April 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1 Governance
Sources of Authority
Student Responsibility
Nondiscrimination Policy
Accreditation
Ed.D. Advisory Committee
Ed.D. Governance Structure
Ed.D. Program Director
Ed.D. Program Committee
Ed.D. Student Advisory Committee
Section 2 Program Mission and Admission
Program Vision and Mission
Admission Policy
Application and Admission Procedures
Change in Program Area
Transfer Credit
Students in the Specialist Program
Student Orientation
Degree Plans
Directed Studies
Section 3 Graduate Status Section
Eligibility For Financial Aid
Full Time Status
Active Status
Leave of Absence
Grade Point Average
Failure to Advance to Candidacy
Section 4 Doctoral Faculty
Doctoral Faculty Qualifications
Categories of Participation
General Eligibility Criteria
Section 5 Degree Requirements and Program Curriculum
Ed.D. Program Prerequisites
Program of Study Requirements
Section 6 Doctoral Committees
Overview
Advising and Supervision
Change in Doctoral Committee Membership
Section 7 Preliminary Examination
Overview
Written Component of the Preliminary Examination
Oral Component of the Preliminary Examination
Advancement to Candidacy
Section 8 Dissertation
Purpose
Dissertation Course Registration Requirements and Grading
Dissertation Process
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Section 1
Governance
Sources of Authority
Sources of authority governing academic processes and procedures exist outside the College of
Professional Studies. These sources include University of West Florida (UWF) bodies and administration, the University of West Florida Board of Trustees, and the Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida. The College of Professional Studies is required to maintain its academic guidelines to be in compliance with expectations and directives from these authorities. As a consequence, policies, procedures, requirements, and standards stated in this document are subject to change and modification. Thus, while the College of Professional
Studies is committed to following approved policy, additions, exceptions, and extensions, the guidelines promulgated herein are intended to supplement, but not supplant, higher sources of authority.
Student Responsibility
The student is responsible for reading, understanding, and complying with the Doctor of
Education ( http://uwf.edu/edd ), Graduate Studies ( http://uwf.edu/graduate/ ), and other established policies and procedures. To that end, students should consult the College of
Professional Studies Ed.D. program website (http://uwf.edu/edd) to secure current governing graduate policies and procedures. Students are subject to the graduate policies and procedures in place in the official university catalog at the time of admission, as well as amended college policies and procedures, unless such policies and procedures are preempted by statutory change or by rules adopted by the Florida Board of Governors of the State University System.
Nondiscrimination Policy
The University of West Florida is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution. The university is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. All decisions regarding recruitment, hiring, promotion, training, transfer, reassignment, and all other terms and conditions of employment will be made without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, physical disability, marital status, veteran status, or other factors prohibited by law. Programs, activities, and services of the university are offered with equal access to all persons without regard to race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national origin, or disability.
Accreditation
The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accredits the professional education unit of the University of West Florida, and the Florida Board of
Education approves most educator preparation programs. The NCATE endorsement of quality places UWF’s College of Professional Studies among the best in the nation.

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Ed.D. Advisory Committee
The University of West Florida Ed.D. degree is guided by an external broad-based committee charged with advising the Dean of the College of Professional Studies relative to the effectiveness of all Ed.D. program areas. The Advisory Committee reviews the status of the doctoral program, based on the Ed.D. Program Annual Report prepared and submitted to the committee by the director of the Ed.D. program, and makes recommendations for consideration by the Ed.D. Program Committee and other governance bodies. The Ed.D. Advisory Committee is chaired by the Director of the Ed.D. program and meets at least once annually, usually during the spring semester. The committee has the authority to meet more often as business dictates.
Committee membership consists of, but is not limited to, representatives from (a) current students and alumni, (b) area PK-12 public schools, (c) area community colleges, (d) local businesses, (e) local military installations, (f) the College of Arts and Sciences, (g) the Ed.D.
Program Committee, (h) the College of Professional Studies faculty, (i) the Dean of graduate studies, and (j) others deemed appropriate by the Dean of the College of Professional Studies and the committee.
Ed.D. Governance Structure
The Ed.D. Program resides in the College of Professional Studies and will follow the governance structure of the college. Program governance works through the following sequence: (1) The
Ed.D. Program Committee reviews policies, procedures, and curriculum and reports the recommendations to the Professional Education Council (PEC) for action on Teacher Education
Related programs and for information on non-Teacher Education related programs; (2) the PEC forwards recommendations to the Dean of the College of Professional Studies; (3) the Dean forwards his/her recommendations along with those from the Ed.D. Advisory Committee for policy and curricular compliance. The Dean submits them to the UWF Dean of Graduate Studies and the Provost who then forwards the recommendations to the UWF Faculty Senate for appropriate action.
Ed.D. Program Director
The Ed.D. Program Director is appointed by the Dean and is responsible for coordinating information between the Ed.D. Program Committee, the Ed.D. Program Office, the UWF Office of Graduate Admissions, the Dean of Graduate Studies, Ed.D. Program specializations and the
Office of the Dean. This person works closely with the Ed.D. Program Committee chairperson, doctoral committees and functions as a liaison with the Dean of the College of Professional
Studies and other colleges on campus. The Ed.D. Program Director is responsible for convening the Ed.D. Student Advisory Committee and serves as a non-voting member on the committee.
The Ed.D. Annual Report is prepared and reported to the Ed.D. Program Committee by the
Ed.D. Program Director.
Ed.D. Program Committee
The Ed.D. Program Committee is charged with oversight of and monitoring program related matters including but not limited to (a) formulating, implementing, and monitoring all policies;
(b) admitting students; (c) assuring program consistency and quality; (d) tracking candidates’ progress (including admission to candidacy, monitoring written and oral preliminary

