Ed.D. Student Resources

During the first year students should be thinking about potential research topics and professors that may have similar interests and expertise in these areas. Regardless of timeline, by the end of your 860A course, students are expected to recruit a SOE faculty member to serve as dissertation committee chair.

The beginning of your 860A course will provide assistance with this process and credit for the course is partially dependent on the formal selection of your chair. Still, it would be helpful to take advantage of formal and informal opportunities to get to know faculty, particularly in your first year. Don't be hesitant to email a professor, tell them you're interested in their work and ask if you can talk with them about it, even if you don't know them. All professors like to talk about their research. Meet our School of Education faculty.

Students must submit a Dissertation Chair Form after a verbal agreement has been established between student and dissertation chair.

Student Responsibilities

• Identify a dissertation chair with expertise in the appropriate research topic.
• Submit dissertation form to formalize the agreement.
• Schedule regular meetings with dissertation chair to discuss development of ideas, research progress, etc.
• Take the initiative on moving the dissertation forward.
• Submit work to chair and committee in a timely fashion.
• Set realistic timelines.

Dissertation Chair Responsibilities

• Provide guidance and constructive feedback in relation to research topic and dissertation.
• Collaborate with student to identify a dissertation committee in accordance to the EdD committee policy.
• Support student through the IRB process.

The Ed.D. Qualifying Milestone Paper is a writing assessment that is demonstrative of the mastery of core-course content and writing skills that are required to progress to the dissertation stage.

The Qualifying Milestone paper can be submitted either in August or December. Students self-register to submit their Milestone paper during open registration and according to the month they wish to submit.

Milestone Paper Prompt

All Ed.D. students will write to the same prompt:

Identify a problem of practice that relates to leadership AND educational justice. Review and synthesize literature that supports your understanding of the problem. Identify a theoretical or conceptual lens that informs how you are approaching the problem. This section should include a description of the framework and an explanation of how it applies to your understanding of the problem of practice.

Your submission should be between 15 and 20 double-spaced pages of text (excluding cover page and references).

Milestone results and program continuation

All Ed.D. students who are eligible to take the Qualifying Exam and have not yet taken it will instead submit a Qualifying Milestone Paper.
Student results will either be:

• “Continue independently”: you may proceed with your coursework and/or proposal without additional writing support courses. You may defend your dissertation proposal when your chair determines you’re ready.
• “Continue with support”: you may continue with your coursework and/or drafting your proposal with the support of the Student Success Course (EDUC 889). During that course, you will work closely with a faculty member to identify areas of growth for your writing, revise your submission, and resubmit it for review during the next Qualifying Milestone Paper submission period. You cannot defend your dissertation proposal until you have received a “continue independently” score from the reviewers.

Qualifying Milestone Prerequisites

Students must successfully complete the following courses to move forward in submitting the Milestone paper:

EDUC 829 Historical Foundations in Education and Social Justice

EDUC 827 Leadership Theory and Practice in Education

EDUC 820A, B, and C Writing a Literature Review A, B, and C

EDUC 830 Social Justice Theory and Practice

EDUC 831 Education Law, Policy, and Justice

EDUC 871 Special Topics Doctoral Seminar

EDUC 833 Education Finance

The doctoral dissertation is, at minimum, a five-chapter product that includes Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results/Findings, and Discussion. For the dissertation proposal, students are expected to propose what they want to do for their dissertation with content that provides rationale, support and anticipated methods for their chosen project. The form of the proposal is something to discuss with your chair. The end-product of the doctoral dissertation is a publishable and/or professionally presentable scholarly work.

Writing a doctoral dissertation is a multi-step process. Doctoral candidates are strongly encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Pathway to Doctoral Dissertation

View the Pathway to Doctoral Dissertation Checklist

The doctoral dissertation committee consists of the chair and two additional members. Students will then work with their dissertation chair to identify appropriate committee members. The research area and/or methodology for the study will influence which faculty members are invited to form part of the committee.

Students are responsible for reaching out to prospective committee members and they are responsible for obtaining a verbal agreement. The committee must be formed in accordance with the EdD Dissertation Committee Policy (see below). Following a verbal agreement, students must file a Dissertation Committee Form

If there is a change in Dissertation Committee members, a Dissertation Committee Member Change Form must be submitted.

