Ed.D. Program for Educational Leaders

Dissertation Expectation

Perhaps the most significant goal of the IDEPEL program structure is the reduction of the “All But Dissertation” (ABD) rate. Program faculty members view the national ABD rates of 50% as being totally unacceptable. IDEPEL’s initial benchmarks were the PSAP educational leadership program at Boston College and the IDPEL program at Duquesne University, which have a graduation rate of about 80%.

One of the criticisms often leveled at other non-traditional doctoral programs in educational leadership is that, while the course work and related experiences are valuable, the dissertation experience seems to lack rigor. To address this issue and to integrate the investigation of theoretical constructs with the practical enhancement of leadership operations, IDEPEL cohort members and program faculty begin discussing the identification and investigation of important research questions at the first class that members of the community of scholars attend in the Professional Seminar. That focus continues throughout the Professional Sequence Courses and the Applied Research Courses.

Once the cohort member has successfully passed the comprehensive examination and has had the dissertation proposal accepted, the dissertation chair and committee members support the cohort member in the following ways:

Chairperson

Determines that the research question is focused and clearly stated;
Develops a completion timeline;
Guides the process of research and keeps the student to the projected timeline;
Maintains quality in the research conducted and facilitates the editing of the dissertation;
Provides specific feedback; clearly delineates expectations;
Obtains input from the IDEPEL Program Director; reminds cohort member to set date for defense of dissertation;
Facilitates ongoing communication between the cohort member and committee members; and
Assigns specific duties to each of the committee members.

Committee Members

Assist cohort member within their respective areas of expertise;
Help cohort member maintain the projected timeline for completion;
Provide specific feedback concerning the accuracy of the research method, disciplinary knowledge, and technical writing; and
Attend meetings for defense of proposal and dissertation.

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Evaluation of Cohort Member Progress

The Research Sequence courses are each three credits and include a theoretical and research analysis in on-campus meetings. Also three credits each, the Professional Sequence courses include a theoretical analysis in on campus meetings and a field-based practicum experience that is graded on a pass/fail basis. The lead instructor assigns final grades for each course. In addition to quality academic work, cohort members are judged according to their initiative, creative problem-solving, interpersonal competence, ethical decision-making, and prudent risk-taking.

Grades are assigned as follows:

A = Distinguished scholarly work; exceptional performance in all aspects of the course.
A- = Superior scholarly work and performance; but somewhat less than that rated as A.
B+ = Very good scholarly work and sound performance.
B = Average scholarly work and sound performance.
C = Marginal academic work; below the level of expected competence in doctoral studies.
I = Incomplete. Grade is deferred because of incomplete work. An incomplete grade is affixed only under special circumstances allowing the participant time to complete course requirements and is not a reflection of lack of effort or ability. Any Incomplete grade must be removed and replaced within four weeks under the terms set by Saint Joseph’s University Graduate School. Any incomplete grade that remains unresolved at the expiration of the time allowed is automatically converted into a grade of F.
F = Failure.

It is expected that cohort members will demonstrate exemplary scholarship. A cohort member whose scholarship and written work does not meet the standards expected in the IDEPEL program is required to schedule a conference with the program director, the academic advisor, and other faculty, as necessary, to discuss the development of a probationary plan. A cohort member receiving a grade of “F” will submit to a hearing before the Academic Review Board, comprised of the dean of graduate school, program director, faculty advisor and course instructor, and to possible dismissal from the program. A cohort member must maintain a GPA of 3.5 to remain in the IDEPEL program.

In the event a cohort member disagrees with a final grade received, every effort should be made to resolve the matter at the most immediate and informal level possible. The following procedure may be implemented by the cohort member:

Conduct a meeting with the faculty member(s) responsible for assigning the grade to discuss and attempt to resolve the issue.
If the issue is not resolved, the cohort member files a written request with the program director for a meeting between the program director, the cohort member, and the faculty member(s) responsible for assigning the grade. The request must include the reason for the meeting, the nature of the dispute, and the day and circumstances of the previous attempt at resolution. A copy of the request must be sent to the appropriate faculty member(s), who may submit additional written information.

If attempts at resolution are still unsuccessful after the meeting, the cohort member may submit the case to the Office of the Graduate Dean.

Candidacy Review

The candidacy review is a formal meeting with the academic advisor. This meeting will take place after the completion of the first year of doctoral studies. In consultation with the student, the advisor is responsible for scheduling and initiating plans for the candidacy review. The candidacy review requires that the cohort member present one paper or written project from each course, as a hard copy and on a compact disk, to the academic advisor prior to the meeting.

The purpose of the candidacy review is to evaluate whether the student:

Has determined an appropriate direction and goal for doctoral studies;
Has sufficient background knowledge of developments, issues, and trends in education to pursue doctoral level studies;
Can demonstrate high-level competence in the use of the English language, including reading, writing and speaking;
Can demonstrate competence in the use of the American Psychological Association writing format.
Has sufficient potential and motivation to complete the doctoral program; and
Has a reasoned basis for pursuing the Doctor of Education degree.

At the conclusion of the candidacy meeting, the Candidacy Review Form will be completed, signed, and dated by the cohort member, the faculty advisor, and the program director. After the successful completion of the candidacy review the cohort member will present a tentative dissertation prospectus to the advisor. The prospectus will contain a tentative dissertation topic, research question, dissertation title, a brief problem statement, an explanation of the significance of the problem, and operational definitions for all concepts in the question. The prospectus will be used in the process of identifying appropriate faculty members who have interest or expertise in the field of the cohort member's research topic.

Dissertation Committee Structure

After the second year of study, the cohort member begins the process of identifying a doctoral committee. It is important to note that while the cohort members’ doctoral committees may remain constant throughout the remaining tenure of their IDEPEL program, committee membership may be changed at any time upon the request of the cohort member or a specific committee member. Cohort members considering changes in their dissertation committee chair, committee member, or faculty advisor should consult with the IDEPEL Program Director.

Cohort members are responsible for assembling a dissertation committee. The committee comprises no fewer than three members and no more than five. It is expected that the cohort member will attract a dissertation committee chair before approaching other prospective committee members, and that the dissertation committee chair will be a full-time Saint Joseph’s faculty member, unless written approval to the contrary is secured from the program director. Dissertation committee chairs who are not members of the IDEPEL faculty will be required to meet with the program director to review the mission and beliefs of the IDEPEL program and the IDEPEL dissertation guidelines.

The doctoral committee is composed of a dissertation chairperson who must be an approved member of the graduate faculty of Saint Joseph’s University. The remainder of the committee will include at least two other committee members, one of who also must be a member of the graduate faculty of Saint Joseph’s University. Additional members may be from faculty outside of Saint Joseph’s University, the cohort member’s mentor, or other individuals who hold a doctoral degree. All committee members must hold a doctoral degree. Note that at least one member of the complete dissertation committee must be a full-time member of the Saint Joseph’s Education Department faculty.