UCLA EdD Program: Requirements and Curriculum Overview

The UCLA Department of Education offers a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree designed for individuals seeking leadership roles and applied research careers in schools and community educational programs. The program emphasizes practice, applied studies, and the development of professional skills. This article delves into the specific requirements and curriculum components of the UCLA Ed.D. program.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted into the Ed.D. program, applicants must have at least three years of successful professional experience in education or the equivalent. They must also demonstrate evidence of potential for professional leadership. In addition to the University's minimum requirements, all applicants are expected to submit the departmental application, resume, and a statement of purpose.

Program of Study and Curriculum

A program of study for an Ed.D. student is determined by the student and faculty adviser, and must meet division or program and department requirements. The Educational Leadership Program (ELP) curriculum integrates research methods, leadership development, and dissertation support over the course of three years. ELP students are not required to take electives, as all courses are required and strategically designed to support growth as a practitioner-scholar. Course requirements may be substituted, under exceptional circumstances, by the program. Students submit a petition, endorsed by their adviser, to the division or program head.

Coursework

The UCLA Ed.D. program requires students to complete coursework that provides a foundation in educational theory, research, and practice. Specifically, the curriculum includes:

Research Methods Courses: Students must complete three research methods courses, with no more than two introductory (first tier) courses and at least one intermediate/advanced (second tier) course, selected from the departmental list approved for the Ed.D.
Educational Leadership Program (ELP) Curriculum: The ELP curriculum integrates research methods, leadership development and dissertation support over the course of three years.

Doctoral Screening Examination

All students are required to take a written examination after the completion of appropriate course work determined by the division or the program. This examination is concerned with central topics in the selected division and field of emphasis or program. Questions are comprehensive in nature and are designed to measure the breadth and depth of knowledge, as well as to focus that knowledge on specific problems. Students who take the doctoral screening examination ordinarily are not allowed to take more than nine courses before taking the examination. In a first sitting for this examination, students may receive a grade of Pass or Fail. Students who fail are given one additional opportunity to pass the examination. Students who have been allowed to retake the examination must do so at the beginning of Fall Quarter of the same calendar year that the examination was initially attempted. In addition to the standard reasons outlined above, a student may be recommended for academic disqualification who fails a doctoral screening examination.

Doctoral Written Qualifying Examination

Students are required to take the doctoral written qualifying examination in June of their second year if they have met the following criteria: a B- or better in all required Educational Leadership Program courses; a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better; and no grades of “Incomplete” or “F” on their record. Students who do not meet the grade criteria by the May examination period of the third year may be recommended for academic disqualification from the program or may petition the faculty for more time to improve their record in order to meet the grade criteria to sit for the examination. Students may receive a grade of Pass or Fail. Students who fail the examination in June of the second year will be given a second opportunity to take the examination the following October (in the beginning of the third year). Students who fail to successfully complete the examination a second time will be given the opportunity to take the examination a third time upon a two-thirds vote of the program faculty. With faculty approval, students will be assigned a faculty mentor to help them prepare to take the examination the following June.

University Oral Qualifying Examination

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. The oral examination is conducted by the student’s doctoral committee, which selects topics from education that are related to the student’s written dissertation proposal. Not required for all students in the program.

Dissertation

The dissertation is the capstone accomplishment of participation in the Educational Leadership Program. Students are required to complete a dissertation that describes their own independent research in a significant problem of practice.

Academic Disqualification

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. A student may be recommended for academic disqualification either by the Committee on Degrees, Admissions and Standards, or by the faculty of a division or program. The student’s adviser or the program head is given the opportunity to review and respond to a recommendation for academic disqualification from the Committee.

Faculty

The UCLA Educational Leadership Program is guided by a nationally acclaimed faculty who not only develop theory but also work in the multicultural urban settings close to UCLA.

Dr. Allison MattheisProfessor/Ed.D.
Dr. Maria Oropeza-FujimotoAssociate Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Theresa MeyerottAssistant Professor/Ed.D.
Dr. Robin DoddsAssociate Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Kimberly FranklinEducation Librarian/ Ed.D.
Dr. Daniel GarzonAssistant Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. David GreenAssistant Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Manisha JaveriProfessor/Ed.D.
Dr. Yunzhen "Judy" HuangAssistant Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Lexi HwangAssociate Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Kezia Gopaul-KnightsAssistant Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Yafen LoProfessor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Jennifer McCormickProfessor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Bahiyyih Hardacre-MeyrathAssociate Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Ashley MungerAssociate Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Enrique OchoaProfessor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Deborah OhProfessor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Socorro OrozcoProfessor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Marla ParkerAssociate Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Ambika RajProfessor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Anita T RevillaProfessor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Kristina Ruiz-MesaProfessor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Ann SnowProfessor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Bryan ThortonAssistant Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Kimi WaiteAssistant Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Cynthia WangAssociate Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Su-Jeong WeeAssistant Professor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Lois WeinbergProfessor/ Ed.D.
Dr. Jennifer WeymanAssistant Professor/Ed.D.
Dr. Lili ZhouAssistant Professor/ Ed.D.

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