3 examinations, committee assignments, and dissertation quality); (e) reviewing and approving
Ed.D. curriculum for recommendation through the University approval process; and (f) other responsibilities as deemed appropriate. The committee is also charged with reviewing Ed.D. program policies and procedures and making appropriate recommendations to the Dean of the
College of Professional Studies. The Ed.D. Program Committee Chair shall be elected from its membership to serve a 2-year nonrenewable term not to exceed 4 years consecutively, and meet established criteria to serve as a dissertation committee chair.
The committee shall consist of appointed and elected voting and nonvoting members. The Dean of the College of Professional Studies shall make required appointments to the committee.
Voting membership shall be comprised of members who may serve more than one role for the doctoral program to include:
Elected member from each Ed.D. specialization
Elected member from the Professional Core Faculty
Elected member from the Emerald Coast campus
Coordinators of each Ed.D. specialization
One appointed member from the College of Arts and Sciences
Elected members shall meet the established criteria to serve on dissertation committees and will serve 2 year staggered terms. Elections for half of the elected members will occur each year thereafter with everyone serving a 2 year term. The number for a quorum will be determined by the actual number of non-duplicated members.
Nonvoting membership shall include:
College of Professional Studies Associate Dean
Director of the Ed.D. Program
Vice President for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies
Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences
College of Professional Studies Department Chairs (departments with doctoral programs)
Others deemed appropriate by the Dean of the College of Professional Studies
*A quorum shall be comprised of 50% of the voting membership for that year.
Ed.D. Student Advisory Committee
The Ed.D. Student Advisory Committee will serve as a subcommittee of the Ed.D. Program
Committee. The Ed.D. Program Committee will receive student input, suggestions, and recommendations from this group to improve the program. The specialization faculty of each
Ed.D. Specialization will select one student to serve on the advisory committee who has completed at least 15 semester hours of coursework. The student committee will elect a student chair of the group who will represent students on the Ed.D. Program Committee. Non-voting members will include the chair of the Ed.D. Program Committee and the Ed.D. Program
Director.

