Chairperson: Jody Jessup-Anger, Ph.D.
Educational Policy and Leadership website

Degree Offered

Doctor of Philosophy

Program Description

The EDPL doctoral program develops educational scholar-practitioners, researchers, and leaders who possess the commitment, perspective, and skills to implement strategies for greater equity in a variety of educational settings. Students inquire deeply into the foundational knowledge of education, exploring how the organization of schools, institutions of higher education, and society shape educational processes. Students gain theoretical knowledge in specific disciplinary/topical concentrations, enabling them to further examine educational practice in a chosen context. Finally, students acquire expertise in research methods which equip them to advance and enact educational knowledge. The program supports EDPL Ph.D. graduates to work actively to create a more just society.

CAREER SKILLS REQUIREMENT FOR PHD STUDENTS

Marquette University is committed to preparing our students to become exemplary leaders in their chosen academic and professional fields by preparing them for careers in which they find purpose and value by engaging in Ignatian pedagogical reflection and practice. The purpose of the career skills requirement is to ensure all doctoral students have the opportunity to reflect on their desired career and to acquire essential career-related skills needed for them to pursue their chosen path.

Students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in Fall 2024 and beyond at Marquette must complete three career skills requirements. Requirements are satisfied by one or more of approved courses, workshops, or practical experiences in each category, as approved by the Graduate School. Completion of each skill will be noted on the student’s transcript.

CAREER DISCERNMENT

Students will be able to identify and prepare for career pathways that are consistent with their values.

Objectives:

1. Understand realities of academic job market for your discipline, creating space for career imagination and understand potential career paths.
2. Exploration of, and defining student’s own identity/experiences/values/strengths/gifts and how the career pathway fits with those values.
3. Students will learn to identify and attain the skills and experiences necessary to obtain the career pathway they desire.

¹

The Career Development Bootcamp is a weeklong immersive event held in May that satisfies both the Career Discernment and Communication skills requirements, via GRAD 8097 and GRAD 8098, respectively. Students must enroll in both GRAD 8097 and GRAD 8098 simultaneously and attend all sessions. Courses are taken concurrently to satisfy two of the three Ph.D. career skills requirements.

²

The Career Discernment/Career Diversity Skills Seminar Series is a series of seven, 90-minute seminars that satisfies both the Career Discernment and Communication skills requirements, via GRAD 8097 and GRAD 8098, respectively. Students first enroll in GRAD 8097, offered each fall term, and then enroll in GRAD 8098, offered each spring term. Courses are taken sequentially and in combination to satisfy two of the three Ph.D. career skills requirements.

COMMUNICATION

Students will be able to communicate their ideas and scholarship effectively to audiences beyond those in their discipline.

Objectives:

1. Demonstrate the ability to communicate (e.g., research, expertise, experiences) effectively and ethically with disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and nonacademic audiences.
2. Demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively and ethically within various contexts, formats, and media.
3. Demonstrate the ability to effectively deliver a presentation and facilitate discussion.

¹

The Career Development Bootcamp is a weeklong immersive event held in May that satisfies both the Career Discernment and Communication skills requirements, via GRAD 8097 and GRAD 8098, respectively. Students must enroll in both GRAD 8097 and GRAD 8098 simultaneously and attend all sessions. Courses are taken concurrently to satisfy two of the three Ph.D. career skills requirements.

²

The Career Discernment/Career Diversity Skills Seminar Series is a series of seven, 90-minute seminars that satisfies both the Career Discernment and Communication skills requirements, via GRAD 8097 and GRAD 8098, respectively. Students first enroll in GRAD 8097, offered each fall term, and then enroll in GRAD 8098, offered each spring term. Courses are taken sequentially and in combination to satisfy two of the three Ph.D. career skills requirements.

Establishing Healthy Professional Communities

Students will understand the importance of community building and engagement in the creation and maintenance of professional environments and how these issues are related to their relevant career pathways.

