Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership (PSAP)
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership (PSAP)
The Professional School Administrator Program (PSAP) is a highly collaborative, 3-year doctoral program for systems-level educational leaders. Students develop scholarly and practical skills in areas such as leadership for social justice, school reform, community-building, and leadership for learning. PSAP is the unique result of BC’s partnership with the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS) and The Center for Behavioral Health, Equity, and Leadership in Schools (BHELS) at William James College.
Key Features
A Cohort of Leaders
Applicants must demonstrate track records as educational leaders. Cohort members hold leadership positions from across the public, Catholic, independent, and charter school sectors.
Scholarly practice
Boston College is a member institution of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). PSAP students tackle today's challenges, guided by research and data, and focus on educational equity and social justice. Graduates continue on as leaders in districts, states, schools, non-profits, or as graduate-level instructors.
Mentoring and Support
PSAP students are supported by world renowned experts in educational leadership, as well as actively mentored by practicing superintendents, throughout their doctoral journey and beyond.
Executive Schedule
All classes are in person and held 8:30 AM - 4 PM. Classes meet on five Friday-Saturday “weekends” each semester. Summer sessions take place in 2-week blocks, beginning in July of admittance.
At a Glance
Curriculum
Through a cohort model that emphasizes collaborative learning and support, this program aims to create a powerful network of district-level leaders throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and beyond.
Requirements
- Courses: 12
- Credits: 39
- Comprehensive Exam
- LLPS Program Modules
| Course | Course Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| ELHE8819 | Human Resource Administration Addresses fundamental school personnel functions such as hiring, retention, socialization, rewards and sanctions, and performance appraisal. These functions, however, are situated in a broader approach to the human and professional development of school personnel in a learning organization. Situates human resource development within the larger agenda of increased quality of student learning and teacher development. | 3 |
| ELHE7740 | Ethics for District Leaders The course explores how schools are used as a vehicle of the state to de-culturalize various communities of people throughout the country's history. Students will explore how schools can more appropriately promote respect for valuing diversity as a generative source of the country's vitality and its relationship to the global village. The role of educators is not only to act ethically in the many individual situations of their daily professional lives, but more importantly to see that the institutional structures and processes of the school system are themselves reflections of a system of justice and care. | 3 |
| ELHE7703 | Education Law for District Leaders This course addresses the political and legal aspects of the role of education in our democratic society. Provides an introductory survey of public policy issues and laws governing preschool, elementary, and secondary school with a specific focus on the role of school district leadership. Included are such topics as religious freedom, free speech, and due process; the liability of educational institutions and educators; the legal distinctions between private and public institutions; student and parent privacy rights; disability rights; and the promotion of educational equity among all groups regardless of gender, sexual orientation, language, race, religion, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background. | 3 |
| ELHE7780 | Theories of Leadership: District Focus This course is an introduction to and survey of major historical and contemporary theories of educational leadership. Through this course, you will learn about these different theories of leadership, each of which can be of use when researching or evaluating district-level dilemmas, problems, and critical incidents you will encounter in your sites of professional practice. One of the overarching objectives of this course is to help you enter into research-based conversations about educational leadership (as emerging researchers of educational leadership) by understanding how “major thinkers” have thought through the essential questions defining educational leadership as a field of study. The other overarching objective is to provide you the space to enhance your practical wisdom by thinking through how to enact a grounded theory of leadership in your site of professional practice. | 3 |
| ELHE8833 | Leadership for Social Justice: District Focus This course introduces students to the theory and practice of leadership for social justice at the school and district level. Definitions, approaches, and controversies in this emerging field will be examined. Readings, films, class discussions, and case studies related to the topics of race, ethnicity, culture, language, gender, social class, religion, sexual orientation, and disability will focus on how these issues affect educators, students and their families in today's K-12 schools. In particular, students will learn about leadership which is culturally and linguistically responsive; strengthens parent-community-school relationships; and formulates diversity policies to promote educational equity for students from diverse groups. | 3 |