Ed.D. committee policy

The doctoral dissertation committee consists of the chair and two additional members (selected in consultation with the chair), all with a doctoral degree, and all with expertise pertinent to the dissertation.

1. The chair and at least one of the other two committee members must be full-time faculty in the School of Education.
2. All Ed.D. dissertation committees must include at least one of the Ed.D. core faculty members either as a committee member or chair.
3. One committee member may be external to SOE. They can be a faculty member from outside of the School of Education at the University of Redlands, an outside associate (i.e., a superintendent, an agency director who’s providing data), or faculty from another institution. 
4. Graduates from our Ed.D. program cannot be committee members for any Ed.D. students unless they are full-time faculty at a higher education institution (adjunct faculty status does not qualify).
5. If the student wishes to include a committee member who does not have a doctoral degree, that person may be listed as a fourth committee member and should have a reasonable explanation for their inclusion on the committee.
6. The inclusion of any committee member who is not a University of Redlands tenured, tenure track, visiting, or adjunct faculty is up to the discretion of the committee chair, but the student must submit the person’s curriculum vitae and a written justification to the Department Chair for Leadership and Higher Education.
7. On occasion, a faculty member serving on a student’s dissertation committee will leave their position as a full-time SOE faculty member prior to the completion of the dissertation. Under these circumstances, the Departing Faculty Policy applies:
• The departing faculty, whether chair or committee member, may continue to count as one of the two required SOE faculty members on a student’s committee  for up to one academic year from their departure.
• When a dissertation committee chair leaves the University, the departing faculty member may opt to serve in one of the following ways: a) continue as chair for up to one academic year, b) switch to committee member and allow another SOE faculty member on the committee to become chair, or c) be removed from the committee altogether
• When a committee member leaves the University, the departing faculty member may opt to serve in one of the following ways: a) continue as a SOE committee member for up to one academic year, or b) be removed from the committee altogether.
• If a departing faculty member remains on a committee, whether as chair or committee member, the student must complete the dissertation within one academic year. After one year, the departing faculty will need to become an external committee member or be removed from the committee.

The development of the research proposal is an important first step in the dissertation process. The student is expected to work closely with their committee chair in developing the proposal. Students must successfully defend their proposal to their committee to be able to progress with their dissertation.

The student must receive a "continue independently" on their milestone paper in order to be eligible to defend their proposal. Once the student's dissertation chair agrees that the document is ready to share with the rest of the committee, the student can schedule a proposal defense date. Committee members must be given at least two weeks to review the proposal before the mutually agreed upon proposal defense date.

The dissertation proposal defense is not open to the public, only the student and members of the committee may attend. It can take place in person or as a virtual meeting. On the day of the defense, the student initiates the Dissertation Proposal Defense Form. The form will be routed to the chair and committee members to indicate the outcome of the defense.

There are three possible outcomes for the proposal defense:

• Pass with Minor Changes
• Pass with Major Changes
• Not Pass

If the proposal is not passed, the committee will provide the student with written feedback that must be addressed in a revised proposal that must be presented at another proposal defense to the committee. If the proposal is passed with changes, the student will receive all stipulations from the committee in writing and the dissertation chair will ensure that these are addressed in the student's continuing work.

Once a score of pass (with minor/major changes) is earned, the requirement marked as satisfied by the Registrar's office.

Once your dissertation proposal is passed you may apply for human subjects approval of your study to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Please ensure that you have read information about IRB process.

You can find information through the myRedlands portal in the Documents, Forms and Policies section. IRB approval is required before any recruitment of participants for your study or data collection can begin. To apply for IRB approval you must have taken and passed the CITI collaborative institutional training. Once your CITI training is complete you may fill out and submit your IRB application. (Please see the university website for the following resources IRB Manual, IRB FAQ’s, and Application to Use Human Subjects in Research). Your application may need to go through revision with IRB before it is approved (this is very common but can affect your time-line). Your dissertation chair will be available to help you navigate this process. When your study is approved you may begin your research in accordance with IRB guidelines. If you need to make a change in your study (See Application to Revise an Approved Protocol) you must request permission to make any changes to your initial protocol. In addition, if you have an adverse event (See Adverse Incident Report Form) you must report it to your chair and IRB immediately. When your study is complete and your dissertation defense passed you should complete a final report for IRB (See Final Report).

