Int EdD – Resources

ECU Educational Leadership EdD, International Cohort - FAQ & Resources
Who is this advanced leadership degree designed to engage?

The ECU EdD is designed for highly accomplished professionals who are teaching full-time and are motivated to complete all degree requirements, including the Problem of Practice Dissertation, in three academic years.

How many applicants are admitted in a cohort?

Typically, between 12-18 applicants are admitted to each cohort.

What is the overall success rate for ECU International EdD students?

The ECU International EdD has graduated multiple cohorts with amazing results. Cohort I graduated 100% of doctoral candidates and the program continues to graduate students at high rates, in stark contrast to doctoral program attrition rates of 40-60%.

What role does the dissertation coach fulfill?

The dissertation coach works closely with the content and design course instructors to support students in writing the dissertation. The coach works online with 4-5 students both individually and as a research group. The coach also attends the annual EdD Summer Learning Exchange in Bangkok and visits each student at their school/district in the first year of the program.

What is the Problem of Practice Dissertation?

ECU is member of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED). This innovative international model’s mission is to strengthen the EdD by developing scholarly practitioners whose research contributes to both the new knowledge of the research as well as to practices in the field.

When will the courses begin?

A new cohort is admitted every two years and summer classes begin in June. The spring and fall semesters are each 15 weeks from mid-January to early May and late August to early December respectively.

How are the summer semesters scheduled?

All students will be required to attend a summer learning exchange the last 2 weeks of June each summer in Bangkok. 

Who will be the course instructors and dissertation chairs?

Members of the ECU faculty will teach all courses and LEED faculty also serve as the dissertation chairs. ECU’s faculty is highly experienced in both the university setting as well as having extensive experience in leading K-12 schools and school systems.

What human and technical resources are available to support EdD students?

ECU has a longstanding reputation and commitment to service (Servire) and this is embedded in the philosophy and practice of the EdD program. It begins with making sure each student has a personal relationship with the faculty and staff. In addition, the online resources of the Joyner Library, its Teaching Resources Center, ECU Writing Center, and the ITCS staff will be of tremendous benefit throughout the degree completion process. For more information on the resources available through ECU, this short video is available at: www.vimeo.com/edutrope/ecuedd

How and when do I apply?

The next application will be available in Fall 2023. You will be required to create a personal application account and pay the $75.00 application fee. You then will be able to manage your application. In order to submit a complete application, you must include:

  • Official transcripts from all undergrad and undergrad courses.
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • A writing sample describing a current educational challenge (500 words)
  • Non-U.S. citizens must also provide a TOEFL score.

All applicants must attend one candidate Assessment Day after application is submitted. 

Who are the best people to contact about the Bangkok EdD Cohort?

Dr. Matthew Militello, Founding Director, can be reached at militellom14@ecu.edu. Other important contacts are Lynda Tredway – Program Coordinator and Dr. Annice Williams – Lead Instructor.

Course Sequence

Our newly designed on-line/hybrid EdD in Educational Leadership has recently received full accreditation from the University of North Carolina General Administration. Our program is designed for dissertation completion within the three-year program time frame. This model is similar to the medical and law model and a departure from the traditional doctorate in education. Through this process a dissertation becomes both relevant and rigorous, and, most importantly, it has a great impact on the yield of degree completion (National statistics vary on the completions rates of an EdD program within 7 years, but most studies indicate around 40% successfully complete in that time frame).

Students will take a series of content and design courses. The content courses are built around national standards for school and district school leaders. The design courses provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct a research study (dissertation). Our design also allows teams of students to conduct a team research project.

Spring and Fall courses will be conducted on-line. Each course will utilize a learning platform and is built with self-paced modules. Each summer students will meet face-to-face with ECU faculty. These courses will be held in Bangkok the last two weeks of June each year. Finally, two internship experiences (community and school) allow students to engage in relevant experiences where they reside in the summer.

Please visit links to our university, college, and department for more information. Additionally, watch our video that describes how our distance education students can utilize our university library.