Ed.D. Program Information

Admission

Selection into the Ed.D. program requires the following:

1. Holding an earned master's degree from a regionally accredited educational institution
2.  Completing the application which is available online
3. Submitting official transcripts of all graduate credits from previously attended colleges/universities
4. Earning at least a 3.4 minimum GPA at the graduate level. Applicants with less than a cumulative 3.4 GPA may be considered for restrictive admission. Individuals whose master's programs gave "pass" or "fail" in lieu of grades will submit a description of the admission requirements to the master's program, and a letter from an official of the institution regarding the likelihood of the applicant's success in a doctoral program.
5. Arranging for two professional and/or academic references from individuals who know the applicant's abilities and can attest the potential ability for success in doctoral studies
6.  Submitting a resume or curriculum vita which describes professional experiences reflecting readiness to enter a doctoral program in leadership and professional practice
7. Completing a writing sample, the details of which will be described to you by your enrollment counselor

Doctoral Admissions Committee

The purpose of the Doctoral Admissions Committee is to review the data submitted for entry into the doctoral program. Because selection is based on a comprehensive evaluation, the committee will determine whether the applicant is selected, deferred, or denied.

The Doctoral Admissions Committee decision for selection or denial to the program is final and is not subject to appeal. If the decision is made to deny admission, the individual must wait at least 12 months before applying again. If the decision is made to deny a second request for admission, the individual’s application will not be considered in the future.

Student Appeal Procedure

All appeals in the doctoral program will follow the process below:

1. Submit the issue of concern, in writing, to the teaching or advising faculty involved within 15 calendar days of the incident. The faculty member will provide a written response within 15 calendar days of receiving the written notification from the student.
2. If the student is not satisfied with the faculty member’s response or lack of response, the student can submit, in writing, the issue of concern to the Program Director within seven calendar days of the faculty’s response. The Program Director will respond within seven calendar days. 
3. If the student is not satisfied with the Program Director’s response or lack of response, the student can submit, in writing, the issue of concern to the Dean within seven calendar days of the Program Director’s response.
4. Once the concern is submitted to the Dean, the appeal will be heard by the Doctoral Council. The student will be notified of the decision within 15 calendar days.

The Doctoral Council's decision is final.

Academic Load

For students in the face-to-face delivery, the class loads per semester during fall or spring semester will range from five to ten semester hours in addition to dissertation credits. Students will take two courses totaling seven to nine semester hours during the Intensified Summer Learning Experience (ISLE).

For students in the online delivery, the class loads per semester will range from five to eight semester hours in addition to dissertation credits.

Students who have completed content courses but have not completed dissertation will be required to take one semester hour of dissertation continuation until the dissertation is finalized.

Academic Standing and Probation/Suspension

Regardless of the load carried per semester, each student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B) to remain in good standing. If the cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, the student will be declared on academic probation for the following semester. Upon regaining the required cumulative average, 3.0, the student will be in good standing. However, if the student does not meet the cumulative average of 3.0 during the probationary semester, he/she will be declared on academic suspension for the subsequent semester and until reinstated by the Doctoral Council.

Failure to maintain the dissertation completion schedule may result in suspension or academic disenrollment from the program (see Grading System – Doctoral Program).

Attendance and Schedule Changes

Students receive the tentative schedule of classes for the entire program when a new cohort begins. Students must maintain flexibility in schedules to allow for possible changes in dates of courses including but not limited to University schedule changes and inclement weather closures. An absence due to schedule changes is still considered an absence as explained in the attendance policy.

Class attendance/participation is an important student obligation, and each student is responsible for all work conducted in class sessions. Making up missed class time is impossible; therefore, maintaining the integrity of the course dictates the necessity of the following attendance policy for face-to-face delivery:

• Excused absences are approved for only three conditions: Active military duty, personal illness of student other than elective surgery, death in the immediate family.
• An unexcused absence from a class session results in a penalty of one letter grade; two absences from a course for any reason result in disenrollment from that course. Work-related activities, weddings, vacations, and family reunions are examples of unexcused absences.
• In the event of an emergency and the student cannot physically attend class but has access to be in class remotely (i.e., Skype, FaceTime), the student may use a remote device for one absence only.  A second absence would result in disenrollment of the course. If a student elects to use the remote option, it is the student’s responsibility to make arrangements with a fellow cohort member to coordinate the remote attendance. It is also the student’s responsibility to notify the instructor, in advance, of using the remote option.
• In the event of any absence, the student must submit a Class Absence Form to the Student Success Advisor. Additionally, the student is responsible for notifying the instructor and for making up the work according to the instructor's directions.
• The Class Absence Form is required for any absence, excused or unexcused.

For online delivery, attendance and absences are defined as follows:

• Attendance is determined by participation in weekly learning activities. A student is reported absent for a week if there is no participation in course discussions or submission of assignments during that week. Under emergency circumstances, a student may be allowed one absence in courses that are five class sessions or more in length. Students are not allowed an absence for any course that has four class sessions or fewer in length. Even if an absence is for a legitimate reason or approved by appeal, participation points may still be deducted at the instructor's discretion. Homework assignments for the class of absence are still due as scheduled. Students exceeding the allowed tardies/absences may receive a failing grade and will be dropped from the course.
• An absence appeal may be filed for emergency circumstances that arise leading to more than allowed absences. Examples of emergency circumstances considered include: hospitalization of self or immediate family member; death in immediate family; and military deployment. Please contact your academic advisor to obtain and complete the appropriate form in such situations. Contact must be made and the appeal form submitted within 7 days of the absence.