Depending on your study, you may also need permission from schools, school districts, and other universities to proceed with your work. Essentially you will need to go through the approval process for those organizations to do your work too. IRB will need those approvals and the organizations will also need to know you are going through the IRB process.

These ethical procedures are very important but can take time.

University of Redlands Institutional Review Board (IRB)

Gatekeeping info for students at University of Redlands who wish to do research with students from the School of Education:

1. Approval to gain access to students of the School of Education as a whole should come from the Dean or Associate Dean.
2. The gatekeeper letter should be drafted by the student, and modified for approval and signature by the Dean or Associate Dean. The letter should include who they are asking to have access to, how, what their study is about, why it is important, and what potential risks there are for students. The letter should occur after a successful dissertation proposal defense.
3. If a student is seeking approval to access students in one department or program (e.g., for just Department of Leadership and Higher Education students), they follow the process of #2 but work with the department chair to sign as gatekeeper. The department chair signs as gatekeeper in consultation with the Dean or Associate Dean.

The student should consult regularly with the dissertation chair, and as appropriate with the other committee members during the process of data collection, data analysis, and writing. Minor changes in the proposal which arise in the course of actually conducting the research must be approved by the chair. Major changes which substantially alter the nature of the research project must be approved by the entire committee, and may require resubmission to the IRB. As you write please make sure you adhere to the style guidelines for the format of your dissertation. Appendix A outlines how you should format your dissertation.

When the chair determines that the dissertation is ready for final review, the chair gives permission for the student to submit the entire document to the committee members. At this time, the chair will also help the student schedule their dissertation defense. Once a date is set, you should fill out the Dissertation Defense Notification form. If defending in-person, submit to the administrative assistant responsible for scheduling rooms. If you need a virtual meeting room set up for your defense, contact your Advisor.

This form indicates that you've been released for a defense by the chair, and that your committee has been given the draft with at least 14 days for review prior to the defense date. The form also asks details about you and the dissertation that will be used to notify the School of Education community about your defense for both transparency and as an invitation should you wish to have an open defense that the public can attend. As with the dissertation proposal, committee members may provide feedback prior to the scheduled dissertation defense if the chair and student find it suitable, but most will typically provide feedback at the defense itself. Committee members must be given at least 2 weeks to review the document before the scheduled date of the defense.

At the dissertation defense, students present their work to the committee. Your chair will inform you how long this presentation should be and give you advice on the balance of content for the presentation. Typically, a defense is structured similarly to a dissertation proposal defense:

1. the committee meets briefly
2. the student is invited in to present
3. faculty ask questions of the student
4. the student leaves so the committee can discuss, and
5. the student returns to learn the outcome of the defense including any feedback. If there are guests, the guests are also asked to leave when the student is asked to leave.

Like the proposal defense, the dissertation defense has different possible outcomes that are indicated on the Dissertation Defense Form. Students are responsible for bringing this form to the defense. Possible outcomes are: Pass, Pass with Minor Changes, Pass with Major Changes, Not Pass. If the final defense is not passed, the committee will provide the student with written feedback that must be addressed before another defense is scheduled. If the dissertation defense is passed with changes (minor or major) the student will also receive all stipulations from the committee in writing. The committee will decide at the defense if they need to see the document again, particularly in the case of major changes, or if they are happy with the dissertation chair supervising these changes.

Style manual. The writing standards articulated in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (most recent edition; hereafter referred to as the APA Manual) are to be followed for preparation of your doctoral dissertation. Because the APA Manual does not provide detailed guidance for formatting a dissertation, you must adhere to the specific guidelines provided here. If there is ever a conflict between the APA Manual and this Handbook, follow what is specified here.

Font, spacing, margins, and pagination

There are some basic typesetting and layout standards for the dissertation. There are exceptions to the standards, and they are noted. Without exception: printing may appear on only one side of each page; and there should be no headers (and thus no running head) in a dissertation.

