Program Purpose

This doctoral degree program is the first independent Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) program offered by San Diego State University.  It prepares community college leaders who are committed to educational justice, providing them with the skills, knowledge and attitudes essential to transform community colleges so that all students are learning at high levels.  University faculty and local practitioner experts collaborate to create a vibrant learning community that draws upon issues and challenges facing community colleges.  Doctoral candidates will tackle real-world problems through their dissertation research and serve their colleges at the same time by informing and improving practice.

Learning Outcomes (curriculum alignment matrix)

Upon successful completion of the Ed.D. program, graduates will demonstrate the following outcomes:

1. Organizational Strategy: develop strategies to improve the quality of postsecondary education  and  promote the access and success of all students while sustaining  and  strengthening  the  institutional mission.  The demonstration of this outcome is based on knowledge of postsecondary educational organizations, their cultures, environments, and future trends (Program Goals #1,3,5).

 
2. Resource Management - equitably and ethically sustain people, processes, information, and assets to fulfill the mission, vision and goals of their postsecondary educational institutions  and organizations (Program Goals #1, 4, 5).

3. Instructional Leadership - apply the necessary knowledge and skills to promote the academic success of all students and to close the achievement gap  by fostering a positive postsecondary educational organizational culture, effective curricular programs, a student-centered learning environment, and ongoing professional growth opportunities for all staff (Program Goals #1, 2, 4, 5).   

4.  Communication - use scrupulous listening, speaking, and writing skills to engage in honest, open dialogue  in a shared governance environment (Program Goals #1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

5. Collaboration - demonstrate the ability to develop responsive, cooperative, mutually beneficial, and ethically sound internal and external relationships that nurture diversity, promote student success, and promote the organization’s mission in their postsecondary educational institutions (Program Goals #1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

6. Organizational Advocacy - - recognize, commit to, champion  and advance the mission, vision, and goals of the postsecondary educational  organization (Program Goals #1, 2, 3).

7. Professional - set high standards for self and others, demonstrate personal accountability, and ensure the long-term growth of self and  all constituencies within the postsecondary educational organization (Program Goals #1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

8. Financial and Legal Forces -identify the financial and legal forces affecting leadership in  postsecondary education and develop plans to augment public sources of revenue (Program Goals #1, 4, 5).

9. Decisions Sciences - engage in scientific methods to assess practice, examine results and promote sound decision-making in post-secondary education (Program Goals #1, 2, 3, 4, 5).