The Doctor of Education degree is the highest University award given in recognition of the completion of academic preparation for professional practice in school teaching fields and in fields preparing school service personnel.

1. An overall GPA of at least 3.50 for all graduate work completed.

2. A master's degree or the equivalent.

3. The necessary undergraduate preparation in the field.

4. Completion of any departmental examination requirements (i.e., qualifying or diagnostic examinations).

5. Scores on special tests required by the department.

6. Recommendation for doctoral work by the department concerned. Acceptance of a student for doctoral work, on the basis of the above criteria, does not imply or guarantee advancement of the student to candidacy for the degree.

Students should refer to the section of this catalog titled Departmental Programs for additional admission, degree, examination, and course requirements unique to each department.

Program Requirements. The Ed.D. degree requires the completion of a program of 96 semester credits beyond the bachelor's degree, including acceptable master's and specialist's work, and the submission of an acceptable dissertation. The emphasis in the program is on courses and seminars to provide extensive knowledge of the field and will provide for the following:

1. Acquisition of broad knowledge in the area of concentration or major (at least 48 credits), in a cognate area (i.e., directly supportive of the area of concentration), and in the Foundations of Education (at least 12 credits).

2. Development of competencies in the scholarly tools required for study and practice in the field (normally 6 semester credits of statistics).

3. The preparation of a dissertation based on the investigation of a topic related to theory and practice in the professional field. The dissertation must demonstrate critical analysis, knowledge of the professional literature, and a familiarity with methods of research, all presented in a scholarly style. A maximum of 10 semester credits may be assigned to the dissertation.

4. A period of professional practice in the form of a practicum or internship. At the discretion of the studentÕs Faculty Advisory Committee, this provision may be waived if the candidate has accumulated sufficient professional experience in the field prior to the completion of the doctoral program.

With the approval of a student's committee, up to one-half of the work beyond the master's degree may be transferred from another institution.

Residence Requirement. At least two regular consecutive semesters of residence are required on the University of North Dakota campus.

Dissertation. Each candidate for the Doctor of Education degree must submit a dissertation to the Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree. The dissertation is prepared with the guidance and advice of the student's faculty advisor. However, all dissertations must be prepared in accord with the Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations (1996 edition), which will be provided to each candidate when the program of study is approved. (Copies also may be purchased at the University Bookstore.)

The topic for the dissertation must be approved in advance by the student's Faculty Advisory Committee. Approval is effected by the student's completing a form titled Outline of Dissertation, available from the Graduate School, then submitting the outline to the committee for approval. The approved outline must be filed in the Graduate School. The outline should be approved at least six months before the degree is expected, but it must be completed before advancement to candidacy.

The draft of the dissertation should be presented to the Faculty Advisory Committee sufficiently in advance of the Preliminary Approval deadline that a thorough evaluation may be effected by the entire committee. The committee must be able to read the draft, suggest corrections and changes, and the student must be able to make the corrections, all in time for the committee to indicate its approval of the draft by signing a form titled Preliminary Approval of Dissertation. The student must deposit the approval form in the Graduate School by the deadline specified in the academic calendar (usually four weeks prior to commencement). The Preliminary Approval assures the student that no major changes will be required in the final copy of the dissertation. Copies of the dissertation in its final form must be presented to the Faculty Advisory Committee in time that they may thoroughly read the dissertation prior to the final examination. When the final version of the dissertation has been approved by the Committee, a copy must be deposited in the Graduate School in time to receive the approval of the dean by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar (usually two weeks prior to commencement). The advisor and the major department must each be presented one copy of the dissertation. One copy of a special abstract of the dissertation, in a 350 word format described in Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations (1996 edition), also must be presented with the dissertation. The abstract is published in Dissertation Abstracts by University Microfilms International, and the entire dissertation is microfilmed by the same organization. The Graduate School has the final copy of the dissertation bound and cataloged in the University Library.

Comprehensive Examination. All students seeking a Doctor of Education degree must take a written comprehensive examination after a substantial portion of the course work has been completed. At the option of the department, an oral examination may also be given. The content of the examination will be determined by the Graduate Faculty of the departments concerned, and the examination will be given at times announced by the departments. The examination must be extensive and searching and cover in depth the field or fields of knowledge in which the degree is taken. This examination must be completed before advancement to candidacy for the degree but cannot be undertaken until the scholarly tool requirements have been completed. Comprehensive examinations which are failed may be repeated only with prior approval of the advisory committee, the department, and the dean, but in no event earlier than at the next regularly scheduled offering.

Students must apply for permission to take the comprehensive examination on a form available from the Graduate School. After checking the record to ensure that the student is eligible for the examination (most of the work completed, Approved Status attained, Program of Study approved, scholarly tool requirements completed), the Graduate School will certify eligibility and will forward an examination report form to the chairperson of the student's Faculty Advisory Committee. The student may not take the examination until such certification has been provided.

Candidacy for the Degree. A student must fulfill all of the requirements for and be advanced to candidacy prior to the beginning of the semester or summer session in which he/she expects to receive a degree.

Students in Approved Status may be advanced to candidacy for a doctorÕs degree when the following requirements have been fulfilled:

1. A five-member Faculty Advisory Committee has been appointed. Four committee members are appointed by the dean upon the written recommendation of the chairperson of the student's major department and must represent the major and cognate areas of study. The fifth member is appointed by the dean and represents the Graduate Faculty. Until the appointment of the committee, the department chairperson, or designate, acts as the student's temporary advisor. The chairperson of the Committee, who serves as the student's major and dissertation advisor, must be a Full member of the Graduate Faculty.

2. A Program of Study, outlining the requirements for the degree as developed by the student and the committee, has been approved by the student, the committee, and the dean of the Graduate School. The program, executed on a form available from the Graduate School, should be developed no later than the beginning of the second semester of work.

3. Departmental examination requirements have been completed.

4. A substantial portion of the course work for the degree has been completed with a GPA of no less than 3.00 for all work attempted.

5. The scholarly tool requirement has been met.

6. The comprehensive examination has been successfully completed.

7. A dissertation topic has been approved as evidenced by filing an approved Outline of Dissertation on a form available from the Graduate School (original and three copies).

8. Advancement to candidacy has been recommended by the student's Faculty Advisory Committee.

The student and the advisor will be notified in writing of advancement to candidacy.

Final Examination. The final examination must be scheduled two weeks in advance by the committee through the Graduate School and must be completed and the results reported by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar.

The final examination is conducted by the candidate's full Faculty Advisory Committee in the presence of the dean of the Graduate School and such other members of the Graduate Faculty as elect to attend. The final examination will include an oral examination but also may include written portions. The examination will cover the dissertation but need not be limited thereto. Committee members must have had adequate opportunity to examine the final copy prior to the examination, and will indicate their approval by signing the Approval Page of the dissertation and the Final Report on Candidate. Final examinations which are failed may be repeated only with the prior approval of the advisory committee and the dean.

A student may pass the Doctoral comprehensive and/or Final Examination with one dissenting vote. The dissenter must submit a written report on his/her decision to the Graduate School. Four signatures will be accepted on the final copy of the dissertation.

Ed.D. candidates will be required to complete a National Research Council demographic survey form and an agreement with University Microfilms International before graduation.