Educational Studies (PHD) - Educational Leadership and Higher Education

This program provides academic preparation and professional development for individuals interested in the study of educational leadership and higher education or those who aspire to leadership positions in educational organizations.

This program does not lead to Superintendent certification.  For Superintendent certification, apply instead to the "Educational Administration (UNL-UNK) (EDD)" or "Educational Administration (UNL-UNO) (EDD)".

See Educational Administration for more information.

Admission Requirements

• Resume/CV
• Personal Statement:  Your statement should address the following three areas: (2-3 pages):
  1. How does a doctoral degree figure into your career trajectory and goals as an educator?
  2. How will your doctoral studies contribute to the vision of this department and in relation to the scholarship/expertise of faculty members with whom you would like to work?
  3. What is your plan and strategy to complete your degree in a timely manner? (For instance, online coursework, occasional and/or required on-campus residency requirements, development of research and writing skills.)
• Essay:  Describe what you see as one pressing educational challenge or opportunity, why this challenge/opportunity is important to address, and how you might address it through your doctoral studies and/or dissertation work. Explain how your scholarly inquiry regarding this challenge could add to the research literature. Maximum 4 pages. 
• Writing Samples: Upload two academic/scholarly writing samples.  Applicants typically submit papers written for other courses or academic programs that give the admissions committee a sense of the applicant's academic writing skill and background.
• Faculty: Review current faculty and their research areas.
• Three Letters of Recommendation
• Assistantship Application (optional): If interested in a Graduate Assistant (GA) position, upload a letter (max 2 pages double-spaced) addressing how a GA position will contribute to your academic and professional interests, career goals, and describe your qualifications for this position.
  • Contingent upon availability and funding, a GA appointment may be awarded to a student in good standing in a graduate degree program at UNL. The GA will work under the supervision of one or more faculty members in the Department of Educational Administration on a variety of research, teaching, and/or administrative tasks.
  • Qualifications: Strong interpersonal skills to effectively communicate and work with diverse individuals, including students, faculty, staff, and community members. Demonstrated ability to work with minimal supervision and complete work in a timely manner in the face of fluctuating workloads and competing priorities. Responsive to work requests and available for correspondence via phone, e-mail, and in-person meetings. Demonstrated attention to detail. Demonstrated ability to effectively organize and manage documents and files in both online and paper forms. Demonstrated proficiency in using Microsoft Office Suite (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook). Demonstrated analytic and critical thinking skills.
  • Proficiency or Interest in: Providing instructional/teaching support in online, in-person, and/or hybrid classroom settings and general support with academic program coordination. Supporting complex research projects with different administrative and research elements. Elements of qualitative and/or quantitative research design. Developing capacity for conducting qualitative and/or quantitative research. Critically reviewing academic literature and report on its relevance and applicability for developing research design. Statistical computing software (e.g. SPSS) and/or qualitative coding software (e.g. NVIVO) preferred.

Department

Educational Administration

Graduate Chair

Elizabeth Niehaus

Contact

Cindy DeRyke