The University of West Florida offers a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Curriculum and Instruction. The doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction prepares students for leadership roles by providing learning and enrichment in the areas of diversity, quantitative and qualitative research, educational theory and philosophy, educational technology, and multicultural education. The extensive coursework offered through the Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at UWF may assist educators in designing innovative methods for providing instruction to struggling students, designing and modifying curricula, researching and assessing school programs, and leading change in educational organizations. In addition to the core coursework, students have the opportunity to determine an area of specialized study. The specialization areas encompass Administration and Leadership, and Curriculum and Assessment.  

The Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction is designed to meet the educational needs of a wide variety of professionals with backgrounds that include, but are not limited to, education and training professionals; community college, state college, and university personnel; social service personnel; community civic leaders; and military personnel. The Ed.D. program prepares professionals to assume administrative, higher education, and other leadership positions.  The successful candidate will conduct and evaluate applied research studies that emphasize local, regional, and state issues and problems within their respective fields.

Student performance in the doctoral program will be continually assessed, include successful completion of the competency-based portfolio, and require a B or better in all coursework. Students who earn below a grade of B in more than two courses may not be permitted to enroll in additional coursework. Students who earn two unsatisfactory grades during the dissertation phase may not be permitted to enroll in additional hours of dissertation and may be removed from the program. Students must successfully complete 45 semester hours of coursework and 15 hours of dissertation credits. The dissertation hours are broken down as follows: there are three structured Doctoral Seminars including EDF 8931 focusing on an extensive background paper; EDF 8935 , which focuses on the pre-proposal and oral defense;  and EDF 8933, which covers the dissertation proposal and oral defense. After these structured and guided processes for the dissertation, students will have a minimum of six more credits to complete the fieldwork, analysis, and write their dissertation. At this point students,  in consultation with their Doctoral Dissertation Committee, take a minimum of 1 semester hour of dissertation credit depending on their progress in the field work, analysis and writing until they obtain the minimum of the required 15 credits. Students must successfully defend their dissertation and submit an approved dissertation to be eligible for graduation. The submission processes and policy are detailed in the eLearning course shell in which all students are enrolled upon admission to the program. 

Policy on Full-Time Enrollment

Doctoral students are required to complete 60 semester hours (sh) of coursework, including 27 sh in the professional core and 18 sh in their selected specialization. The remaining 15 sh are reserved for the dissertation requirement as broken down above.

Because of the rigor of doctoral courses, full-time enrollment within the UWF Ed.D. Program is defined to be 6 hours per semester. Students will be unable to enroll in more than 6 hours per semester. If for any extenuating circumstances a student wishes to take more than the full-time load of 6 credits, permission must be obtained through an official application. The application should address the following:

• GPA must be higher than 3.75.
• The application by the student should state and explain the extenuating circumstances dictating the need to take extra credits.
• The student must submit an updated graduation plan, recommended by the academic advisor and the specialization coordinator indicating how the additional course will be accommodated in the rotation of courses and its impact on the student’s pathway to graduation.
• The application should be routed through, signed, and dated by the following for approval: Specialization Coordinator, School Director, Ed.D Program Director, and CEPS Dean.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the University graduate admission requirements described in the Admissions section of the catalog, each department bases decisions for regular admission on a holistic review of credentials in which the following criteria are used to assess the potential success of each applicant:

• Master’s Transcripts and GPA 
• Submission of a resume
• Submission of three professional letters of reference where at least two of the references are able to speak to your academic work, writing skills, and sustainability for rigorous doctoral academic work.
• Submission of a letter of intent that includes answers to the following prompts:
  • What personal and professional goals do you hope to meet through earning a doctorate, and why do you think the UWF Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction is a good fit for your goals?
  • What special knowledge, skills, and experiences would you bring to the chosen specialization, and how are these aligned with the mission of the doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction as a whole? If you have had experiences that may have affected your academic performance, please provide explanatory context.
  • Clearly articulate how your skill set and experiences align with the description of the selected specialization, and show how these will impact your career trajectory.

Note: Your responses to the three prompts should be no less than six double-spaced pages, 12 font size in Times New Roman.

Some specializations admit applicants once per year; contact the specialization's program coordinator for specific admission deadlines or visit the Curriculum & Instruction, Ed.D. webpage for more information.

Degree Requirements

To be eligible for an Ed.D. degree in Curriculum and Instruction, a student must complete a minimum of 60 semester hours including all requirements listed in the Graduation and General Degree Requirements section of this catalog along with the Professional Core, Specialization, and Dissertation Requirements listed below:

Professional Core Requirements (27 sh)

* Optional Elective: Students who are interested in an internship or study abroad may register for EDF 8940 Seminar: Supervised Doctoral Internship

This program requires a significant amount of writing, all of which must follow the APA guidelines. Students should complete the online APA tutorial before the end of the first semester of enrollment to assist them in mastering the APA style. EDF 7404 Quantitative Methods and Educational Statistics I presumes an understanding of basic statistics. Thus, students should complete the online statistics tutorial before enrolling in this class, which is normally taken in the second year of the program.

Specialization Area (18 sh)

• Administration and Leadership Studies
• Curriculum and Assessment

Dissertation Requirement (15 sh)

Administration and Leadership Studies Specialization

The Administration and Leadership Studies Specialization focuses on educational systems, change theory, leadership theory, and professional ethics.

Curriculum and Assessment Specialization

The curriculum and assessment specialization is designed for individuals in public and private sectors who want to specialize in the theory, development, and implementation of curriculum and assessment.  This specialization is grounded in theories and models of curriculum and assessment.