Educational Leadership, EdD

Fall Admission

• Priority Deadline: April 1*
• Final Deadline: June 15

Spring Admission

• Priority Deadline: October 1*
• Final Deadline: November 15

*Priority deadlines ensure full consideration for admission and funding opportunities. Graduate scholarships have deadlines of June 1 for Fall applicants and November 1 for Spring applicants. Learn more about Graduate Scholarships.

Application Completion
A complete application must be received by the posted deadline for full admissions consideration.

Enrollment Capacity
Admission for a given semester may depend on the total number of qualified applicants. The program reserves the right to defer qualified applicants to a later semester if enrollment limits have been met or if cohort capacity is reached.

Note for International Students Requiring F-1 Visa
The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership includes semesters delivered fully online and follows a 6-credit-hour sequence per term, which does not meet the minimum full-time enrollment requirement for F-1 Visa regulations at the graduate level. Therefore, the program may not meet F-1 Visa requirements for international students seeking an on-campus visa status.

International applicants should consult with International Student Programs and Support (ISPS) prior to applying to confirm eligibility and enrollment options.

Applicants to the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership must submit:

1. Complete Application for Admission:
   • Apply for Admission via Apply Texas Application
   • An applicant may defer admission to an earlier/later Fall or Spring semester Applications are valid for one year. One deferral is allowed per application.
   • Applicants seeking Superintendent Certification must also submit:
     • Background disclosure form with Texas Educator's Code of Ethics & FERPA consent (pdf)
     • Department Civility Attestation Form (pdf)

2. Submit Application Fee:
   • $50 for US citizen, $70 for International Students
     • Pay during application process
     • Pay fee online: Pay Online
     • Pay fee on campus to Business Office

Please Note: Applicants who wish to apply for a different program will be required to submit a new application. The application processing fee is required for each application submitted.

3. Official Transcripts
   • Transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate course work indicating completion of a master’s degree in a relevant field taken at any accredited college or University attended (Foreign College credits/transcripts require an official foreign evaluation. Please click here). TAMU-CC transcript is not required.
4. A graduate GPA of 3.00 or above (preferred)
5. Professional Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
   • A current résumé or CV demonstrating leadership experience, service, professional contributions, and relevant educational roles.
6. Professional Endorsement Form
   • Applicants must submit a Professional Endorsement Form via the . This endorsement should come from a current supervisor or another professional familiar with the applicant’s responsibilities. It should address the applicant’s readiness for doctoral study and, when applicable, indicate a willingness to support the applicant’s engagement in applied inquiry, needed to complete a high-quality problem-of-practice dissertation.
   • Applicants who do not have a supervisor who can provide this may instead request an endorsement from another professional who can speak meaningfully to their readiness for a doctoral program and their capacity to engage in organizational improvement work.
   • Send Endorsement Request.

7. Personal Statement (approximately 750 words, double-spaced)
   The personal statement helps the admissions committee understand your goals, experiences, and readiness for the Ed.D. program. Your statement should address the areas below in a single, integrated essay. Please use clear, organized writing and reflect on your professional experiences and aspirations.

Your statement (approximately 750) should address:

• Professional Goals: Explain why you are pursuing the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at TAMU–CC. Discuss how the program’s focus on applied inquiry, continuous improvement, and justice-oriented leadership aligns with your professional goals as a scholar-practitioner.
• Local Problem of Practice: Identify a meaningful problem of practice in your current professional setting—an issue that affects your students, colleagues, organization, or community. Describe why this problem matters, who is impacted, and what change you hope to see. In your response, consider how factors such as local context, equity concerns, variation in outcomes across groups, and the voices of stakeholders might influence how you approach improvement in your setting.
• Commitment to Organizational Improvement: Describe how your background and leadership experiences demonstrate your commitment to equity, ethics, social justice, and organizational improvement. Discuss how these commitments shape the way you understand organizational challenges and work toward meaningful change.

Note: The admissions committee pays close attention to writing quality, clarity, and alignment with the program’s scholar–practitioner goals. If you choose to include references, please follow APA 7^th edition style guidelines.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): All writing and ideas submitted must be your own original work; using generative AI tools to draft or significantly revise your statement or materials may violate the TAMU–CC Student Code of Conduct and academic integrity policies and may result in denial of admission or dismissal from the program.

8. Interview with program faculty (by invitation)

Graduates of the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership will be able to:

• Demonstrate the capability to cultivate leadership practices that foster professional growth, adaptability, and responsiveness to evolving challenges within their respective professional contexts.
• Critically evaluate problems of practice and form recommendations for change that improve equity and access through the use of data.
• Analyze systemic barriers to equity and offer solutions for improvement regarding inclusive practices, policies, and programs that expand access to educational opportunities for historically underserved populations.
• Demonstrate clear, persuasive, written, and verbal communication related to problems of practice in professional contexts.
• Demonstrate respect and appreciation for diverse communities by engaging and seeking input from individuals with different identities and experiences relative to the problem of practice.
• Design and implement evidence-based solutions to organizational challenges by engaging in reflective practice and applying empirical research.