Font size

A 12-point font size should be used throughout the dissertation in a style that is identified as acceptable by the APA Manual. Typically, Times New Roman is used. In figures and tables, a smaller font size may be used, but in no instance should the font size be less than 8. Figures should use a sans-serif type font such as Arial.

Spacing

All text should be double-spaced with these exceptions:

• the reference list should be single-spaced within each entry and double-spaced between entries.

• Captions, footnotes, long quotations (those of more than three lines), and some material in tables and appendices may be single spaced (regular narrative text in appendices should still be double-spaced).

Margins

All pages of the dissertation must have 1-inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right)
The text must be arranged so that gaps or white spaces within major sections are minimal. The blank space should only appear at the end of major sections when necessary to allow the first typing of the next major section to begin on a new page. Avoid widows (one line of text from the end of a paragraph appearing alone at the top of a sheet of paper) and orphans (one line of text from the beginning of a paragraph appearing alone at the bottom of a sheet of paper or a heading or subheading at the bottom of a page that is not followed immediately by text on that page). There should be at least two lines of text at the top and bottom of each page.

Pagination

Page numbers appear in the middle of each page at the bottom margin (that is, in a footer) beginning with the Table of Contents. The numbers should appear without periods, parentheses or dashes. Pages that are landscape oriented must still have a portrait style page number.

• The title, copyright, and signature approval pages are counted in the pagination but the number is not printed on the page.

• The remaining preliminary pages are numbered with lower case Roman numerals centered on the text at the bottom of the page below the margin line (or centered between the bottom margin and the bottom of the page).

• All other pages use similarly located Arabic numerals that begin on the first page of chapter one and continue throughout, including text, figures, bibliography and appendices.

• Each appendix has its own title page that counts as a page.

Please keep in mind that the dissertation must be submitted as one Adobe Acrobat ® Portable Document Format (PDF) document. The different pagination areas can make this a challenge. There are two ways to accomplish this: make the correct pagination format in one document and convert the entire document to PDF; or create separate PDF documents and combine them into one before uploading.

Indentation, justification, and quotation

Within the specified margins, text formatting follows specific guidelines.

Indentation

All paragraphs are indented one-half inch. The list of references utilizes a one-half inch hanging indent for each reference listed.

Justification

All copy is to be left justified.

Quotation

Quotations of fewer than 40 words are typically referred to as short quotes and should be incorporated into the text, enclosed by double quotation marks. Quotations of 40 or more words are typically referred to as long or block quotes. Block quotes should be displayed in single-space, with double-space before and after, and with no quotation marks. Further detail pertaining to quotations is available in the APA Manual.

Chapter titles and section headings 

With the exception of chapter titles, headings follow the APA Manual specifications.

Chapter titles

Chapter titles are not Level 1; they are Level 0. Unlike standard formatting for Level 1, chapter titles do not appear in boldface. They are to be in uppercase and lowercase, centered, and the first line of the page on which they appear. It is appropriate to give each chapter a title, not just a number. For example, the first chapter could be as simple as follows. (Note: Though examples are shown in Arial font, Times New Roman is the preferred font for your dissertation.)

• Chapter One
• Introduction (Or, consider the following example of a more descriptive chapter title.)
• Chapter One
• Managing Legitimacy

Section headings

As defined in the APA Manual, all five levels of headings may be used. Note: Because chapter titles are Level 0, only Level 1 headings are additionally used in the Table of Contents. Identification and order of typical elements. Each element that typically appears in a doctoral dissertation is identified and described in the following paragraphs. Some are optional. Others are only required under certain circumstances. Each element is presented in the order it should appear in the dissertation.

Title page

This is the first page of the dissertation and is required. Everything is centered and double spaced. Two double-spaces down from the first line must appear the name of the university in all capital letters: UNIVERSITY OF REDLANDS. Two double-spaces below the name of the university is where the dissertation title begins.

