Purpose: This page provides information to students enrolled in the Education Specialist in Executive Educational Leadership (EdS-ExEL) in the College of Education (CoED) at Boise State University. For those enrolled in the Ed.S. in Educational Technology, information can be found in the handbook for that program.

Introduction: Since the inception of the EdS-ExEL program, many of its alumni have applied to, and have been admitted in, the Ed.D. in Curriculum & Instruction degree program at Boise State University. Many have been successful in their pursuit of their doctoral degree. Some advantages that EdS-ExEL graduates have with respect to pursuing their doctorate at BSU is that (1) They have completed a number of courses, the credits for which can be applied to the Ed.D., (2) They are familiar with the CoED professors, expectations, etc., and (3) they are familiar with University processes, Graduate College policies, and so on. We welcome applications from EdS-ExEL students and alumni. Below are a number of questions we have received, with answers provided. If you have more questions, please contact us at eddoctorate@boisestate.edu

Those who pursue doctoral students in BSU’s program need to be committed to research, be very skilled in academic writing, and have the ability to grasp advanced concepts in quantitative and qualitative analysis. Furthermore, doctoral students must have excellent executive functioning skills, emotional intelligence, and a deep commitment to ethical decision-making. While our program does not require an entrance examination (like the Graduate Record Exam, or GRE) for an application, an applicant’s references must be able to speak to all of those areas listed. Finally, the absolute number one resource that doctoral students must have is TIME, as that alone predicts whether a person will successfully finish the program. While it’s possible to pursue the degree just one course per semester, the preparation of one’s research study, carrying it out, doing the analysis, and writing-up results in the form of a dissertation demands a serious investment of multiple hours. If you, as a person considering an application to the Ed.D. program, is already “stretched thin” by work obligations, family demands, civic duties, etc., then perhaps you should first look at how it’s possible to structure your time to excel in your doctoral work.

An important question you must ask yourself is this: Why do I desire to pursue a doctorate? Is it for the prestige of letters behind one’s name, or a title? Is it for a promotion or a raise? Is it to secure a different position entirely, or even add part-time work (like adjunct teaching)? Is it because you’re deeply committed to research? Maybe you’re wanting to do it to make your family proud. Is it a personal challenge or “bucket-list” item? None of those answers is wrong per se, and in all likelihood there is more than one reason you could give. In the end, however, no matter your own top reasons to pursue the Ed.D., you must be committed to the journey, not just the end. What you learn along the way – and maybe this is not just academic material, but things you learn about others or about yourself – is as important as any research skills you will obtain. And it’s a long journey … not one completed in one or two years, but often at least three or more.

Some important questions

(1) Do I have to apply to the EdD program when I’ve already been admitted to the EdS-EL?

Yes, you do (and you’ll also have to pay the application fee unless you are somehow except from doing so). You can apply during three different windows, as explained on the Application section of this handbook.

(2) Am I guaranteed admission?

No. No one is guarantee admission, no matter how well they have done academically in graduate studies. The reason that we can not guarantee admission is that we are limited to the number of students we can admit in any given term by the number of faculty members who have the capacity to take a doctoral applicant as their advisee. Furthermore, we only have a limited number of faculty who specialize in ed leadership topics, so that also impacts admission decisions.

(3) Do I need to complete the EdS-EL before I apply to the doctoral program?

No. You can complete both concurrently. However, you are encouraged to complete the EdS-EL first.

The following assume you have completed the EdS-ExEL

(1) How quickly can I finish the degree?

If one is taking a full-time load of classes, then the earliest one will likely graduate is about 13 terms, which is just over 3 years. Because the dissertation is nuanced, then the study one chooses may take shorter or longer.

(2) How do my EdS-EL classes count toward the doctorate if I am admitted to it?

The EdD program requires 60 total credits. We will approve up to 1/2 of the total credits required, which is 30 hours. You must a grade of B- or above for a course to count toward the doctoral studies program. Below we show how the required EdS-ExEL courses (as of Fall 2024) map onto EdD requirements (as of Fall 2024).

(3) If I completed the EdS-ExEL program in the past, can I still use the credits? Do they expire?

The answer to this question is nuanced. Generally speaking, we do not approve courses that are more than five years old at the time of enrollment. However, if a student is admitted to the program, they can make an appeal for older courses to be applied IF they can show continuous professional practice in the content of the courses since they were taken.

(4) Can I develop an alternate project than a dissertation?

No. While there are different types of research-based dissertations one can do (ex., an “article-based dissertation”), a dissertation is required.

(5) What is the format of the Ed.D. program? Is it on-campus? Online?

All courses in the EdD C&I program can be taken by students outside of the Treasure Valley who may not be able to come to campus. Some of the courses are hybrid, meaning some students will be on-campus and others will be in a “Zoom Room.” Many classes are “Remote,” which means that while the course never meets in-person, students do have to be in attendance online at a certain time on a certain date (some remote classes meet each week, and others less frequently). Finally, some courses may be “Online” (only), which means that they are entirely asynchronous and do not meet in-person or at a given time via Zoom.

(6) Cost of the Program

The per-credit-hour course for graduate courses in the EdD C&I program is approximately $450. Thus, given that one must complete 30 hours beyond the EdS-ExEL, the total cost of tuition (as of Fall 2024) would be approximately $12,750. That amount does not count books or other purchases to be made for the program.

Students who are benefit-eligible employees in the State of Idaho have a different cost associated with taking courses. Please see your HR benefits for more detail.

(7) Can I start working on my dissertation immediately? Do I build parts of it as I go along?

A student can start working on their research idea(s) as soon as they’d like, which is why people admitted to the program are paired with a faculty member as soon as they are admitted to the program.  Research frameworks and ideas and questions evolve over time, so it’s rather likely that what one develops in Semester 1 will not look the same in Semester 4. It is possible to build parts of the dissertation throughout the program, but this is not done formally via classes or other experiences.

(8) What other information can you give me about the doctoral program?

The handbook in which this chapter is located is full of information about the doctorate in curriculum & instruction. If you do not find the information you’re looking for, we are happy to answer it, eddoctorate@boisestate.edu

We will add more questions here as we see them.