Doctor of Philosophy in Education, Leadership, and Organization
The Ph.D. in Education, Leadership, and Organization (ELO) prepares students to become effective leaders in public education, higher education, or a nonprofit organization or business.
The Ph.D. in ELO core courses focus on leadership and organizational health so that students learn leadership skills, styles, and attributes while also learning how to build a successful and healthy culture and organization. Core courses provide a leadership foundation and develop a depth of knowledge in a specific focus of leadership as students pursue their chosen track.
Three Ph.D. tracks have been purposefully created for students to develop a depth of knowledge and understanding in a specific focal area of leadership.
- Track 1 - Superintendency: This track provides a pathway to superintendent certification for those with Texas Principal Certification. It aligns with the Texas Superintendent Standards and Competencies.
- Track 2 – Higher Education: Students with backgrounds in leadership, diversity, student affairs, and current issues and trends in higher education will learn more about the education, structure, and expectations of a university or college.
- Track 3 – Interdisciplinary Nonprofit: This track centers around leading organizations and ensuring successful and healthy progress toward organizational goals.
- Track 4 - Instructional Leadership: This track prepares leaders who are working in K-12 educational settings who want to serve as campus and district leaders, but not in a superintendent role. This track is also suitable for K-12 teachers aspiring for tenure-track university positions working with future teachers and leaders as part of an Educator Preparation Program or EPP.
Marketable Skills
Marketable skills prepare students for success in a variety of professional settings. Developed through academic coursework, co-curricular engagement, and extracurricular involvement, these skills include communication, critical thinking, teamwork, ethical reasoning, adaptability, and digital literacy. Whether directly related to a student’s major or serving as complementary strengths, marketable skills enhance career readiness and reflect TWU’s commitment to producing graduates who are prepared to thrive in today’s dynamic workforce.
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Apply philosophical, ethical, and theoretical foundations to guide the generation of knowledge in education, leadership, and organization.
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Ensure the rigor of expectations for an organization are assessed and aligned with organizational goals and are effective and data-driven.
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Assess, evaluate, and retain human capital to ensure that high-quality staff and faculty are coached and provided with targeted professional development, and evaluated with multiple data sources.
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Develop the skills necessary to provide resilient executive leadership through change and continuously seek to improve and reflect on personal goals. Additionally, graduates will learn to communicate with diverse audiences and ensure positive relationships, with good moral character while following the Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators.
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Establish, implement, and promote a shared vision and productive culture that ensures high expectations for all, promotes social and emotional support for all, and ensures a safe environment that promotes civility.
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Lead and collaborate to create and promote clear goals that align with school, district, and/or university vision that allows for continuous improvement of all within an organization.
Admissions
All students must meet the University requirements as outlined in the Admission to the TWU Graduate School section of the catalog.
The academic program may have additional admission criteria that must also be completed as outlined on the program's website.
Degree Requirements
Total Semester Credit Hours Required
A minimum of 75 semester credit hours (SCH). Up to 37 SCH of master's coursework may be transferred in with committee approval.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| MGT 5263 | Organizational Behavior in Business Administration | 3 |
| EDSP 6003 | Single Subject Research | 3 |
| ELDR 6013 | Reflective Analysis in Organizations | 3 |
| ELDR 6433 | Seminar in Leadership Theory | 3 |
| ELDR 6603 | Politics, Policy, and Ethics | 3 |
| ELDR 6733 | Quantitative Research Methods in Education | 3 |
| READ 6483 | Qualitative Research | 3 |
| ELDR 6913 | Independent Study (Special Problems in Leadership and Organizations) | 3 |
| Track Option | ||
| Select a track from the options below. | 30 | |
| Required Elective | ||
| Choose 15 SCH at the 5000 or 6000 level. Any courses may be taken as an elective as long as the courses align with the Ph.D. in ELO and the faculty advisor approves. | 15 | |
| Dissertation | ||
| ELDR 6983 | Dissertation | 3 |
| ELDR 6993 | Dissertation | 3 |
| Total SCHs | 75 | |
Superintendent/EC-12 Leadership Track