| ELHE9903 | District Level Instructional Leadership Introduces students to many of the contested issues in the field of supervision, such as the relationship between supervision and teacher development, teacher empowerment, teacher alienation, learning theories, school effectiveness, school restructuring, curriculum development, and scientific management. Supervision will be viewed also as a moral, community-nested, artistic, motivating, and collaborative activity. Will stress the need for a restructuring of supervision as an institutional process. | 3 |
| ELHE7760 | Seminar on Education Reform This interdisciplinary seminar addresses the role of law in education reform and the relationship between law and social science in efforts to promote educational attainment in the nation's elementary and secondary schools. The primary focus will be contemporary education reform issues, including educator quality, access to meaningful opportunity to learn, curriculum control, and student, teacher, administrator, and parental rights. The focus of the course will be inquiry on the role of law in school reform, the limits of law-based education reform, and the consequences of statutory requirements for scientific evidence-based approaches to education programs. | 3 |
| Course | Course Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| ELHE8820 | Research Design I This course introduces students to the fundamentals of designing and reporting research. Our level of focus is the skills and knowledge necessary for conceptualizing and crafting research projects. This includes developing familiarity with a variety of methods and designs, selecting researchable problems, and prototyping study designs in accord with particular theoretical lenses. | 3 |
| ELHE8821 | Research Design II This course builds on Research Design I to provide tools and training to support the dissertation-in-practice. The course will deepen students’ understanding of key concepts in education research and how to use research in educational leadership to transform schools and systems of schools. As part of this specialized course for PSAP candidates, students will carefully examine the parts of a dissertation proposal, developing both their group and individual proposals. Students will critically examine the processes of empirical inquiry, including (a) formulating research questions from literature reviews, (b) articulating conceptual frameworks, and (c) formalizing methodology. | 3 |
| ELHE8823 | Research Design III This course focuses on the skills of analyzing and reporting qualitative research findings. It is organized as a graduate seminar or workshop: students will learn by doing. In such a setting, the instructors and students work together as colleagues, offering each other individualized feedback or assistance. By the end of this course, students should have: (a) conceptual knowledge about data analysis; (b) practical knowledge about analyzing and reporting research; and (c) a summary of findings for their independent research projects. | 3 |
| ELHE8703 | Dissertation in Practice Seminar Dissertation seminar related course work for advanced doctoral students. | 3 |
| ELHE8704 | Dissertation in Practice Direction Dissertation related course work for advanced doctoral students. | 3 |
| ELHE8706 | Dissertation in Practice Group Direction Dissertation related course work for advanced doctoral students. | 3 |
| Course | Course Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| ELHE9901 | Doctoral Comprehensive Exam An important program milestone is the individual qualifying paper, also known as the “comprehensive exam” or “comp.” This paper is completed in the Spring of Year 2. The purpose of the comp is to propose the individual empirical study that the student intends to complete as a part of their Dissertation-in-Practice (DIP). In this paper, you must demonstrate your skills in conceptualizing, articulating, and designing the study you intend to complete for your DIP. | 0 |
- Competence in instructional leadership (district level leadership, ethics and equity, culturally proficient leadership, needs of diverse learners, collaborative, reflective, open to feedback, strong oral and written communication, self-directed, confident)
- Competence in management and operations (planning and implementing change, budget development, human capital analysis, school committee relationships, strategic thinking, teaming skills)
- Competence in family and community engagement (culturally proficient leadership, educational equity audit and diversity planning, professional development implementation, community relationships, crisis communication)
- Competence in professional culture (self-awareness, culturally proficient leadership, team leadership, reflectiveness and self-assessment of leadership)
- Competence in advanced level data collection, analysis, and interpretation of research in the field of educational leadership
Leadership Licensure Program for Superintendents (LLPS)
The Leadership Licensure Program for Superintendents (LLPS) is a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) approved path to fulfill the requirements for a Massachusetts initial license as a Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent under the partnership of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS) and The Center for Behavioral Health, Equity, and Leadership in Schools (BHELS) at William James College. Successful completion of the associated LLPS curriculum modules are required for earning the Ed.D. from Boston College, regardless if a candidate is pursuing DESE licensure.
LLPS curriculum modules are taught concurrently with a 500-hour practicum for those pursuing licensure.
