Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership (PSAP)
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership (PSAP)
The Ed.D in Educational Leadership (PSAP) is a highly collaborative, 3-year doctoral program for systems-level educational leaders. Guided by the program’s distinctive approach to leadership and practical wisdom, you'll bring an equity-minded lens to decision-making and advocate for policies and practices that solve educational inequities.
Through a unique collaboration with the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS), the program also offers an optional Superintendent licensure track.
Boston College’s Ed.D. in Educational Leadership (PSAP) prepares you to lead your community and launch systems-level change. Our curriculum is built around three pillars that pair research and operational leadership with a deep commitment to social justice.
What is the Professional School Administrator Program (PSAP)?
Is a BC Lynch School Ed.D. right for you? Learn more about the highly collaborative, 3-year doctoral program from program administrators and current students.
Program Pillars
Scholar Practitioner
Prepares educational leaders to serve as informed consumers of research who bridge the gap between academic theory and organizational improvement. You’ll learn to leverage data and visualization to turn complex information into clear, actionable insights.
Systems Leader
Develops leaders and community advocates who are versed in educational policy, systemic change, and cultivating healthy organizational cultures. In this program, you will integrate the technical demands of operations–strategic planning, budgeting, and instructional leadership–with the interpersonal skills required for effective stakeholder engagement and managing conflict.
Social Justice Advocate
Forms ethical leaders grounded in the Lynch School’s mission, embracing empathy and moral clarity to advocate for marginalized populations. Alumni demonstrate practical wisdom by navigating the nuances of complex decision-making, carefully balancing the dignity of the individual with the well-being of the community.
Key Features
Cohort-Based Learning
Our students bring diverse professional backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise that foster a rich learning environment in a dedicated cohort. Cohort members develop lifelong relationships that enrich learning and professional growth now and into the future.
Professional Mentorship
Partnering with a community of mentors who graduated from the program and are accomplished scholar-practioner leaders, doctoral candidates are assigned a mentor who provides personalized guidance throughout their academic journey.
Executive Format
Online and in-person course experiences provide valuable opportunities to engage meaningfully with cohort members and faculty. The program’s executive format allows working professionals the flexibility to manage the demands of their busy schedules.
The Ed.D. program will be offered in a hybrid format that intentionally combines in-person and online learning experiences. Scheduled on-campus sessions provide opportunities for collaborative learning, engagement with faculty and mentors, and professional networking, while the remaining coursework is delivered through a combination of synchronous (live zoom sessions) and asynchronous online instruction.
In-person convenings occur on Boston College’s Chestnut Hill Campus for 5 days each term for a total of 15 days per academic year (Summer, Fall, and Spring). Each in-person day will run from 8:30 AM - 4 PM.
- Summer term - Students convene for one Saturday in June and 4 days in July
- Fall term - Students convene on 5 Saturdays.
- Spring term - Students convene on 5 Saturdays
At a Glance
Curriculum
Through a cohort model that emphasizes collaborative learning and support, the curriculum bridges scholarship and practice, equipping leaders with expertise in evaluation and research, resource management, finance, community-building, and instructional leadership. You'll apply these skills by leading and evaluating a real-world systems change initiative.
Requirements
- Courses: 16
- Credits: 48
- Dissertation in Practice (DIP)
- Comprehensive Exam
| Course | Course Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| ELHE8819 | Human Resource Administration Addresses fundamental school personnel functions such as hiring, retention, socialization, rewards and sanctions, and performance appraisal. These functions, however, are situated in a broader approach to the human and professional development of school personnel in a learning organization. Situates human resource development within the larger agenda of increased quality of student learning and teacher development. | 3 |
| ELHE7740 | Ethics for District Leaders The course explores how schools are used as a vehicle of the state to de-culturalize various communities of people throughout the country's history. Students will explore how schools can more appropriately promote respect for valuing diversity as a generative source of the country's vitality and its relationship to the global village. The role of educators is not only to act ethically in the many individual situations of their daily professional lives, but more importantly to see that the institutional structures and processes of the school system are themselves reflections of a system of justice and care. | 3 |
| ELHE7703 | Education Law for District Leaders This course addresses the political and legal aspects of the role of education in our democratic society. Provides an introductory survey of public policy issues and laws governing preschool, elementary, and secondary school with a specific focus on the role of school district leadership. Included are such topics as religious freedom, free speech, and due process; the liability of educational institutions and educators; the legal distinctions between private and public institutions; student and parent privacy rights; disability rights; and the promotion of educational equity among all groups regardless of gender, sexual orientation, language, race, religion, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background. | 3 |
