Ph.D. in PK-12 Leadership (Online)
Students wishing to develop leadership skills and serve as a superintendent or other central office administrator within a school district serving elementary and secondary students will want to pursue this program in the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology at Western Michigan University.
Students completing this Ph.D. may also receive one or more endorsements indicating that they would have met the state requirements for various K-12 administrative certificates (e.g., superintendent; central office).
Note: To complete many PK-12 content course assignments, and to have a mentor for an administrator internship, applicants must be employed within a K-12 setting OR have access to a school district setting.
Why PK-12 leadership at Western Michigan University?
- An embedded dissertation process that gets you started immediately on this work, thus ensuring greater success.
- Full alignment with the MI state administrator certification, including an option to earn the school-level administrative certificate, and an option to earn the central office endorsement.
- To support working professionals, ALL required courses are available fully online, through a blend of synchronous virtual sessions and asynchronous learning.
- Opportunity to earn significant credits with our Prior Learning Assessment program (up to 18 of 60 credits for central office focus, and up to 27 of 69 credits for school administration focus). Learn more.
- Great outcomes in that 97% of WMU K-12 administrative graduates have been rated as "effective" or "highly effective" by their school district within their first three years as an administrator.
Application information
Currently, the EDLD Ph.D. Program only admits for a start date in fall semester. The priority deadline for each fall semester is January 15; this is the only deadline for applicants who wish to be considered for a graduate assistantship (GA), in which you work up to 20 hours per week in exchange for tuition and a stipend.
A second deadline for fall semester is March 1; no graduate assistantship funding is available for any applications completed between January 16 and March 1.
Your application must be fully completed by January 15 or March 1 (not just submitted). We recommend you submit your application at least two weeks prior to the deadline to ensure recommenders have time to complete their recommendations by the deadline.
"Within certain courses, you are given a project designed to be implemented in your daily work, using principles and objectives learned in class."
Accreditation
WMU's doctor of philosophy in educational leadership is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
Required program of study
- Required program of Study for students admitted Fall 2025 or later
- Required Program of Study for students admitted Fall 2018 to 2024
- Multi-year Course Offering Plans
Resources for current students (including multi-year course offering plans & core comps info)
For program information visit the current educational leadership Ph.D. students page.
Newsletter
The Lead is a monthly online publication that highlights the work of our Educational Leadership (K-12) programs, and contains a wide-array of information relevant to school administrators; it also celebrates the work of our alumni, students and faculty. Visit The Lead newsletter page for all issues.
Assistantships
For more information about graduate or doctoral assistantships visit the graduate assistantships page or contact the Interim Department Chair, Dr. Louann Bierlein Palmer.
Meet some of our students
- Meet our current students.
- Search recent graduates.
- Read student experiences.
Cost & Funding
Helpful links
Questions?
