How to Apply for the ECU Ed.D. in Educational Leadership

International Cohort 6 (Summer 2026 – Spring 2029)

International Ed.D. Home

Upload:

  • The online application
  • Your current resume
  • An analytical essay: Make a claim about an issue of educational equity in your local context. Use and cite at least three external resources that you used to frame your hypothesis/claim or that you rely on to support your claim (500 words and more information below).

Request:

  • Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate degrees and courses taken in the last five years. Provide an evaluation of the transcript  if from a non-U.S. institution. Have them sent to gradschool@ecu.edu.
  • Letters of reference: Submit two email addresses of references. One from an immediate supervisor and another from a person who can attest to your ability to engage in a rigorous graduate program.

Steps:

  1. Follow the application instructions for the ECU Graduate School below to begin your application and pay the $75 (USD) application fee.
  2. Application review will begin on December 19, 2025. Please complete the entire application, including all transcripts and references by that date.
  3. January 12, 2026: Applicants will be notified of invitation for the Candidate Assessment Day
  4. Virtual Candidate Assessment Sessions will be held in February 2026. Our work in education is primarily accomplished in collaboration with others; therefore, we want to see your interactions with groups in discussing educational issues.
  5. Letters of acceptance will be sent the week of March 2, 2026.
  6. An online orientation will take place in late March 2026 to discuss program logistics.
  7. Summer session 1 for Cohort 6 will take place late June 2026 (specific dates to be determined) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Graduate School Application Process

  1. Visit the Educational Leadership (International Cohort) page on the Graduate School website.
  2. Click Apply Now

Preparing an Analytical Essay

We are interested in these three components:

  • How you frame your equity work by making an assertion or claim about an equity concern or issue in your current work
  • How you use outside sources (practice-based or research-based) to inform your knowledge and possible actions/interventions
  • How you construct an analytical argument in a short essay

Length: 500 words

Introduction

While the essay is an analysis, it is also a story. Thus, in the first paragraph, introduce us (albeit briefly) to the story and context. State your role in the equity issue. In the first paragraph, state your claim/assertion/hypothesis about the issue and lay out the organization of the argument. This may be a belief on your part, but you must support that belief/assertion with evidence.

Claims or Assertions

(using evidence from practice and evidence from at least three practice-based or academic/research sources)

This section is the bulk of the essay, of course. Make clear arguments that support the claim that should include:

  • Evidence or data about the situation
  • Evidence from a practice-based or research article or book

Conclusion

At this point, you have clearly identified an issue or concern and presented your hypothesis and supporting evidence. What we want to see in a conclusion is a way forward.

  • From what you have presented, what is the major point?
  • What might be useful evidence to inform the issue?
  • What is your idea about how to address the situation from your role?