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Section 2
Program Vision and Mission
Program Vision and Mission
Graduate education is an essential component of any modern university that strives to be responsive to its larger community through the development and transfer of knowledge.
Graduate education, research, scholarly and creative activities are linked not only to one another, but also to excellence in undergraduate education, economic development, and the quality of life in northwest Florida and the surrounding region. Strong programs in research and graduate education produce new insights for the region, new knowledge, new technologies, and the cultural awareness necessary to achieve the quality of life our state and society desires. Strong graduate programs also help attract outstanding faculty, students and resources that enable institutions to achieve their full academic potential.
The vision of The University of West Florida is to distinguish UWF as the best regional comprehensive university in America. The vision of the Ed.D. Program is to be one of the highest quality, most innovative Ed.D. programs at a regional comprehensive university in
America. The mission of the program is to prepare empowered professionals to make a difference in leadership and administrative positions to conduct and evaluate applied research to solve state, regional, and national education issues and problems. In support of the university vision and mission, the Ed.D. program is designed to meet the educational needs of regional , full-time employed professionals from a variety of backgrounds. Specifically, graduates of the program will be prepared to:
1.
Conduct high-quality research pertinent to local, regional, state, and national needs.
2.
Develop and analyze educational, organizational, or public policy.
3.
Conduct and revise training and instructional programs based on outcome assessments.
4.
Design, conduct, and evaluate educational and training programs.
5.
Effectively use appropriate technologies to support practices central to the areas of specialization.
6.
Anticipate, adapt to, and manage educational and organizational change.
7.
Develop educational leaders capable of informed decisions about curriculum as well as instructional policy and its implementation.
8.
Conduct oneself in a manner that embodies professional ethics and ideals.
9.
Articulate and apply the content and practices central to the areas of specialization.
10.
Articulate and describe the history of the area of specialization as well as its key journals.
11.
Use inclusive perspectives and pedagogies when developing, delivering, or evaluating training and instruction.
12.
Develop a philosophy of education or training.
Candidates will demonstrate acquisition of knowledge, skills, and dispositions represented in these outcome statements through a variety of means including but not limited to written and oral examinations; critiques of opinion-based, theory-based, and research-based literature;

5 preparation of research papers; oral presentations; performance in educational settings; and completion of a dissertation. The specific methods and means by which candidates demonstrate each of the student learning outcomes are described more fully in the Academic Learning Plan for each of the doctoral program areas.
Admission Policy
Applicants to the Ed.D. Program are evaluated using a profile approach which includes their master’s GPA, a national test score (either the GRE verbal and quantitative, MAT, or GMAT), their statement of intent, and fit with the selected specialization within the Program.
Departments housing the specializations may have additional requirements. Some specializations admit applicants once per year. Contact the Ed.D. Program Office (850-474-
2768) for further information.
Application and Admission Procedures
Applicants to the Ed.D. program are required to comply with the criteria promulgated in the most current edition of the University of West Florida academic year catalog at the time the admission is considered. To that end, applicants are responsible for reading, understanding, and complying with established application procedures at the university, college, and departmental levels including the Ed.D. Program Admissions Policy and Procedure document maintained in the
Ed.D. Program Office and accessible on the Ed.D. Program website.
Application materials submitted to the University Office of Admissions are evaluated and processed prior to being forwarded to the College of Professional Studies for review. Applicants shall not be considered for admission to the program at the college or departmental levels until all required documentation is received. Upon receipt, completed application materials are forwarded to the appropriate program area of study for faculty consideration and recommendation. Faculty members in the doctoral program areas review, approve, or recommend admission of students who apply to a selected area, using an Admission Profile
Rubric approved by the specialization faculty. Recommendations for admission to the program shall be submitted to the Dean of the College of Professional Studies for approval through the
Ed.D. Program Committee. Based upon the Dean’s review, program coordinators from the appropriate program area of study will officially notify applicants in writing of their admission status.
Change in Program Area
A student is admitted to the Ed.D. program when a program area admits a student. If a student has been admitted and has enrolled in coursework in the program and chooses to change program areas, the student must submit a doctoral degree Major Track Change form to the desired program area for approval and to the Ed.D. Program Committee for review.

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Transfer Credit
Per University policy, all credit presented for consideration for transfer is subject to review and approval by the faculty and administration. No more than 10 semester hours of appropriate graduate course work completed at another accredited university or college is eligible for transfer into a UWF Ed.D. program. Additionally, credit eligible for transfer must have been earned no more than 5 years prior to the date of admission into the doctoral program.
For the doctoral program, credits presented for transfer consideration must align with the doctoral program professional core requirements or the program area course requirements.
Students in the Specialist Program
Students in a degree seeking status who have completed appropriate graduate coursework at
UWF beyond the master’s degree may petition to have a maximum of 21 semester hours of graduate credit (from all sources) transferred to the doctoral program. Course work considered for credit must have been completed no more than 5 years prior to the date of admission to the doctoral program.
Note. Students from other institutions may transfer no more than 10 semester hours of credits earned at another accredited university or college. Transfer credits must align with the doctoral program core requirements or specialization course requirements to be counted. These credits must have been earned no more than 5 years prior to the date of admission to the doctoral program. The above notwithstanding, students entering the Ed. D. program with an educational specialist (Ed.S.) degree must complete a minimum of 21 semester hours of coursework as well as a minimum of 18 semester hours of dissertation work. UWF Ed.S. students may apply to be enrolled in the Ed.S. and Ed.D. programs simultaneously prior to completing 21 semester hours toward their UWF Ed.S. degree. Such dual enrollment is encouraged for UWF Ed.S. students interested in the University’s Ed.D. program.
Students requesting the transfer of graduate credit hours in compliance with these provisions shall complete and submit during the student’s first semester a Transfer Hour Request Form. The student’s advisor, the division chair, and the director of the Ed.D. program must support, in writing, the transfer of the requested hours.
The Dean of the College of Professional Studies shall approve or deny the request based upon a recommendation from the director of the Ed.D. program. Upon approval by the college Dean, the
Dean of the University Graduate School will approve or deny the request.
Student Orientation
To ensure that doctoral students are provided with current university, college and departmental policies and procedures at the time of their admission, and to support a graduate education culture where doctoral faculty and doctoral students interact in an academic environment outside the classroom, doctoral students are required to successfully complete a formal orientation program. Students are responsible for staying current with programmatic, policy and procedural