Dissertation Advising

The Ed.D. Directors, in concert with the Doctoral Council, seek advising faculty who may have an interest or expertise in the areas in which the doctoral students conduct research. The Ed.D. Directors carefully screen all potential advisers. Advisers must hold an earned doctorate.

Each doctoral student will be assigned a dissertation team. The dissertation team consists of the adviser and one additional member who serves as a reader for the dissertation. The adviser is the primary member of the dissertation team. Individuals selected to serve as readers hold terminal degrees and/or have exceptional expertise or experience.

If a student desires the assigned adviser or reader be changed, the request must be made in writing to the Dissertation Coordinator. The Doctoral Council will determine if the request should be granted. If the change is granted, the fees to be charged to the student are as follows: $350 for change in adviser; $150 for change in reader.

Students are expected to keep in touch with their adviser throughout each semester.

Candidacy for the Doctoral Degree

To be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree, the student must have successfully completed the first 18 semester hours of the program, have an unconditional approval of the dissertation proposal, and be recommended by the Ed.D. Director.

Grading System–Doctoral Program

The grading system for doctoral studies includes the letter grades A, B, C, D, and F for all courses except Dissertation. The grades of S or U will be assigned to the Dissertation. Courses with grades below B- or U must be retaken. Research and statistics courses with an earned grade of C+ or below must be retaken before proceeding forward in the doctoral program. The third grade below a B- (i.e., C+ or below) in the same attempted course leads to permanent termination from the program

A grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained for satisfactory academic progress. Grades of F or D will likely result in permanent termination, unless an emergency circumstance arises or the student files a successful program appeal. Emergency circumstances are: hospitalization of self or immediate family member; death in immediate family; and military deployment. Students are welcome to appeal to the Program Director.

For content courses, incompletes are permitted only in the event of sickness or emergency reasons near end of course and must be approved by the professor and the program director. Incompletes are not permitted for simply not completing work. The “I” must be removed by the end of the subsequent semester.

For dissertation credits, Incompletes may be permitted provided all of the following circumstances are met: the student has not previously earned a U or I in dissertation; there is a timeline issue outside the student’s control; student makes a written request for the incomplete no later than the eighth week of the current semester; the Program Director approves the request for the Incomplete. The “I” must be removed by the end of the subsequent semester.

Research-Based Technology, Scientifically-Based Research I and II, as well as Technology-Based Statistics, and Applied Statistics courses are gate-keeping benchmarks within the EdD program. For these courses to be completed successfully, students must earn a final grade of B- or higher. Students will not be allowed to proceed in the doctoral program until these courses are successfully completed.

Program Completion and Extensions

The program is to be completed in 27 months. No student is to take longer than five years (registered for courses) to complete the program. Approved time extensions granted as outlined below, where the student is not currently registered for courses, is not considered against the time requirement for completion.

1. A reasonable extension of time may be considered for completing course requirements because of military service, illness involving hospitalization, or loss of research site. The student must present official evidence for consideration of an extension.
2. A student making satisfactory progress who drops out of the program may re-enter the program within two years at the point in the program sequence at which s/he departed.
3. A student's decision to leave the program will result in assignment to a different cohort and in delayed graduation. The institution is not responsible for any inconvenience this may cause the student.
4. If a student has been gone for more than two years and requests to return, the EdD Director will determine if the individual may return, which courses must be repeated in order for the person to be assimilated back into the program, the cohort to which s/he will be assigned, and the point in the program when it is appropriate for the return.
5. If a student requests or requires extended enrollment in dissertation hours, the student is responsible for additional charges including 1 credit hour per semester and any additional fees.

Tuition and Fees

Any student who drops below half-time status (three semester hours) for two consecutive semesters will be suspended from financial aid. This suspension will require the student to pay for at least three hours with his or her own resources before he or she can regain eligibility for aid. A student may appeal the suspension to the Nontraditional Student Financial Aid Appeal Committee.

In the unlikely event a student has to take a course for the third time, financial aid is not available.

Students must submit a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid for each academic year they are enrolled and want to receive federal loans. All students must contact the Office of Financial Aid if they want subsequent loans. Financial aid packets and additional information concerning financial aid may be obtained by emailing SGCSFinancialServices@trevecca.edu.

Tuition (57 semester hours, $699 per hour)	$39,843
Technology fee (per course)	$50
Each dissertation hour beyond 12 (per semester hour)	$699

Course and Instructor Evaluation and Assessment

A Course and Instructor Evaluation is administered at the end of courses. Students are sent an online link to their Trevecca e-mail account. The evaluation period begins 14 days before the course concludes and closes the day of the last class session. The evaluation is considered a personal assessment. In order to maintain high quality instruction in all the classes, instructors receive the results of the evaluations after all grades have been submitted. Courses include several types of evaluative and assessment measures related to student progress.

Graduation Requirements