All graduate degree programs are under the authority of the UNL College of Graduate Studies. That campus unit sets broad requirements for the degree and must accept the program of studies given it by the graduate student. Application for admission is first made to the graduate college (http:// ). The graduate college then accepts the appointment of a supervisory committee to oversee the work of the graduate student. And the graduate college then accepts the recommendation of the supervisory committee for a program of studies leading to the degree. Contact Graduate Studies for further information.
Ed.D. and Ph.D. Degree
Students considering doctoral work in Educational Administration often must consider which degree they seek. The Ed.D. is normally defined as a degree with an emphasis on practice. Some education schools or colleges only offer an Ed.D. degree ( Harvard University for example). The Ph.D. is the degree modeled after doctoral programs in Arts and Sciences which is sometimes perceived as a more legitimate degree in higher education settings. At UNL, the distinctions between the two are found mainly in the expectations of the Graduate College in terms of hours required. The Ed.D. degree requires 96 hours beyond the baccalaureate degree including research tools. The Ph.D. degree requires 90 hours beyond the baccalaureate degree excluding research tools. Otherwise the differences are negligible in terms of how students in Educational Administration experience these two. Students therefore need to consider the uses to which they wish to put their doctoral degree and decide which of the two options is most suitable.
Doctoral Degree Program Information Sheet
Education Studies (the department’s doctoral major)
Within the College of Education and Human Sciences four doctoral majors are offered. For students in either Educational Leadership and Higher Education or in Architecture Education the doctoral degree, when awarded, will be specifically called as a degree is in the field of Education Studies. This degree may be either an Ed.D. or Ph.D. depending on the program of studies filed with the Graduate College.
The department grants an Ed.D. degree in Educational Administration for individuals whose career path is leadership in elementary or secondary schools. This is a degree designed specifically for individuals who work as building level principals or district leaders (superintendent, assistant superintendent, curriculum supervisers, SPED coordinators or school business officials).
Requirements for Applicants
Credits
The UNL Graduate College requires 90 credit hours exclusive of the research tools for the PhD degree and 96 credit hours including the research tools for the EdD degree. Students may transfer in up to 45 graduate credit hours from another accredited institution subject to the following:
- the Graduate College accepts the hours and has an official transcript
- the supervisory committee accepts the hours on the program of studies.
Residency
At the moment, students are not required to be physically present on campus. The Department may change this practice in the future. However, the UNL Graduate College does have what is labeled a residency requirement. By this, the Graduate College means that a student must complete a set number of credit hours within a time period. For the PhD degree, students must complete 27 hours within a consecutive 18 months. For a member of the university or a person employed in their major field, a person may instead complete 24 credit hours within a consecutive 24 month period. A further restriction specifies that no more than one third of the work for residency or 9 hours may be taken during summer sessions. This requirement holds for the EdD degree as well although the supervisory committee may determine how many hours may be taken in the summer. For clarification, please see the on-line version of the Graduate Studies Bulletin at http://www.unl.edu/unlpub/bulletin_grad/index.shtml
Cost Estimates for Students interested in Doctoral Degrees
Roughly, what does it cost to earn a doctoral degree?
Cost will vary according to several factors. Non-resident students will pay more than resident students. Students who are able to transfer in the maximum number or hours (45 hours from an accredited graduate program) allowed by the Graduate College and accepted by the supervisory committee will pay less than those who can not transfer in the maximum.
Here is a rough calculation for resident part time students in 2008-09 numbers. Assume one can transfer in 45 hours and has to complete an additional 60 hours. The current resident tuition per credit hour is $237.50. Tuition expenses, assuming the rate does not change, would be almost $13,000. In addition, the university assesses fees to support various programs and facilities that currently cost about $200 per semester. Assuming students take six hours per semester for ten semesters, fees would add up to about $2,000. However, when one is taking dissertation hours, one may not be paying for university fees so this number is an over estimate. Books for courses add to the cost of degree and are difficult to predict. But assume it will cost about $175 per course to purchase required texts. This will cost about $2,000 and is probably low.
If one is a non-resident part time student taking classes on campus the tuition rate goes up substantially to $712.50 per credit hour. Most students who are non-resident students in Educational Administration take distance courses and these are charged at a different rate. For students taking distance courses, the tuition rate is $455.00 per credit hour for a doctoral degree. As with resident students, some fees are charged. Additionally, the distance student must be equipped with adequate computer hardware, software, and internet access. This is an expense. And, most students will spend a short time on campus with associated expenses for travel, board and lodging.
|
RESIDENT |
DISTANCE
(non-resident) |
NON-RESIDENT
(on-campus) |
|
$237.50 |
$455.00 |
$712.50 |
Tuition (@60 hours) |
$12,000 |
$21,000 |
$32,500 |
Fees |
$2,000 |
|
$2,000 |
Distance Fees |
|
$1,200 |
|
Books |
$2,000 |
$2,000 |
$2,000 |
|
|
|
|
TOTALS |
$16,000 |
$24,200 |
$36,500 |
These numbers are intended to give you a general sense of the cost of doctoral study with us. Some students are able to offset these costs with graduate assistant stipends but the department only has two of these and they are highly competitive. For the most part, doctoral students in educational administration cannot expect assistance from the campus.
GRE Scores
The department requires that applicants for the doctoral degree programs complete and submit GRE scores. A minimum score of 1000 (verbal and quantitative combined) is required.