7 changes that affect their course of study and progress toward the successful completion of the
Ed.D. degree. For information on the orientation program, students should consult the Ed.D. website.
Degree Plans
Students admitted to the program shall be assigned a temporary advisor by the chair of the department. This advisor will work with the student during the initial stages of program development. However, it is the responsibility of the student to select a doctoral committee chair and a minimum of two core committee members within the first 24 semester hours of coursework. Once selected and approved, the committee membership shall remain fixed until the completion of the student’s doctoral dissertation unless changed by mutual consent between the chair, members, and the student. It is at this stage of formalizing the doctoral committee that the chair becomes the student’s official program advisor. Upon selection and approval of a formal doctoral committee, the student and committee develop a formal degree plan that shall be reviewed and approved by the chair of the division and director of the Ed.D. program. The doctoral committee shall advise the student, and, based on identified deficiencies, may require the student to complete additional course work or satisfy other conditions.
Directed Studies
Students may not enroll in more than a maximum of 6 semester hours of directed studies in the program. Students may not replace a professional core course with a directed study.
Section 3
Graduate Status Section
Eligibility for Financial Aid
The University requires a minimum of 6 graduate semester hours and a cumulative graduate
GPA of 3.0 or greater for eligibility for financial aid in the form of scholarships. Students who have Graduate Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Research Assistantships and Graduate
Assistantships normally are expected to carry 6 graduate semester hours. Some awards and some departments may have additional requirements for financial aid. The University has additional requirements for student loans.
Full Time Status
The maximum number of hours a student may register for in any given semester term without special permission is 9. Special permission must be granted by the appropriate department chair.
Students who have Graduate Teaching Assistantships, Graduate Research Assistantships and
Graduate Assistantships must take 6 graduate semester hours to be considered full time.

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Active Status
Prior to dissertation registration, doctoral students must register for at least 9 semester hours within each academic year. The time between achieving full admission status and completing the
Ed.D. Program will not exceed 7 years. If students do not complete the program within a 7 year period, the student’s doctoral committee will reevaluate and revise the student’s program of study or choose to terminate the student from the program.
Leave of Absence
A student may petition the Ed.D. Program Committee to take a leave of absence from the program. The leave of absence petition should propose a timeline and should be approved by the student’s advisor or committee chair. A student may have to reapply to the University to restore their status at the end of the leave of absence, but will not have to complete full admissions procedures.
Grade Point Average
A student’s degree program GPA must be at least 3.25 (on a 4.00 scale) for all courses taken. No grades lower than a “B-” may be counted toward the Ed.D. degree. The 3.25 GPA requirement will be enforced when students complete 9 semester hours of the program.
Failure to Advance to Candidacy
Students must pass the written and oral parts of the preliminary examination to advance to candidacy. The doctoral committee will assess the student’s performance on the examinations and will inform the college graduate office on the performance status. If recommended by the student’s doctoral committee, the student may be allowed to retake the exam. If a student fails to advance to candidacy, the Dean (or designee) of the college will notify students that they are no longer active students in the doctoral program.
Section 4
Doctoral Faculty
Doctoral Faculty Qualifications
The Ed.D. Program Committee is charged with oversight of participating in the doctoral program to include the initial approval and continuing review of faculty eligible to participate in the Ed.D. program. To that end, the committee shall review recommendations of the department to ensure that faculty members meet and comply with the minimum eligibility criteria for participation set forth herein. Doctoral faculty members’ credentials shall be reviewed and approved by the committee every 5 years, based on the date of initial approval. Faculty serving as members of or chairing dissertation committees who do not meet the following minimum eligibility criteria shall complete their present dissertation committee assignments while pursuing the required certification criteria.

