Here are some questions frequently asked about our program. Click on the number for an answer.

1. Why Kansas University?

As you consider the various graduate schools in the Kansas City area, you should inquire about each program in terms of the following factors:

Quality of the University

KU has been offering graduate level education in the Kansas City Metropolitan area for over one-hundred years through its main campus in Lawrence and more recently through the Edwards Campus in Overland Park. The School of Education has consistently been ranked in the national top 20 by publications such as U.S. News and World Report. The Educational Leadership Program is accredited by NCATE, North Central Association, and the Kansas State Department of Education. We are also a member of the University Council of Educational Administration whose members generally are considered the top administrative preparation programs in the country.

Quality of the Faculty

At KU, full-time professors teach almost all of the courses and bring over 100 years of teaching, research, and advising experience to the program. All of the professors in the program hold doctorates in their teaching field and collectively have published hundreds of articles, books, book chapters, and papers and have served as state and national consultants to many school districts. KU's faculty are experienced teachers, former administrators, and advisors who know how to help students complete their programs whether defined as course work, a master's project or a dissertation. Professors at KU are accessible and can be contacted after class, by telephone, e-mail, or in person through appointments on the Lawrence or Overland Park campuses. They have a sincere desire to see their advisees succeed.

Quality of the Program

KU's programs in educational leadership are stable and time-tested. Both the masters and doctoral cohort programs have been in operation for many years and have produced graduates who are in administrative positions throughout the metropolitan area in public and private schools. We are not experimenting with a "distance" program with a home campus (and advisor) located hundreds of miles away. We have a historical commitment to the Kansas City metropolitan area which will be maintained. Many of our graduates hold administrative positions in other states and nations.

Quality of the Students in the Program

Students in the KU programs primarily come from school districts within a 100 mile radius of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Since the classes are back-to-back one day of the week, extended commuting is feasible. Most students in the master's program are practicing classroom teachers while the majority of doctoral students are principals or central office personnel. Students in both programs come from a wide variety of school districts and bring with them a wealth of information. This diversity enriches the program as students often learn from their colleagues as well as from the professors. Students in the administrative leadership programs are considered the leaders in their schools and districts and have been highly recommended by senior administrators within their districts.

Cost Effectiveness of the Program

Graduate level education at KU costs Kansas resident students between $241.80 to $294.80 per credit hour. There is no out-of-state tuition at the Edwards Campus in Overland Park for metro Kansas City residents--that is, those residents of Clay, Platte, Jackson and Cass counties in Missouri. Several national publications have rated KU as one of the most cost-effective universities in the nation.

2. Is there any way I can start in the fall (or spring)? Do I have to follow the plan as outlined or in that order?

The cohort programs operating from the Lawrence and Overland Park campuses are designed to begin in the summer. Normally, most students should plan to start the program in the summer. Taking the course work out of sequence is not recommended, unless the student is on a full time, accelerated track.

3. Can I start at one campus (Lawrence or the Edwards Campus) and finish at the other campus?

Students should plan to stay with their cohort groups as they progress through the program. The curriculum has been specifically sequenced for that progression of courses and many courses rely on skills mastered in prior courses. The exception would be students who wish to attend school on a full-time basis who wish to take courses across both campuses to accelerate their program of studies. If you plan to do that you should check with your advisor early in your studies.

4. I don't need any hours--I just want to be licensed/certified.

KU only certifies individuals who complete graduate programs at KU. You should check with your previous university and the appropriate state department of education if you have not completed a program at KU.

5. I already have a master's degree in another field. Do I need to take all the courses for the masters' degree in educational leadership? For certification/licensure?

If you have taken courses similar to those in the program you may not need to repeat those courses; you can transfer in as many as six hours of graduate credit from another accredited university if taken within five years of enrollment at KU providing those courses have not been used toward another graduate degree. For licensure in Kansas or certification in Missouri you will need to complete all the courses for the KU master's degree program in educational leadership (or have taken equivalent courses) but do not need to complete the project or take the master's exam.

6. Can I get both Missouri certification and Kansas licensure?

Completion of the master's degree in educational leadership will qualify you for building level certification in Missouri and licensure in Kansas as well as many other states. In Missouri and Kansas you will need to take a qualifying examination (see http://dese.mo.gov/ or http://www.ksde.org for more details.) Completion of the doctoral core and passing the comprehensive exam qualifies individuals for the district level (superintendent) certification in both Kansas and Missouri as well as most other states. Upon completion of a KU program (master's or doctoral) and employment as a Kansas school administrator, students must enroll in a year long internship to satisfy KSDE licensure requirements. This is not a requirement in Missouri.

