Education Policy and Social Change, EdD

EdD Curriculum

The EdD program is a three-year 76-credit program. Students are required to transfer 24 credits of relevant graduate work into the EdD program. The EdD curriculum is delivered in several stages, through a variety methods:

• Orientation: The EdD cohort participates in a virtual orientation in the spring (typically April) before the summer start of the program. Incoming students meet program faculty, current students/alumni, receive an overview of EdD program, participate in cohort-building activities and get an introduction to the summer “on-ramp” courses. 
• Intensive on-ramp: The EdD cohort will participate in the first-year summer “on-ramp” courses which consist of three in-person Saturdays and a full-week, on-campus experience. The on-ramp consists of two courses— Foundations 1 and Practitioner Inquiry 1 — to give new students an immersive introduction to doctoral study, cohort collaborations, and program content. The one-week in-person experience typically takes place in June.
• Hybrid seminars: After the first summer on-ramp, students experience a hybrid learning model of education. Each semester courses are largely conducted asynchronously online which is supported through a once a month flipped classroom experience that takes place in-person (typically on Saturdays) on the Pittsburgh campus.  Attendance at in-person, on campus sessions is required.

SCHEDULE (all courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted)

Foundation Courses: 12 Credits

• Foundations 1:  EDUC 3002 - FOUNDATIONS 1: BECOMING A LEADER SCHOLAR PRACTITIONER  
• Foundations 2:  EDUC 3003 - FOUNDATIONS: LEADERSHIP IN GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS  
• Foundations 3:  EDUC 3004 - FOUNDATIONS: CONTEXTS OF EDUCATION  
• Foundations 4:   EDUC 3005 - FOUNDATIONS: POLICY AS A LEVER FOR CHANGE   

Practitioner Inquiry Courses: 12 credits

• EDUC 3001 - PRACTITIONER INQUIRY 1: THE SCIENCE OF IMPROVEMENT  
• EDUC 3006 - PRACTITIONER INQUIRY 2  
• EDUC 3007 - PRACTITIONER INQUIRY 3  
• EDUC 3008 - PRACTITIONER INQUIRY 4: APPLYING DISCIPLINED INQUIRY  

Supervised Practitioner Inquiry: 3 credits

• EDUC 3009 - SUPERVISED PRACTITIONER INQUIRY  

Dissertation-in-Practice Overview: 3 credits

• EDUC 3090 - PRACTITIONER INQUIRY 5: DISSERTATION-IN-PRACTICE OVERVIEW SEMINAR  

Guidance In Scholarly Practice: 10 credits

• EDUC 3099 - GUIDANCE IN SCHOLARLY PRACTICE  

Education Policy and Social Change Academic Major Courses (12 credits)

• EFOP 3006 - SOCIAL CHANGE IN LOCAL AND GLOBAL CONTEXTS
• EFOP 3017 - ORGANIZATIONS, NETWORKS, AND EDUCATION POLICY
• EFOP 3018 - ECONOMICS-INFORMED POLICY ANALYSIS
• EFOP 3019 - EDUCATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION FOR SOCIAL CHANGE

Transfer credits (24 credits)

Total Credits: 76

Graduation Requirements

• 3.0 cumulative Pitt graduate GPA
• Successful completion of required courses
• Completion of written dissertation in practice and defense