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As part of their teaching responsibility, faculty members chairing dissertation committees are responsible for teaching courses and for chairing and serving on doctoral committees. Therefore, faculty members should chair only a limited number of dissertation committees. Each chair will be provided the appropriate release time from their other teaching responsibilities to chair students’ committees.
Categories of Participation
There are three categories of participation as a member of the graduate faculty: (a) teaching graduate courses, (b) serving as a member of doctoral dissertation committees, and (c) chairing doctoral dissertation committees. The Ed.D. Program Committee shall adhere to the following minimum general eligibility criteria in approving graduate faculty members’ participation in the doctoral program. The Ed.D. Program Committee shall have the authority to recommend documented exceptions on a case-by-case basis. The Dean of the College of Professional Studies shall approve exceptions in writing.
General Eligibility Criteria
Faculty who teach graduate courses that may be taken by doctoral students shall, at a minimum,
(a) possess a terminal degree in the specialization or related area of study, and hold the rank of
Assistant Professor; (b) demonstrate competence through documented evidence of teaching, research, and service evaluated by respective departments and approved by the Ed.D. Program
Committee and the Dean of the College.
Faculty eligible to serve as the core members on doctoral dissertation committees shall (a) meet the minimum eligibility criteria set forth above to teach graduate level courses taken by doctoral students; (b) be tenured or tenure earning, and hold the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate
Professor, or Professor; and (c) meet a majority of the following criteria as documented by their respective departments and approved by the Ed.D. Program Committee and the Dean of the
College of Professional Studies as appropriate:
1.
Experience directing a master’s research project or doctoral dissertation.
2.
Membership on a master’s thesis or a dissertation committee.
3.
Published research in appropriate, refereed journals.
4.
Presented scholarly papers at regional, national, or international professional conferences.
5.
Demonstrated mastery of the current field of research.
6.
Demonstrated evidence of other scholarly activity (e.g., grants).
7.
Demonstrated knowledge of area of appropriate specialization.
8.
Possess an active scholarly research agenda.
Faculty chairing doctoral dissertation committees shall (a) meet the criteria to serve on dissertation committees established above; (b) be tenured or tenure earning, and hold the rank of
Associate Professor or Professor; and (c) possess considerable experience as a dissertation committee member.
*
* Exceptions to the above criteria shall be approved by the Ed.D. Program Committee.

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Full-time University administrators, visiting faculty, and other professionals who do not have a faculty appointment at the University may serve on doctoral committees, teach courses in the doctoral program and chair or co-chair doctoral dissertation committees upon recommendation of the appropriate department/division chair, review and recommend by the Ed.D. Program
Committee, and approval by the Dean of the College of Professional Studies.
Section 5
Degree Requirements and Program Curriculum
To earn the Ed.D. degree, a student will meet the following minimum degree requirements: (a) be officially admitted to the program; (b) submit an approved degree plan; (c) complete the professional core and program area coursework, and dissertation requirements; (d) complete degree requirements within 7 years from the date of admission; (e) pass a written and oral preliminary examination and be advanced to candidacy; (f) successfully complete and orally defend a dissertation; and (g) be recommended for graduation by the doctoral committee, departmental chairperson
†
, and the Dean.
Ed.D. Program Prerequisites
The program faculty may determine that students need to complete program prerequisites to successfully complete the program of studies. Students may be directed to take additional doctoral preparation seminars or courses prior to the completing professional core, program area coursework, and dissertation.
Program of Study Requirements
Doctoral students will complete a professional core of courses and program area coursework.
Upon completion of the program coursework or within the last 6 semester hours of completion students will take the preliminary examination prior to advancing to candidacy.
Section 6
Doctoral Committees
Overview
Students admitted to the Ed.D. program shall be assigned an initial advisor by the chair of the department where the student was admitted to the program. After being admitted to the program, students will be only allowed to register for courses after they meet with their initial advisor. The advisor will work with the student during the initial stages of program of study development.
However, it is the responsibility of the student to select a doctoral committee chair and a minimum of two committee members from the list of eligible faculty within the first 24 semester hours of doctoral study. The student may select a fourth and fifth committee member, as deemed appropriate by the student and chair, from other faculty or community members.
†
Department Chair, Division Chair, Director