7. I already have a specialist degree and district level certification. How does that effect my doctoral level program?

Since you already have district level certification, you will not need to take the District Level Field Experience class (ELPS 995). In addition, other classes you have taken that are duplicates of those in the prescribed cohort doctoral program need not be repeated. That is the good news. However, KU requires that you take the first 18 hours of the program within 4 consecutive semesters. This means that you might need to substitute some other class for the courses you have already completed or take the class again. On the Lawrence campus there is a wide variety of alternative courses but the number of options at the Edwards Center is limited. In the past, some students have elected to take alternative classes while others have chosen to repeat classes they had in a specialist program. Most students have not been disappointed by repeating the classes since the material is usually different from the information covered in the student's specialist program. One additional consideration: you will be examined over the course content during your comprehensive exams regardless of where you took the courses. If you feel that your previous course work does not reflect your potential, it may be of benefit to repeat the course.

8. What is the difference between the Ph.D. and Ed.D.?

The Ph.D. is considered a research degree designed for someone who wants to teach at a research university (like KU or MU). Professors at research universities are expected to be actively engaged in research and thus need to know a great deal about statistics, research methods, and a specific content area (e.g., finance, law, or organizational theory). The Ph.D. degree requires a research minor (12 hours), a college teaching practicum (ELPS 996) and a slightly different continuous study requirement.

The courses in the program vary according to the interests of the student but generally include 30 hours of course work in educational leadership, a 12 hour minor, and several courses in research methods and statistics. A Ph.D. in educational leadership may or may not lead to district level certification since certification is not required to teach at the college level. The Ph.D. is not offered at the Edwards Center although much of the course work may be taken at that location. Obtaining a Ph.D. will require taking some course work on the Lawrence campus. The dissertation associated with the Ph.D. must be original research. Non US citizens should only pursue the Ph.D. since many foreign governments only recognize that degree.

The Ed.D. is considered a practitioner's degree (like the MD in medicine) designed specifically to prepare the student to assume central office leadership roles in schools. It leads to district level certification in both Kansas and Missouri (and many other states). The dissertation associated with the Ed.D. often is more practical in nature and can include original research, evaluations, meta-analyses, and literature syntheses. Individuals with the Ed.D. are qualified and prepared to teach educational leadership courses. The Ed.D. is offered at the Overland Park and Lawrence campuses on alternate years.

9. I have a master's degree in another field but want to pursue a Ed.D. in education leadership. Can I do that? What about certification/licensure?

Many students every year enter the Ed.D. cohort program with masters degrees in other fields of education. These students are not as prepared as students who have earned a master's degree in educational leadership, but most survive and prosper. Often it does require that the student do some remedial work to prepare for the advanced classes in the Ed.D. program. Certification is another matter. In most states (including Kansas and Missouri), building level licensure/certification is directly linked to completion of a NCATE certified program or one certified by the university's home state department of education. Most states will certify individuals who have completed such a program even if they completed that program in another state. Thus, for certification/licensure at the building level in Kansas and Missouri you must complete KU's certification program, which is the same as the courses in the master's program. Since Ed.D. students take the advanced level of many of the master's courses, credit is given for completion of these courses. In addition to the regular courses in the Ed.D. program, students seeking building level certification/licensure need to take the following courses (ELPS 750, ELPS 757, ELPS 752, ELPS 853 and ELPS 895) and possibly ELPS 854 depending on the focus of the master's degree. Students who wish to obtain building level certification/licensure in the quickest manner possible should take the master's cohort program first and then enter the Ed.D. cohort program at a later date.

10. How long will it take to finish the doctoral program?

The Ed.D. program takes about three to four years to complete on a part-time basis. A full-time student could complete the program in two years. The actual length of time to completion depends on how diligently the individual student pursues the program.

11. What if I do not care about Licensure?

The master's degree program is licensure based. You do not need to apply for licensure upon completion of the program but during your first year of employment after completing course work, Master's students are required to take ELPS 893, Advanced Building Leadership Internship . The Ed.D. is also licensure based and leads to district level licensure, and during the first year of employment following completion of coursework, students are required to take ELPS 993, Advanced District Leadership Internship . The Ph.D. is not certification based and can be custom tailored to the student's needs but is only offered on the Lawrence campus.