The rules for capitalization in the title are strict: The first, last, all principal words and words with four (4) letters or more must have the first letter capitalized, including those that follow hyphens in compound terms. The only words that should not be capitalized are articles (a, an, the), prepositions (e.g., in, to), and conjunctions (e.g., and, but, for) with fewer than four letters. Use word substitutes for formulas, symbols, superscripts, Greek letters, or other non-alphabetical symbols in the title. If more than one line is required for the Complete Title of the Dissertation, typically, an inverted pyramid format should be used.

Two double-spaces below the dissertation title is where the partial degree satisfaction and identification statement begins. Your degree name is Doctor of Education, and your program name is Leadership for Educational Justice. This statement, followed by the word “By” on the next line, should appear as follows.

A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in Leadership for Educational Justice By

The next line has your name. Use your official name, which is your name exactly as it is found on file with the Registrar's Office. If you wish to record your name in a different manner, you may file a name change petition with the Registrar. On the line below your name appears the date. The date consists of the last month of the term in which you were last enrolled (i.e., March or April; July or August; or December) and the year. (Note: Square brackets are used to denote that the text inside them is simply an example and not the required text.)

[Anna-May Zinglieder]

[August 2013]

Two double-spaces below the date appears the identification of the names and terminal degrees of your dissertation committee. Provide the identifying title, followed on the next line by the name and degree of the Committee Chair, and the following lines by each of the remaining committee members. This should appear as follows.

Dissertation Committee:
[A. Faculty Member], [Ph.D./Ed.D.], Committee Chair

[Another Faculty Member], [Ph.D./Ed.D.]

[A. Possible Outside Member], [Ph.D./Ed.D.]

Copyright page

This page is optional. It declares your right to reserve permission for use of your dissertation. You must provide the word “Copyright” followed by the year, your name, and the statement “All Rights Reserved.” The information should be centered and three-fourths of the distance down the page. The text itself should appear as follows.

Copyright © [2022] by [Anna-May Zinglieder] All Rights Reserved

Signature page

The format for this page has been defined and is available on the program’s Moodle site. Signatures must be in black ink. Committee members’ signatures on the signature page indicate that the final copy of the dissertation has been fully approved by each committee member.

Abstract 

An abstract of no more than 350 words must be included on a separate page. The abstract should be prepared thoughtfully and carefully because it will be read far more often than any other element in your dissertation. The abstract has the following heading.

ABSTRACT
[Complete Title of the Dissertation] [Anna-May Zinglieder]
Doctor of Education, [2013] University of Redlands
Advisor: [A. Faculty Member], [Ph.D./Ed.D.]

Dedication

This section is optional.

Acknowledgements

This section is optional. It is a nice place to thank the faculty, family members, and friends who have helped you reach this point in your academic career.

Table of contents

The table of contents should be easy to read, consistent, and have page numbers listed on the right side of the page. The table of contents can include page number references for the preliminary pages, but they are not required.
If illustrations (i.e., figures, tables, maps, diagrams, charts, photographs, etc.) are to be scattered throughout the text, or if more than one of illustrations, etc., are used, then a separate “List of Figures", or “List of Tables”, or “List of Illustrations” etc., must be included after the “Table of Contents”. This (these) list(s) must not only reference the figure/table/illustration number and the page on which it appears, but also the subject matter (i.e., caption). Each list must be separate and begin on a new page.

List of tables

The List of Tables, if one is required, must not only reference the table number and the page on which it appears, but also the subject matter (i.e., caption). This list must be separate and begin on a new page.

List of figures

The List of Figures, if one is required, must not only reference the figure number and the page on which it appears, but also the subject matter (i.e., caption). This list must be separate and begin on a new page.

List of appendices

Appendices are ordered with letters rather than numbers and have titles. This list must be separate and begin on a new page. All dissertations will include at least one appendix: a one- page, abbreviated version of your curriculum vitae. (Note: If the only element of a particular appendix is a table, the table title serves as the title of the appendix; no label is needed for the table itself. If you have text in addition to a table or tables in an appendix, label the table with the letter of the appendix [e.g., Table A1, Table A2, Table B1, and so on]. These tables would be listed in the List of Tables following the Table of Contents.)

Preface

This section is optional.

