Administration and Supervision, Ed.D.

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The Ed.D. in Administration and Supervision prepares experienced educators to lead with vision, creativity, and evidence-based practice. Designed for master’s degree holders in established leadership roles, the program provides advanced preparation responsive to the complex and evolving demands of contemporary schools and districts. Typical students include principals, assistant principals, and other school-level leaders and mid-level district leaders. Instruction and engagement occur within a cohort model that fosters a collaborative learning community and supports timely completion, typically within four years, while modeling the collecting practice expected in graduates’ professional settings. Graduates of this program typically take leading roles in public and private schools and school systems, state and federal education agencies, and other organizations serving the professional needs of educators.

Completion of the Ed.D. in Administration and Supervision program does not satisfy Virginia licensure requirements for an endorsement in administration and supervision.

Program Requirements

The Ed.D. program includes 21 credits in core leadership classes, 18 credits in research, 18 elective credits (including transfer credit), and 12 credits in capstone research.

Core Coursework (21 credits)

EDLF 8820 - Fundamentals of Leadership Theory Credits: 3
EDLF 8821 - Politics, Policy and Advocacy Credits: 3
EDLF 8822 - Vision, Values, & Decision-making in Educational Leadership Credits: 3
EDLF 8823 - Designing Learning Environments Credits: 3
EDLF 8824 - Optimizing Human Capital in Organizations Credits: 3
EDLF 8825 - Developing High-performance Organizations Credits: 3
EDLF 8826 - Leadership for Equity and Improvement Credits: 3

Research Coursework (18 credits)

EDLF 5301 - Academic Writing for Practitioner-Scholars Credits: 1
EDLF 8382 - Educational Inquiry for Practitioners Credits: 3
EDLF 8383 - Qualitative Inquiry with Data Management & Analysis Credits: 3
EDLF 8384 - Lab of Practice of Qualitative Inquiry Credits: 1
EDLF 8385 - Survey Inquiry for Practitioners with Data Management and Analysis Credits: 3
EDLF 8386 - Lab of Practice of Survey Inquiry Credits: 1
EDLF 8387 - Practical Evaluation for Practitioners Credits: 3
EDLF 9000 - Advanced Seminar: Administration and Supervision Credits: 3

Elective and Transfer Credits (21 credits)

Students must complete 21 elective credits. This requirement may be satisfied through the transfer of up to 21 credits from a prior master’s degree program, subject to approval. Transfer credits msut reflect coursework that contributes to the development of educational leaders’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions in alignment with the learning objectives of the Ed.D. program.

Electives provide flexibility for students to deepen expertise in areas that complement core leadership preparation. They allow students to tailor their program of study to professional interest while ensuring alignment with the program’s emphasis on evidence-based leadership and improvement in educational systems. If the elective requirement is not met through transfer credits, students may select from courses offered in the M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision or other approved graduate-level coursework at UVA that supports leadership development in education. All elective selections require prior approval from the Ed.D. Director of Study.

M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision Electives:
EDLF 7140 - LEAD II: Professional Learning Credits: 3
EDLF 7805 - Cultivating Professional Capacity Credits: 3
EDLF 7806 - Family and Community Engagement Credits: 3
EDLF 7807 - Leadership Experiences, Applications & Development Credits: 3
EDLF 7808 - Strategic Alignment of Planning and Resources Credits: 3
EDLF 7810 - Legal and Educational Policy Context Credits: 3
EDLF 7811 - Leadership for Teaching and Learning Credits: 3
EDLF 7812 - Leadership for Continuous Improvement Credits: 3
EDLF 7813 - Leadership for EdTech Credits: 3
EDLF 7815 - Leadership for Equity of Diverse Populations Credits: 3

Capstone Research (12 credits)

EDLF 9991 - Ed.D. Research Credits: 1 to 12

Culminating Experience

Program milestones guide the progressive demonstration of scholarly practice, culminating in a capstone that addresses a significant problem of practice within and authentic educational context. The capstone requires students to design and defend a rigorous, practice-focused inquiry that integrates leadership, research, and improvement principles, resulting in a scholarly document and oral defense that shows evidence of impact on educational practice.

Program Milestones

Qualifying Paper

Assesses foundational knowledge and the ability to integrate core concepts of educational leadership, ensuring readiness for advanced study and application in professional contexts.

Capstone Proposal Defense

Requires students to articulate and justify a plan for a culminating project that addresses a significant issue in their professional context. This milestone demonstrates readiness to conduct rigorous, systematic inquiry around a clearly defined problem of practice.

Capstone Document and Defense

Involves producing and defending a scholarly document that demonstrates the ability to address a problem of practice in their professional context. The document provides evidence that the student has successfully applied systematic inquiry to a significant problem of practice, deepening their understanding of improvement processes. This work reflects the integration of research, leadership, and professional practice.

All requirements must be completed within seven years of admission to the Ed.D. program.