12. What kind of standardized test should I take and what scores do I need?

While the master's and doctoral level programs do not have cut-off entry scores, we prefer students with scores above a 42 on the Miller's Analogy Test at the master's level. At the doctoral level Miller's scores above 46 and Graduate Record Exam scores above 500 on two of the three sub-tests are good target numbers. If your scores are below these figures, we encourage you to re-take the exam. We only consider your best scores. Please remember that we also consider recommendations, prior academic work, and your writing sample. Test scores are important, but represent only one piece of information.

The entry criteria at the master's level for the MAT are lower than the GRE and the test is shorter (1 hour compared to approximately 4 hours for the GRE). If prospective master's degree candidates think they might some day go on to apply for the doctoral program at another institution, then taking the GRE would probably make the most sense since it is the most widely accepted. Students might also want to consider the subject matter tested on the two examinations. If you feel that one test better fits your educational background, then that test is probably preferable.

Both the MAT and the GRE are administered at the University of Kansas in Lawrence and numerous other sites across the Midwest and nation. For the location nearest you and for the testing dates please call 609-921-9000 (GRE) and follow the prompts, or 800-622-3231 then press "2" (MAT). The University of Kansas offers a special service for MAT and GRE test takers. By calling 785-864-2768 you can make an individual appointment to take either test on the Lawrence campus.

In addition to the phone numbers listed above, you can obtain information about the content and testing procedures of the GRE and MAT from numerous study guides found in bookstores. While the materials published by the authors of the GRE and MAT are helpful and free, the study guides will probably give you a better insight into the nature of the two tests.

Please remember that there is a delay in reporting some score results. Try to schedule your examination date sufficiently in advance to make sure your scores arrive at the University of Kansas before the application deadline.

13. I am not certified to teach. Can I get into the program?

The programs in educational leadership are open to individuals who hold valid teaching credentials or private school administrators. Though a teaching certificate is a prerequisite for some administration positions (usually in public schools), it is not a universal requirement.

14. I just graduated from KU's Teacher Education program. Can I get into the master's cohort program?

Although most students in the masters program have at least a few years' teaching experience, we welcome students directly out of KU's teacher education program. All 15 graduate hours included in the professional year program will count toward a 36 hour master's degree. Students would need to take an additional 24 hours of administration courses (generally the courses from the first year of the program) and complete a master's project or an exam over the coursework. However, in order to be licensed as a building-level administrator, you will need to complete all courses in the master's licensure program (an additional 5 courses) and have 3 years' teaching experience.

15. What is the course structure?

Master's Program
First Summer
ELPS 750 Principalship
ELPS 756 History of Educational Thought
First Fall
ELPS 715 Educational Research and Evaluation

ELPS 752 Education Law
First Spring
ELPS 757 Education in American Society
ELPS 755 Human Resource Management
Second Summer
ELPS 854 Student in Society
ELPS 852 School Resource Management
Second Fall
C&T 802 Curriculum Planning for Educational Settings
ELPS 853 Staff Evaluation and Development
Second Spring
C&T 840 Instructional Strategies and Models
ELPS 895 Internship

Post Degree Administrative Employment

ELPS 893 Advanced Building Leadership Internship

Doctoral Program
First Summer
ELPS 956 District Leadership
ELPS 998 Seminar in Current Trends and Issues
First Fall
ELPS 957 Educational Policy, Ethics and Law

ELPS 952 School Finance: Policy and Practice
First Spring
ELPS 958 American Educational Reform Movements
ELPS 954 Advanced Organizational Theory
Second Summer
ELPS 951 Supervision of Instruction
C&T 943 Curriculum Supervision
Second Fall
SPED 971 Organization & Administration of Services for Exceptional Children
ELPS 955 District Business Management
Second Spring
ELPS 953 District Human Resource Management

ELPS 998 Seminar: Research in Educational Administration

Third Year

PRE/710/7ll Statistical Methods/Lab
Research Elective I (spring or fall)

ELPS 995 Field Experience (fall)
ELPS 999 Dissertation

Post Degree/Administrative Employment

ELPS 993 Advanced District Leadership Internship