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Once selected and approved by the Ed.D. Program Committee, the doctoral committee membership will remain fixed until the completion of the student’s doctoral dissertation unless changed by mutual consent between the chair, members, and the student and as approved by the
Ed.D. Program Committee.
Advising and Supervision
The chair of the department where the student was admitted to the program will assign an advisor to guide the student during the initial stages of the doctoral program. The name and contact information for the advisor will be sent to the student in the admission letter. The advisor will hold an initial meeting with the student the semester prior to entering the program. The initial advisor will:
1.
Review the student’s academic and professional goals.
2.
Complete an initial degree plan mapping the student’s program of study; and
3.
Within the first 24 semester hours, help the student to select a doctoral committee chair.
Doctoral chairs will:
1.
Decide along with the student on the composition of the doctoral committee.
2.
Once committee members have agreed to serve on the student’s committee, the student, upon approval by the committee chair, shall submit to the Ed.D. Program
Office a Doctoral Committee Request Form.
3.
Upon appointment, the student’s chair shall direct the student in the following areas: a.
Ensure that student complete program requirements (to include degree completion, professional core and program area course work and other competencies); b.
Develop a formal degree program plan to be approved by the student, doctoral chair, and department chair and forwarded; c.
Advise and mentor student toward completion of their program of study d.
Coordinate student preliminary examination; e.
Identify an appropriate research topic; f.
Develop and approve a doctoral dissertation prospectus/proposal; g.
Coordinate the student’s doctoral work with other members of the committee and the student’s program area department; and h.
Coordinate the student’s work with the Ed.D. Program Office.
Change in Doctoral Committee Membership
Doctoral committees will normally remain fixed until the completion of the student’s doctoral dissertation unless changed by mutual consent between the chair, committee members, and the student. Upon completion of the preliminary examination, the chair and the student will review appropriate composition of the doctoral committee for student’s area of interest and methodology. In this respect, the student should provide a legitimate reason for changing the committee membership.

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The student’s committee chair shall be responsible for obtaining the appropriate signature(s) for all committee changes on the Request to Change Doctoral Committee form, unless a change of committee chair is requested, in which case the department chair of the specialization area will execute that function in consultation with the student. Faculty members have the right to dismiss themselves from dissertation committees for valid reasons following the above protocol. The
Ed.D. Program Committee shall approve in writing all doctoral committee membership changes.
Section 7
Preliminary Examination
Overview
The preliminary examination allows students to demonstrate the ability to think critically at the higher levels of learning and present the results in written and oral fashion. The desired student learning outcomes are to identify and analyze issues and resolve problems presented in competency areas (core and specialization) employing relevant literature, theories, and techniques in a well written critique.
Within the last 6 semester hours or after completion of all doctoral course work, eligible students are required to successfully complete the preliminary examination. Students typically take the examination on the UWF Pensacola campus. The Ed.D. Program Director can approve alternative locations, ensuring that proctoring protocols are in place and secure. The examination includes written and oral components. The student’s doctoral committee shall use the results from the preliminary examination to determine if the student is eligible to advance to candidacy.
Students shall complete a Preliminary Examination Request Form (to be signed by the committee and division chair
‡
) and submit the form and a final degree plan to the Ed.D. program office according to the posted schedule. Once the student has completed the examination, the committee chair shall complete and forward a Graduate Student Status Form to the director of the Ed.D. program indicating the committee’s decision about the student’s performance on the preliminary examination.
In the event that a student should fail all or part of the examination, the student may be subsequently reexamined as deemed appropriate by the student’s doctoral committee. The student’s second attempt on any part of the written or oral examination must result in achieving a grade of “pass” or “conditional pass” or the student shall be dismissed from the program.
Students electing to take the preliminary examination must meet the following minimum requirements and conditions:
1.
Complete or be within the last 6 semester hours of course work.
2.
Possess a University of West Florida grade point average of at least 3.25.
3.
Complete required core and program area course work (to include specified competencies in their formal degree plan) with a grade of B- or above.
4.
Submit a formal, signed degree plan.
‡
Department Chair, Division Chair, Director