Objectives:

1. Students will be aware of and able to identify various forms of bias in professional environments and will understand possible strategies to address any issues.
2. Students will be able to articulate the value of universal design principles and their ethical application to their own area of studies and future professional endeavors.
3. Students will be able to work productively and interact effectively with persons from varied backgrounds, experiences, values, ideas, and opinions, leading to stronger professional communities and environments.

Educational Policy and Leadership, PHD

A Marquette doctoral student must complete a 57-credit program of study prepared in consultation with their adviser and outlined on an approved Doctoral Program Planning Form. The program must include an earned master’s degree of 30 credit hours, an additional 45 credit hours of course work, and 12 credit hours of dissertation course work.

Transferring credits from master’s programs:

•   A maximum of 15 master’s credits can be considered for transfer from another institution.
•   Additional master’s credits may be considered for transfer from a closely related Marquette University master’s degree program.

In both cases, the transfer of credits is considered on a case-by-case basis by the student’s adviser and/or the Doctoral Program Committee based on the following factors:

1. EDPL courses listed as requirements or electives in the doctoral program description can be accepted for transfer given adequate student performance;
2. Level of theoretical course content for courses not listed in the program;
3. Student performance in transfer course.

In all cases, should the adviser and/or Doctoral Program Committee determine a student is not sufficiently prepared to begin dissertation research upon completion of course work, EDPL reserves the right to require the student to take appropriate course/s toward completion of the doctoral degree.

A doctoral program must contain the following elements:

Students may create a customized set of electives with the approval of their adviser.

Normally, no second language is required, unless, at the discretion of the student’s adviser, proficiency in a second language is necessary in a student’s research.

The residency requirement for EDPL doctoral students is met when the student has completed three consecutive terms with a minimum of three credits each term. Summer can be, but is not required to be, included to meet the residency requirement. 

A doctoral student must pass two developmental assessments and a written and oral qualifying exam prior to advancement to candidacy. The developmental assessments, EDPL 8500 Doctoral Student Performance Assessment 1 and EDPL 8510 Doctoral Student Performance Assessment 2 are completed as course work. Each assessment is a 0-credit course. The doctoral qualifying exam (DQE) is the dissertation proposal, which includes a written component and an oral defense and is taken after the completion of course work. A student’s DQE committee and the dissertation committee (typically the same members) should include at least two faculty from the EDPL department. The remaining members may be from outside the department with no more than one coming from outside the university. Students should select all committee members in consultation with their adviser. 

The doctoral dissertation must represent an original research contribution and show high attainment and clear ability to do independent research. Students must successfully defend both their dissertation proposal and the final dissertation.

University Policies

Graduate School Policies

Master's Programs

The goal of the master’s programs is to engage the professional educator in extended critical reflection on the principles, practices, and rationales of human-service leadership in contemporary society. Specifically, the programs seek to develop educational leaders in K-12 schools, colleges, universities and educational organizations with expertise in the historical, philosophical and sociological foundations of educational policy issues. The programs are designed to accommodate the working professional, and program content is composed to reflect student backgrounds, interests and professional objectives.

Certification Programs

The College of Education offers a variety of certification programs which prepare students to obtain state certification and licensure. Certification program requirements are in alignment with requirements for educational licensure through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Certificates are granted by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The university’s decisions on recommendations for certification are made by its licensing officer after appropriate consultations and requirement reviews.

Doctoral Program

The EDPL doctoral program develops educational scholar-practitioners, researchers, and leaders who possess the commitment, perspective, and skills to implement strategies for greater equity in a variety of educational settings. Students inquire deeply into the foundational knowledge of education, exploring how the organization of schools, institutions of higher education, and society shape educational processes. Students gain theoretical knowledge in specific disciplinary/topical concentrations, enabling them to further examine educational practice in a chosen context.  Finally, students acquire expertise in research methods which equip them to advance and enact educational knowledge. The program supports EDPL Ph.D. graduates to work actively to create a more just society.