Manuscript of chapters

In addition to all of the aforementioned guidelines, there is the matter of notes. Notes may appear as footnotes at the bottom of individual pages, may be gathered together in a section at the end of each chapter, or may be placed all together in a section at the very end of the text. This is a matter of preference that you should discuss with your committee. Remember that note entries should be single spaced, with a double space between each entry (see “Spacing” earlier in this manual). Notes that are grouped at the end of each chapter or at the end of the document must have a Level 1 heading of “Endnotes” at the top of the page.

A matter of profound significance is the use of published material in a dissertation. Students preparing theses or dissertations are reminded that plagiarism is a serious offense. Any material of another author, either in direct quotations or paraphrase, must be given proper credit in an appropriate citation. No dissertation incorporating reprint material that has been copyrighted will be accepted without appropriate authorization. It is your responsibility to resolve any copyright problems arising from the use of published material. Please note, in particular, that:

• Direct quotations of 150 words or more from another author's work must not be used without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

• Reproductions of photographs, charts, data, drawings, tables, standardized tests, or any other reproductions made directly from any published work (such as newspapers, magazines, professional journals, websites, or books) may not be used without prior written permission from the copyright owner.

Failure to observe these regulations will result in non-acceptance of the manuscript. Additionally, it is recommended that students protect their own work against plagiarism by copyrighting the manuscript.

References

Pay special attention to italics, capitalization, and punctuation. The standards in the APA Manual can be challenging to follow.

Appendices

Each appendix has its own title page and is labeled with a capital letter (e.g., Appendix A). When including photocopied or previously printed material, you may have to shift the material on the page or reduce it in size to fit within the area bounded by the margins.
The last appendix is a one-page, abbreviated version of your curriculum vitae (c.v.).

After the dissertation defense and copy-editing have been completed, the chair will decide when the document is ready for all the committee members to sign the Dissertation Signature Page.

The student is responsible to update the signature page (which must include full, legal names and degree abbreviations). Once ready, contact your advisor to get assistance in routing for electronic signature. Once fully executed the signature page is published with dissertation. The signature page should come after your title page, but before the abstract. If you have any questions, please contact the Student Success at Center SSC@redlands.edu.

If the dissertation is not complete and accepted after the awarding of 9 credits, candidates will need to enroll in this course until the dissertation is completed and accepted. There is a seven-year deadline from last term of enrollment in EDUC 861 to complete the dissertation.

Dissertation Extension Fee

If a doctoral candidate is unable to successfully defend their dissertation and successful defense of the dissertation within the last trimester of the program, a fee equivalent to 1 credit of tuition will be charged for each trimester required to complete the dissertation and defense. The candidate will be required to enroll in EDUC 862 Dissertation Writing Extension for each trimester required until completion of the dissertation and defense. The dissertation extension will be supervised by the candidate’s dissertation faculty chair.

The coursework and the field experience segments of the program are delivered in a prescribed sequence. Pathways are recommended for timely program completion.

Students are required to self-register during open registration periods. Learn more about registration.

Students declare an Ed.D. Concentration in the first term of the program.

Ed.D. Program Pathways with Concentrations - Effective Fall 2021

Pre-2021: 3 & 4 Year Ed.D. Program Pathways

Transfer credit acceptability is determined after admission by School of Education faculty. Program requirements may be waived only when the course content equates to a University of Redlands course and when obsolescence is not a factor; advisor approval is required.

Students can satisfy up to 6 elective credits with master's or higher-level coursework in their area of study from advanced graduate work at the University of Redlands or transferred from another accredited institution. Coursework must have been completed within 6 years before the time of matriculation in the program, grade 3.0 or higher required.

Processing your transfer credit

Students will have the opportunity to discuss transfer credit with faculty at new student orientation. After orientation, courses approved for transfer credit are documented via a Modification of Program Requirements form. Requests for course waiver(s) must include evidence of support from faculty, transcripts, course description, syllabus, etc.

When copy editing and the signature page have been completed, it is time to submit the Degree Clearance Form. Degrees are conferred 4-times a year:

• Commencement day
• May 31
• August 31
• December 31

Students initiate the Ed.D. Degree clearance form and attach the required evidence before submission. The form is then routed to your chair and the department chair and is finally to the Registrar's Office for official conferral.

The last and final step is to apply for graduation via Self-Service (Student Planning).