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Written Component of the Preliminary Examination
The student’s committee chair is responsible for working with the doctoral committee to prepare the written Preliminary Examination. The committee chair and committee may guide the student to prepare for the examination, but will not share the examination questions with the student. The
Preliminary Examination is to include questions on the content of both the professional core and specialization. The chairperson of the appropriate college division will submit the written examination questions to the Director of the Ed.D. Program for review and approval.
Students will complete the written portion of the professional core exam on Day 1 and the specialization area exam on Day 2. It is recommended that the doctoral committee receive input from faculty members who teach in the professional core areas when developing and assessing the professional core exam. Each specialization will develop and disseminate scoring rubrics for the examination to the faculty and students who are participating in the program. The rubrics will be used in evaluating the written component of the examination.
The examination shall be administered and proctored by a representative from the Ed.D.
Program Office. The Director of the Ed.D. program shall distribute each student’s written examination responses to their committee chair. The chair will then distribute the student’s responses to the members of the committee for review and evaluation. Chairs may also distribute the responses to other graduate faculty members for evaluation if deemed appropriate. The chair schedules the oral component of the preliminary examination.
Oral Component of the Preliminary Examination
The oral component of the preliminary examination is designed to allow the student to formulate and articulate a proposition or thesis. The oral examination shall be completed prior to the last week of the semester in which the preliminary examination is attempted. Upon completion of the oral component, the student’s committee chair will forward a Graduate Student Status Form to the director of the Ed.D. program indicating the committee’s evaluation of the student’s
Preliminary Examination performance
Advancement to Candidacy
To be advanced to doctoral candidacy, students must (a) possess a University of West Florida grade point average of at least 3.25, (b) have completed all requirements in their specialization, and (c) successfully complete the Preliminary Examination. Doctoral committees shall also consider the student’s potential for dissertation course work prior to recommending the student for advancement to candidacy.
Students will not be allowed to register for dissertation hours until they have advancement to candidacy.

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Section 8
Dissertation
Purpose
Doctoral candidates demonstrate their ability to integrate and apply the knowledge and skills developed through formal course work and independent study by designing, implementing, and reporting the results of an intensive study or project related to educational practices and policies.
Students demonstrate their ability to
1.
Select a project of contemporary significance and amenable to study within a reasonable amount of time using methods appropriate to applied or basic research;
2.
Conduct and report a comprehensive review of literature related to the focus of the study using appropriate references and citations;
3.
Develop a research design appropriate to the focus of the study;
4.
Implement the proposed design;
5.
Collect and analyze data and other information identified in the design for the study;
6.
Formulate conclusions and develop recommendations based on the data analysis;
7.
Prepare a formal report of the study in a style appropriate to the nature of the study and the education discipline; and
8.
Prepare and deliver an oral report summarizing the study and respond to questions related to the study.
Dissertation Course Registration Requirements and Grading
Doctoral candidates are required to register for a minimum of 18 semester hours of dissertation course work. Candidates must register for a minimum of 3, but not more than 6 semester hours each semester (including summer terms) until they have registered for a cumulative total of 18 semester hours of doctoral dissertation course work. Thereafter, candidates are required to register for a minimum of 2 semester hours of dissertation course work each consecutive semester (including summers) until the student has completed 24 semester hours of dissertation work. Upon completing 24 hours, the student will be reevaluated by the doctoral committee chair and committee to determine if the student can complete the dissertation. If the committee determines that student can complete the dissertation, the student will be required to complete 3 semester hours of dissertation coursework each semester to complete the degree.
For every semester at the dissertation stage the committee chair and student should agree, in whatever form works best for them, on what will count as satisfactory progress for the upcoming semester as well as on how many semester hours (generally 3 or 6) the student should take during that semester. At the end of each semester the committee chair will assess whether or not the dissertation student has made reasonable progress. If the student has made reasonable progress, the chair will assign a grade of Satisfactory (S); if not, a grade of Unsatisfactory (U).
Students who receive an Unsatisfactory (U) grade must retake the dissertation hours for that given semester. Upon successful completion of the dissertation, all “U” grades will be changed to “S” grades.

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Candidates shall maintain active candidacy status in accordance with the above stated criteria.
Those who fail to maintain active status during the dissertation process will have their status reviewed by the director of the Ed.D. program. Failure to maintain active enrollment for the appropriate dissertation course work for three consecutive semesters (including summers) will result in the candidate having to reapply to the program, subject to the policies and procedures in effect at that time. Failure to maintain candidacy status may result in the student having to complete additional course work, or components of the Preliminary Examination.
Dissertation Process
Candidates consult the Ed.D. website for current information about the dissertation process.
Revised March, 2009/January 2010/April 2010