Become a school superintendent. This track provides a pathway to superintendent certification for those with Texas Principal Certification. It aligns with the Texas Superintendent Standards and Competencies.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ELDR 6233 | The Superintendency and School District Leadership | 3 |
| ELDR 6303 | Administration of Teacher and Student Personnel | 3 |
| ELDR 6403 | Seminar in School Administration | 3 |
| ELDR 6503 | School Finance | 3 |
| ELDR 6663 | Internship in School Administration | 3 |
| Track Electives | ||
| Choose 15 SCH at the 5000 or 6000 level. Any courses may be taken as an elective as long as the courses align with the Ph.D. in ELO and the faculty advisor approves. | 15 | |
| Total SCHs | 30 | |
Higher Education Track
Students with backgrounds in leadership, diversity, student affairs, and current issues and trends in higher education will learn more about education, structure, and expectations of a university or college.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ELDR 6443 | Student Affairs in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELDR 6453 | Constructive Analysis in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELDR 6463 | Resource Management in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELDR 6473 | Organization and Administration in Higher Education | 3 |
| ELDR 6483 | Community Colleges: Issues and Trends | 3 |
| Track Electives | ||
| Choose 15 SCH at the 5000 or 6000 level. Any courses may be taken as an elective as long as the courses align with the Ph.D. in ELO and the faculty advisor approves. | 15 | |
| Total SCHs | 30 | |
Interdisciplinary Nonprofit Track
Centers around leading organizations and ensuring successful and healthy progress toward organizational goals.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BUS 5393 | Leading High Performing Teams | 3 |
| HDFS 6343 | Effective College Teaching Methods | 3 |
| HDFS 6433 | Grants Writing in Family Sciences | 3 |
| MGT 5553 | Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| MGT 5633 | Principles of Talent Development | 3 |
| Track Electives | ||
| Choose 15 SCH at the 5000 or 6000 level. Any courses may be taken as an elective as long as the courses align with the Ph.D. in ELO and the faculty advisor approves. | 15 | |
| Total SCHs | 30 | |
Instructional Leadership Track
This track prepares leaders who are working in K-12 educational settings who want to serve as campus and district leaders, but not in a superintendent role. This track is also suitable for K-12 teachers aspiring for tenure-track university positions working with future teachers and leaders as part of an Educator Preparation Program or EPP.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ELDR 5123 | Educational Foundations and Administrative Implications: AEL | 3 |
| ELDR 5203 | Research in Education | 3 |
| ELDR 5323 | Administrative Processes in Schools | 3 |
| ELDR 5333 | Curriculum Development, Assessment, and Evaluation | 3 |
| ELDR 5353 | Leadership and Special Programs | 3 |
| ELDR 6113 | Education Law | 3 |
| ELDR 6513 | Professional Principal Preparation | 3 |
| EDUC 6563 | Foundations of Higher Education | 3 |
| EDUC 6573 | Social, Academic, and Demographic Characteristics of University Students | 3 |
| EDUC 6583 | Higher Education: Research to Practice | 3 |
| Total SCHs | 30 | |
Major/Emphasis
Requirements will depend upon the individual student’s needs. Transfer of coursework from a student's master's degree is not automatic; please see the Graduate School guidelines for credit by transfer. Courses from a master's degree are only transferred with advisor approval.
Research Tools
Students must take 12 SCH of research tools. ELDR 5203 EDSP 6003, ELDR 6733, READ 6483 or equivalent courses in quantitative/qualitative methods must be taken to meet the research requirement, The research courses taken should support the student's proposed research methodology.
Special Requirements
No grade below "B" is accepted toward any graduate degree in the Division of Educational Leadership. If more than one grade below "B" is earned while enrolled in any ELDR, EDUC, READ, or EDSP graduate course, the student will be dismissed from the program and will be ineligible to re-enroll in any program within the school for a period of 8 years.
Qualifying Examination
The Division of Educational Leadership administers a qualifying exam for each student prior to admission to candidacy. The student must complete the required research tools before being eligible to take the exam. Students must take the qualifying exam in their last semester of coursework. In no case may a student be excused from the qualifying exam, and students may not register for dissertation hours (ELDR 6983 and ELDR 6993) until they have successfully passed the exam and have been admitted to candidacy. The qualifying exam may only be repeated once. Students who fail two attempts at the qualifying exam will be dismissed from the program.
Dissertation and Final Examination
All students are required to complete a dissertation. Upon completion, the student will participate in an oral defense of the dissertation and the research upon which it is based. The student's advisory committee will determine the outcome of the exam. The final examination may only be repeated one time.