Candidates work under the direction of an LLPS Supervisor and Supervisor Practitioner, both of whom are licensed superintendents or assistant superintendents. Students have regular opportunities for feedback, assessment, and reflection.
LLPS Module Topics:
- DNA of Equity-Centered Leadership
- Management and Operations
- Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners
- High Performing Teams
- Supervision and Evaluation
- Family and Community Engagement
- Productive Superintendent/School Committee Partnerships
Learn more by clicking the button below for additional information on the LLPS and the licensure program.
Tuition & Aid
Education should level the playing field. We feel the same way about financial aid.
The Lynch School of Education and Human Development provides more than $10.8 million in financial aid to students each year. As a result, the quality of BC’s instruction, the benefit of our alumni network, and the impact a BC degree will have on your employment options is both affordable and invaluable.
Careers
Roles
- Superintendent
- Director of Curriculum & Instruction
- Executive Director
- Director of Pupil Services
- Chief Academic Officer
- Dean of Students
- Executive Director of Strategy
- Assistant Superintendent
Organizations
- Parishville-Hopkinton Central School District
- Ludlow Public Schools
- Southern Worcester County Educational Collaborative
- Hopkinton Public Schools
- Brockton Public Schools
- Newton South High School
- Boston Public Schools
- Holyoke Public Schools
Research in Practice
Throughout the program, Students prepare brief practitioner oriented reports to demonstrate meaningful impact on practice.
Apply
PrintApplication & Deadlines
The next cohort begins July 2025.
Prerequisite Information: To be eligible for the EdD program, applicants must already hold a Master's degree. To finalize the admissions process, applicants must supply a letter from their supervisor confirming that they will be released to attend classes.
A non-refundable application fee of $75 is required. The fee is waived for select applicants.
Summer 2025
- Deadline: January 15, 2025
Resume
To be uploaded to your online application.
In addition to your academic history and relevant volunteer and/or work experience, please include any licenses currently held, any social justice-related experience, any language skills other than English, and any research experience or publications.
Personal Statement
To be uploaded to your online application.
PSAP students are outstanding administrators and have diverse backgrounds, experiences, and interests. Together, cohort members collaborate with and challenge each other intellectually. Your personal statement provides an opportunity to get to know you, your hopes for your doctoral experience, and what you might bring to the cohort. In 1,000-1,500 words, please tell us about some of your aspirations, research interests, and any challenges or experiences that shed light on you as a leader or potential cohort member.
Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation are required in total. These letters help provide an overall picture of you as a leader, collaborator, and potential graduate student. Ideally, at least one letter should assess your potential for doctoral-level work, from someone well-situated to provide that assessment, such as a professor or researcher in education or a related field.
Transcripts
Transcripts from all college/university study are required.
Applicants who have received degrees from institutions outside the United States should view the "International Students" section for additional credential evaluation requirements.
Please begin your online application before submitting your transcripts. Details on how to submit transcripts and international credential evaluations can be found within the application. In order to ensure your transcript reaches our office, it is important to review and follow the instructions.
Standardized Tests
GRE scores are not required. If you wish to send GRE scores, the Lynch School GRE code is 3218.
Please view the "International Students" section for information on English Proficiency test requirements.
Writing Sample
To be uploaded to your online application.
All applicants to this program are required to submit one writing sample demonstrating their ability to effectively communicate at the graduate level. Applicants should be the sole author of the sample, and it should reflect (a) critical thinking and/or synthesis of ideas, and (b) effective organization, logic, and argumentation. Often, an academic term paper or master’s thesis is the most appropriate choice, regardless of how long ago the paper was written. However, other genres of writing (e.g., journal article, op-ed, district evaluation report) may also be appropriate.
International Students
Applicants who have completed a degree outside of the United States must have a course-by-course evaluation of their transcript(s) completed by an evaluation company approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Submission of falsified documents is grounds for denial of admission or dismissal from the University.
Applicants who are not native speakers of English and who have not received a degree from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction must also submit a TOEFL or IELTS test result that meets the minimum score requirement.
Please click the link below for full details on these requirements.
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