UT Tyler School of Education

Doctor of Education in School Improvement - Online

Program Information

Degree: EdD
Hours: 60
College: College of Education and Psychology 

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the Ed.D. in School Improvement program, a prospective student must:

• Hold a master’s degree in an education related field from a regionally or nationally accredited institution.
• Have at least three years of experience in education (record of service).
  Write and submit an essay related to a school improvement problem of practice limited to 1,000 words.
• Submit a resume in .pdf or Word format at the link provided in the Application Submission Process section below.

 
Application Instructions

Total Program Tuition Cost: Based on the 2023-2024 tuition schedule for Texas residents, the total cost of the program is approximately $32,014. Once a student has completed the required 60 hours, including 12 hours of dissertation, the student must continue to enroll in 1 credit of dissertation until he/she completes the program. At this point, 1 doctoral credit (online) is about $1,051.

Scholarships/Financial Support:  Yes
Student Research:  Yes
Eligibility: Must have a master's degree in an education related field from a regionally or nationally accredited institution and have at least three years of experience in education.

Resume/Curriculum Vitae: Yes
Admissions Essay: Yes
Deadlines: Admission until the cohort is full or before the before the summer institute.

Application Deadline

The next available cohort start term is fall 2025.  The application for this cohort will be available September 1, 2024.

Completed applications, including the written prompt response, received by Saturday, March 1, 2025 are guaranteed to be reviewed and considered by the admissions committee. There is no guarantee that applications submitted after the priority admission deadline will be reviewed. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed by the committee.

The committee will select and invite applicants to final interviews beginning March 15, 2025 and will continue until the cohort is full.

Interviews will begin the week of March 17, 2025 or upon completion of application thereafter.

The initial admission decisions will be made and communicated to the students by April 1, 2025, or if applying after the priority date, after the interview.

Students must commit to attend the face-to-face Ed.D. summer institute to be eligible to enroll in the Fall 2024 cohort.  The summer institute will be July 7-11, 2025.  Students who are not able to attend the summer institute will be required to reapply for the Fall 2026 cohort.

Application Submission Process

• Complete the application for admission to a graduate program.
• Using this Qualtrics form submit a resume and a 750-1,000 word essay using the that discusses one of the three following problems of practice:
  • Insufficient Time and Effectiveness of Professional Learning
  • Inadequate Academic Intervention or Differentiation for the Diverse Student Populations
  • Poor School Climate and Quality of Student and Teacher Relationship
• PLEASE NOTE: Do not submit the essay until you have applied and have a student ID number.
• Submit the following documents directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions at the address below:
  • Official transcripts from undergraduate and graduate institutions attended
  • Copy of the applicant’s complete service record

The Office of Graduate Admissions, HPR 248
The University of Texas at Tyler
3900 University Blvd
Tyler Texas 75799

You may also email documents to gradadmissions@uttyler.edu

Career Outlook: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates employment prospects will increase 7 percent through 2031, and opportunities for professionals within certain specialties are expected to be even greater. A doctoral degree is a definite asset for school administrators.

Salary Information: See Bureau of Labor Statistics for detailed salary information on these careers. Another great resource is the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Be Ready for Leadership Roles in Education

The UT Tyler Ed.D. in School Improvement will provide Texas educators the option to complete an online doctoral program that is a unique opportunity for educators to develop a deep understanding of change theory, foundations of school improvement, and issues of diversity. The program will facilitate the transfer of theoretical constructs and understanding to practice.  

Our primary method of delivery is in an online environment. Students will be required to attend an annual summer face-to-face seminar where they will have the opportunity to collaborate with their classmates and the Ed.D. faculty.

The goals of the Ed.D. in School Improvement are to:

• Produce the next generation of educators who understand the philosophical and historical perspectives of school reform, diversity, learning opportunities for all, and can address educational issues using a variety of strategies.
• Develop critical reasoning and a deep understanding of improvement science and change theories to address challenges in school improvement contexts. This will include the skills to provide transformative leadership to schools that are failing, at risk of failing or are seeking ways to continuously improve to meet academic, social, and emotional standards.
• Provide opportunities to develop doctoral students’ ability to approach challenges in innovative data-driven ways, including the use of interdisciplinary teams, as well as expand their problem solving, creative design, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Conduct research of practice and responsiveness to improve teaching and learning experiences, counseling and support services, school leadership, educational organizations and structures, and all other educational disciplines.

Learn about UT Tyler’s School of Education faculty.

School Improvement Courses

Degree Requirements (60 credit hours)

School Improvement Courses (30 hours)

• EDSI 6311 – Data-Driven Planning for School Improvement
• EDSI 6312 – The Study and Application of Improvement Science 
• EDSI 6313 – School Improvement & Accountability Models
• EDSI 6314 – Research-Based Pedagogies for School Improvement
• EDSI 6320 – Leading Critical Conversations for School Improvement
• EDSI 6321 – Support Systems for Job-Embedded Professional Learning
• EDSI 6322 – Culturally Responsive Practices for School Improvement
• EDSI 6323 – Instructional Supervision for School Improvement
• EDSI 6330 – School Culture & Community Engagement for School Improvement
• EDSI 6331 – Educational Policy and School Improvement

Educational Research Methods (15 hours)

• EDRM 6350 – Program Evaluation in the Education Setting
• EDRM 6351 – Design-Based Implementation Research
• EDRM 6352 – Quantitative Research Methods in the Education Setting
• EDRM 6353 – Qualitative Methods in the Education Setting
• EDRM 6354 – Learning Analytics

School Improvement Summer Residency (3 hours)

• EDSI 6370 – School Improvement Policy Residency (face to face)

Dissertation/Dissertation in Practice (12 hours)*

• EDSI 6160 – Dissertation (2 hours)**
• EDSI 6161 – Dissertation (3 hours)**
• EDSI 6162 – Dissertation (1 hour)
• EDSI 6360 – Dissertation (6 hours)

*Once students complete the required 12 credit hours of dissertation or dissertation in practice, the student will be required to register for 1-credit per semester until the successful completion of the dissertation.

**The summer dissertation sessions will be face-to-face and will be scheduled during the required annual summer workshop.  All other 1-credit dissertation courses will be online synchronous courses.

Additional Information

• Course Rotation
• Ed.D. School Improvement Handbook

For program information, contact the program co-directors:

 

For admission information, contact the School of Education Graduate Admissions Coordinator at SOEgraduate@uttyler.edu.