How to Apply
Important: The button below will take you to University Admissions. Use the following advice to correctly identify your interest in this program.
Graduate School Application:
Complete Application to the UMSL Graduate School
As you progress through the application, be certain to select the following for select your degree...:
Include:
- Two Letters of Recommendation: Indicate two individuals who can speak to your professional practice to write a letter of recommendation addressing: Ability to communicate effectively (orally and in writing) and your ability to think critically. Recommendation letters can be inititated through the graduate school application or can be emailed to coedocprograms@umsl.edu
- Attach your résumé or curriculum vita (CV). Be sure to describe your professional practice. Alternately email to coedocprograms@umsl.edu.
- Statement of Purpose: In the statement of purpose please indicate Educational Leadership for Character and Citizenship as your learning community and describe how the EdD degree aligns with your career, professional goals and the reasons why you would like to pursue this particular learning community.
Transcripts:
- Send all domestic transcripts of higher education work to the Graduate Admissions Office: gradadm@umsl.edu
- Official transcripts for international students should be sent to International Student Services: iss@umsl.edu.
Supplemental Application:
Complete the
EdD Supplemental Application .
Thank you for choosing UMSL!
A three-year, online cohort program emphasizing educational leadership, development of school-wide systems of character education, and civil dialogue.
Have you ever asked yourself any of these questions?
- What does it mean to “educate the whole child”?
- What does it mean to be a “virtuous” individual?
- What ideally characterizes a citizen in a democratic republic?
- How do we promote respectful dialogue on difficult issues?
- How can school leaders build ethical learning communities?
- What does it mean to be a servant leader?
- How do you shape school culture?
- How can I make a difference in the lives of students?
If so, you are in good company. These are questions educators have been wrestling with for thousands of years and they are questions we have been exploring at UMSL and the Center for Character and Citizenship Education for decades. Building on this research, Dr. Marvin W. Berkowitz, the Sanford N. McDonnell Endowed Professor of Character Education and Co-Director of the Center for Character and Citizenship Education at UMSL, released PRIMED for Character Education: Six Design Principles for School Improvement in 2021. His book provides a framework for building schools that don't just say they educate the “whole child,” but schools that actually do it. It is a framework we use in this program for better understanding of how to build ethical learning communities.
In this doctoral program, you will join a cohort of like-minded individuals who believe the purpose of education is more than just teaching students to read, write, and calculate. It is about helping students become their best selves, an ethical human being.
The Educational Leadership Learning Community is designed for educators who want to engage with colleagues and take a deep-dive into the development of school-wide systems of character education. Participants in this program will develop the skills and dispositions necessary to be an effective leader of an educational organization that promotes the comprehensive development and learning of all its stakeholders.
This program is not aligned to state certification standards. Individuals seeking either principal or superintendent certification would be wise to explore our M.Ed. and Ed.S. offerings in educational administration. Students who currently hold administrative or leadership degrees are strongly encouraged to apply, though all students who possess a master's degree and are interested in Educational Leadership for Character and Citizenship will be considered.
Alexandra Gresick
p: (314) 516-5107
- Application deadline extended to:
- April 1st, 2023
Students seeking the Ed.D. degree are expected to meet the Graduate School’s relevant practitioner doctoral degree requirements and procedures.
Degree requirements
| 1. Learning Community of Practice Seminars | 15-20 | |
EDUC 7600 | Learning Community of Practice I | |
EDUC 7610 | Learning Community of Practice II | |
EDUC 7620 | Learning Community of Practice III | |
EDUC 7630 | Learning Community of Practice IV | |
EDUC 7640 | Learning Community of Practice V | |
EDUC 7650 | Learning Community of Practice VI | |
| 2. Laboratory of Practice | ||
| EDUC 7889 | Laboratory of Practice | 3 |
| 3. Required Common Courses | ||
| EDUC 7215 | Data Analysis for Educational Practitioners | 3 |
| EDUC 7395 | Research and Technical Writing for Educational Practitioners | 2 |
| EDUC 7615 | ||
| EDUC 7625 | Building Socially Just and Ethical Educational Communities | 3 |
| EDUC 7710 | Research Methods and Design for Educational Practitioners | 3 |
| ED REM 7781 | Qualitative Methods in Educational Research I | 3 |
| 4. Tools Courses | ||
| EDUC 7310 | Integrating Technology in Learning for Educational | 1 |
| EDUC 7325 | Grant Writing for Educational Practitioners | 1 |
| 5. Specialization | 30-60 | |
| Courses in an area of specialization (can include Master’s or Education Specialist work) | ||
| 6. Dissertation in Practice | ||
| EDUC 7998 | Dissertation in Practice Research | 8 |
Total: minimum 80 hours, post-bacclaureate
Marvin W. Berkowitz, Ph.D.
Sanford N. McDonnell Endowed Professor in Character Education
Dr. Marvin W. Berkowitz is the inaugural Sanford N. McDonnell Endowed Professor of Character Education, and Co-Director of the Center for Character and Citizenship at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and University of Missouri President’s Thomas Jefferson Professor. He has also served as the inaugural Ambassador H.H. Coors Professor of C...
James Shuls, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
James V. Shuls earned his Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas. His work has been featured in numerous media outlets, including: Phi Delta Kappan, Social Science Quarterly, The Rural Educator, Educational Policy, Education Economics, and the Journal of School Choice: Internationa...
Melinda Bier, Ph.D.
Co-Director Center for Character and CItizenship
Melinda C. Bier is currently the Associate Director for the Center for Character and Citizenship (CCC), College of Education, University of Missouri, St. Louis. Bier’s expertise spans the fields of Character Education, teacher preparation and professional development, and the design and use of instructional technology for enhanced teaching and learning.
