Admission Requirements

Intended candidates for the degree are individuals who have completed at least a master's degree (or other appropriate graduate degree), have demonstrated leadership capacity within their organizational settings, and/or are committed to enhancing their abilities to learn and to enhance the educational missions of their organizations and communities.

Program admission is based on a holistic evaluation of the candidate's application file, which must include:

1. Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work
2. Documentation of a master's degree (or other graduate degree) from an institution accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation organization
3. Completed application
4. Current (within 1 year of application deadline) resume or vita
5. An in-depth personal statement including qualifications, rationale, and goals related to pursuing the WKU Ed.D. program
6. Three current (within 1 year of application deadline) letters of recommendation from persons in a position to evaluate the applicant's potential for success in a doctoral program
7. GRE scores*

*Note: Official scores are required. GRE scores must include the Analytical Writing portion or the applicant must complete a writing sample. The WKU office of Graduate Studies has established minimum GRE scores for WKU doctoral programs. For the new GRE, these are 145 on the Verbal, 145 on the Quantitative sections of the exam, and a Writing score of 4.0. These scores are equivalent to old GRE scores of 380 on the Verbal, 530 on the Quantitative, and 4.0 on the Writing portions of the exam. Please see 'Admissions Requirements' in the WKU Graduate Catalog for additional information about the GRE (and GAP).

International students are encouraged to apply and must submit the following additional documents for admission consideration:

1. Evidence of ability to communicate in English (as evidenced by a minimum of 570 on the paper based TOEFL, a minimum of 88 on the iBT TOEFL, or a minimum of 7.0 on the IELTS)
2. Evidence of adequate financial resources

To apply for the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program, click here. 

Please note: For Fall cohort admission, the application deadline is March 1. For Spring cohort admission, the application deadline is October 1.

 

Tuition Information

The tuition rate for the program is based on WKU graduate tuition rates. Additionally there is a course fee per credit hour for students in the program. The current course fee is $1,200 per semester for 5 or more hours, $600 for less than 5 hours. This program fee is constant for each class (cohort) admitted. For additional information about these fees, please contact the Office of Doctoral Studies at (270) 745-3061.

Potential financial resources include:

• Fellowships
• Graduate assistantships
• Scholarships
• Student loans
• Tuition waiver for credits obtained by P-12 teachers providing supervision of student teachers/interns
• Tuition credit waivers for state employees
• Employer/district matching contracts and/or professional development funds
• Contracted organizational incentive discounts
• Personal funds
• Graduate Student Research Grant