulfill requirements for both areas of study and, therefore, the qualifying examination may be delayed one semester beyond the normal period allowable.

In addition to the general Graduate Council requirements for Ph.D. committees, the Ph.D. committee of an Education Policy and Leadership and Comparative and International Education dual-title Ph.D. student must include at least one member of the Comparative and International Education Graduate Faculty. Faculty members who hold appointments in both programs’ Graduate Faculty may serve in a combined role. If the chair of the Ph.D. committee is not also a member of the Graduate Faculty in Comparative and International Education, the member of the committee representing Comparative and International Education must be appointed as co-chair. The Comparative and International Education representative on the student’s Ph.D. committee will develop questions for and participate in the evaluation of the comprehensive examination.

Students in the dual-title program are required to write and orally defend a dissertation on a topic that is approved in advance by their Ph.D. committee and reflects their original research and education in Education Policy and Leadership and Comparative and International Education. Upon completion of the doctoral dissertation, the candidate must pass a final oral examination (the dissertation defense) to earn the Ph.D. degree. The dissertation must be accepted by the Ph.D. committee, the head of the graduate program, and the Graduate School.

DUAL-TITLE PH.D. IN TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH ON ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY (TREES) 

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAC-208 Dual-Title Graduate Degree Programs.

Joint Degrees

JOINT PH.D. WITH PENN STATE LAW

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAC-211 Joint Degree Programs.

Penn State Law (PSL) and the Education Policy and Leadership (EPL) Program offer a joint degree program leading to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Higher Education.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants to the joint degree program must apply and be admitted first to Penn State Law, and subsequently to the Education Policy and Leadership graduate program. Admissions requirements and applications for admission for Penn State Law are listed in the J.D. Admissions section of the Penn State Law website. The admission requirements for the Education Policy and Leadership graduate program are listed on the Admission Requirements tab. When applying to the Education Policy and Leadership graduate program, applicants must include two letters of recommendation from Penn State Law faculty members and a career statement. 

RESIDENCY

Students will normally spend six semesters in residence at Penn State Law and as many additional semesters in residence as needed to complete the additional requirements for the pertinent Education Policy and Leadership degree. Ph.D. candidates must arrange the sequence of semesters to ensure that they are in residence as full-time students in the EPL program for at least two consecutive semesters (Fall-Spring or Spring-Fall) excluding summer in a single twelve-month period.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Students must fulfill all requirements for each degree in order to be awarded that degree, subject to the double-counting of credits as outlined below. Degree requirements for the J.D. program are listed on the Penn State Law website. Degree requirements for the Education Policy and Leadership Ph.D. degrees are listed on the Degree Requirements tab.

PENN STATE LAW

A maximum of twelve credits of Education Policy and Leadership course work may be double-counted for credit toward the J.D. degree at Penn State Law. Students must obtain a grade satisfactory to Penn State Law for the course work to be credited towards the J.D. degree. The following Education Policy and Leadership courses may qualify for credit in Penn State Law:

EDUCATION POLICY AND LEADERSHIP

The courses that may be double-counted will be determined by the student’s degree program and must fall within the limits set in GCAC-211 Joint Degree Programs. Normally a maximum of twelve credits of Penn State Law coursework will be double-counted for the minimum requirements for an Education Policy and Leadership Ph.D. degree, subject to approval by the student's advisory committee.

SEQUENCE

The sequence of courses will be determined by the students and their advisers.

RECOMMENDED PROGRAM OF STUDY AND ADVISING

All students in the program will have two advisers, one from Penn State Law and one from Education Policy and Leadership. Periodic interaction between the two advisers is encouraged.

TUITION

Students will be charged the applicable Penn State Law tuition to cover the J.D. program and the applicable graduate tuition to cover the Education Policy and Leadership degree program. Penn State Law tuition will be paid for the semesters in which the student is registered for Penn State Law courses, and graduate tuition will be paid for the semesters in which the student is registered for graduate courses. A student may take up to one course (3 credit hours) per semester in the program where the student is not primarily registered without any change in tuition, but must pay additional tuition to the program that the student is not primarily registered if he or she wishes to take additional course work pursuant to that program during the semester.

FINANCIAL AID AND ASSISTANTSHIPS

Decisions on financial aid and assistantships will be made by each school according to that school's procedures. 

FULFILLMENT OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADUATION

All courses in one program that will count toward meeting the requirements of the other program must be completed before the awarding of either degree. If students accepted into the joint degree program are unable to complete the J.D. degree, they are still eligible to receive the Education Policy and Leadership degree if all Education Policy and Leadership degree requirements have been satisfied.

Minor

A graduate minor is available in any approved graduate major or dual-title program. The default requirements for a graduate minor are stated in Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-600 Research Degree Policies and GCAC-700 Professional Degree Policies, depending on the type of degree the student is pursuing:

• GCAC-611 Minor - Research Doctorate
• GCAC-641 Minor - Research Master's
• GCAC-709 Minor - Professional Doctorate
• GCAC-741 Minor - Professional Master's

Student Aid

Graduate assistantships available to students in this program and other forms of student aid are described in the Tuition & Funding section of The Graduate School’s website. Students on graduate assistantships must adhere to the course load limits set by The Graduate School.

Courses

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

Learning Outcomes

1. KNOW: Demonstrate appropriate breadth and depth of general knowledge related to educational policy and leadership.
2. COMMUNICATE: Identify and communicate major factors, such as racism, shaping inequities in education and inhibiting the improvement and transformation of education in a society.
3. APPLY/CREATE: Utilize concepts and theories from education and other fields of inquiry in critically analyzing topics in education.
4. THINK: Conduct research that articulates an important and original question, analyzes relevant literature, employs appropriate methods and theory, and follows established standards of research ethics.
5. PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Apply knowledge and research findings to identify opportunities to improve education and reduce racial and other inequities within education.

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