The decision to admit an applicant to doctoral work constitutes a significant institutional and faculty commitment to advising, teaching, chairing or serving on student committees, collaboratively conducting and presenting research, evaluating assessments, and guiding the successful completion of the dissertation. The applicant should note the decision to admit students to the doctoral program is a collective judgment of the program faculty and represents their determination of the likelihood that the candidate will succeed in all major phases of the degree program. These holistic judgments take into account the applicant’s professional experiences, communication and thinking skills, and other relevant capabilities and dispositions, both individually and relative to the characteristics of the entire, active applicant pool. Applicants are not automatically admitted on the basis of meeting only the minimum or preferred criteria. A variety of performance measures may be considered during the holistic admission application review, via a formal and objective evaluation process including, but not limited to, undergraduate and graduate grade point averages, interviews and assessments, record of scholarly engagement and publication, and scores on graduate admissions exams, when available.

Application and Admission Dates

The “Marshall University Graduate Application for Admission” must be completed and submitted with the appropriate application fee. The application may be completed via the Marshall University Application for Graduate Admission at www.marshall.edu/admissions/graduate and the applicant should indicate on the application that they desire to apply to the online Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program in Leadership Studies. The Leadership Studies Doctoral Program reviews application files once completed, with all required credentials submitted.

The Ed.D. program utilizes a selective and competitive admission process, for fall semester admission only. The priority deadline for full consideration is April 15, prior to the fall term for which the applicant is seeking admission. Completed applications received after April 15, may be considered for admission on a competitive basis, while capacity remains in the program. The program may also offer a waitlist option, at its sole discretion, for select admission terms, depending on applicant qualifications and available space in the program.

All required application materials must be on file in the MU Graduate Admissions Office and the Leadership Studies Ed.D. Office before admission requests will be considered. The following items are required and/or preferred for all students applying for admission to the Leadership Studies Ed.D. program.

Items Submitted to MU Graduate Admissions Office

Application: The “Marshall University Graduate Application for Admission” must be completed and submitted by all applicants, with the appropriate application fee. The application may be completed online at www.marshall.edu/admissions/graduate. The applicant indicates on the application that s/he desires to be accepted into the online Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program and specifies the major of Leadership Studies (major code GEJ0).

Transcripts: The applicant must request that official transcripts of all completed undergraduate and graduate degree programs be sent by the degree-granting institution(s) to the MU Graduate Admissions Office. A minimum graduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 is required in order to be considered for admission. A master’s degree from an accepted, accredited institution is required for admission and preference is given to applicants who have successfully completed a thesis as part of their master’s degree program.

Optional Admission Test Scores: Applications for the Leadership Studies Ed.D. program will be reviewed holistically, with submission of GRE exam scores and other acceptable graduate admissions exams (e.g., LSAT, GMAT, MCAT, etc.) being optional. Admission to the program is selective and competitive and all offers of admission to the program are based on program capacity and the applicant’s qualifications relative to the entire, current applicant pool. The admission review process includes evaluations of the applicant’s academic record, interview, writing assessment, exam scores, when available, and other admission materials judged by program faculty to be indicators of likely success in the program. Applicants may request an official record of available test scores, sent directly from the testing agency to the MU Graduate Admissions Office. Copies from applicants are not acceptable and scores may be no more than five years old. 

Items Submitted to the Leadership Studies Ed.D. Office

The following items are to be submitted to the Leadership Studies Ed.D. Office. Hard copies may be sent to 100 Angus E. Peyton Drive, South Charleston, WV 25303- 1600. Electronic copies may be sent to the Leadership Studies Ed.D. administrative staff.

Goals Statement: The applicant must provide a goal statement, written in essay format, (500- 750 words) which must address the following topics: professional experiences that provide a basis for considering the applicant’s admission to the program; role of the Ed.D. in the applicant’s professional growth plan; personal strengths that will contribute to the applicant’s success in the Ed.D. program; and additional information the applicant deems relevant to the admissions process and decision.

The applicant’s ability to synthesize ideas to the level required for work in this advanced degree program and the appropriateness of the applicant’s goals as they relate to the objectives of the Ed.D. program will be assessed. The goals statement may be mailed or sent electronically as a Microsoft Word document to the address listed above.

Resume: The applicant must provide a current professional CV or resume with the following information: educational accomplishments (including the title of any thesis completed to fulfill the requirements for a master’s degree and/or other academic publications), work experience, current address, phone number(s), and email address. These documents may also be submitted through one of the addresses above.                          

Interview and Assessment

Upon review of the completed application materials, applicants who are selected to participate in an initial, electronic interview and writing assessment (at no additional cost to the applicant) will be notified. Formal and established criteria will be utilized by program faculty to objectively review each applicant and determine admissibility. Being invited to interview does not guarantee admission to the program. Interviews and assessments provide the faculty with the opportunity to closely examine applicants’ qualifications and goals beyond the printed materials submitted in the application process. Interviews and assessments will be conducted electronically, and applicants will be notified as soon as possible regarding the faculty’s decision regarding their applications for admission.