| ELHE7780 | Theories of Leadership: District Focus This course is an introduction to and survey of major historical and contemporary theories of educational leadership. Through this course, you will learn about these different theories of leadership, each of which can be of use when researching or evaluating district-level dilemmas, problems, and critical incidents you will encounter in your sites of professional practice. One of the overarching objectives of this course is to help you enter into research-based conversations about educational leadership (as emerging researchers of educational leadership) by understanding how “major thinkers” have thought through the essential questions defining educational leadership as a field of study. The other overarching objective is to provide you the space to enhance your practical wisdom by thinking through how to enact a grounded theory of leadership in your site of professional practice. | 3 |
| ELHE8833 | Leadership for Social Justice: District Focus This course introduces students to the theory and practice of leadership for social justice at the school and district level. Definitions, approaches, and controversies in this emerging field will be examined. Readings, films, class discussions, and case studies related to the topics of race, ethnicity, culture, language, gender, social class, religion, sexual orientation, and disability will focus on how these issues affect educators, students and their families in today's K-12 schools. In particular, students will learn about leadership which is culturally and linguistically responsive; strengthens parent-community-school relationships; and formulates diversity policies to promote educational equity for students from diverse groups. | 3 |
| ELHE9903 | District Level Instructional Leadership Introduces students to many of the contested issues in the field of supervision, such as the relationship between supervision and teacher development, teacher empowerment, teacher alienation, learning theories, school effectiveness, school restructuring, curriculum development, and scientific management. Supervision will be viewed also as a moral, community-nested, artistic, motivating, and collaborative activity. Will stress the need for a restructuring of supervision as an institutional process. | 3 |
| ELHE7760 | Seminar on Education Reform This interdisciplinary seminar addresses the role of law in education reform and the relationship between law and social science in efforts to promote educational attainment in the nation's elementary and secondary schools. The primary focus will be contemporary education reform issues, including educator quality, access to meaningful opportunity to learn, curriculum control, and student, teacher, administrator, and parental rights. The focus of the course will be inquiry on the role of law in school reform, the limits of law-based education reform, and the consequences of statutory requirements for scientific evidence-based approaches to education programs. | 3 |
| Course | Course Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| ELHE8820 | Research Design I This course introduces students to the fundamentals of designing and reporting research. Our level of focus is the skills and knowledge necessary for conceptualizing and crafting research projects. This includes developing familiarity with a variety of methods and designs, selecting researchable problems, and prototyping study designs in accord with particular theoretical lenses. | 3 |
| ELHE8821 | Research Design II This course builds on Research Design I to provide tools and training to support the dissertation-in-practice. The course will deepen students’ understanding of key concepts in education research and how to use research in educational leadership to transform schools and systems of schools. As part of this specialized course for PSAP candidates, students will carefully examine the parts of a dissertation proposal, developing both their group and individual proposals. Students will critically examine the processes of empirical inquiry, including (a) formulating research questions from literature reviews, (b) articulating conceptual frameworks, and (c) formalizing methodology. | 3 |
| ELHE8823 | Research Design III This course focuses on the skills of analyzing and reporting qualitative research findings. It is organized as a graduate seminar or workshop: students will learn by doing. In such a setting, the instructors and students work together as colleagues, offering each other individualized feedback or assistance. By the end of this course, students should have: (a) conceptual knowledge about data analysis; (b) practical knowledge about analyzing and reporting research; and (c) a summary of findings for their independent research projects. | 3 |
| ELHE8703 | Dissertation in Practice Seminar Dissertation seminar related course work for advanced doctoral students. | 3 |
| ELHE8704 | Dissertation in Practice Direction Dissertation related course work for advanced doctoral students. | 3 |
| ELHE8706 | Dissertation in Practice Group Direction Dissertation related course work for advanced doctoral students. | 3 |
| Course | Course Title | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| ELHE9901 | Doctoral Comprehensive Exam An important program milestone is the individual qualifying paper, also known as the “comprehensive exam” or “comp.” This paper is completed in the Spring of Year 2. The purpose of the comp is to propose the individual empirical study that the student intends to complete as a part of their Dissertation-in-Practice (DIP). In this paper, you must demonstrate your skills in conceptualizing, articulating, and designing the study you intend to complete for your DIP. | 0 |
The optional Superintendent licensure track within the Ed.D in Educational Leadership program is an additional three credits taken in year three, consisting of 1-credit seminars in the Summer, Fall, and Spring terms.
The track is designed to meet the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) requirements of a supervised practicum (500 hours) in the Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent role leading to endorsement for Superintendent/Assistant Superintendent licensure in Massachusetts by our partner, the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS).
Completion of the state-approved educator preparation program includes the program of study along with a practicum in the state of Massachusetts; it is important to note that all practicum hours must be completed in-person and in a Massachusetts PK-12 school and/or district setting and under the supervision of a licensed Supervising Practitioner (school-based mentor) and a Program Supervisor from Boston College.
Core: 9 Courses
Research: 4 Courses
Dissertation in Practice (DIP): 3 Courses
Practicum: 3 (one credit) Courses
Doctoral Comprehensive Exam
- Cultivate wisdom by balancing individual and community needs, navigating uncertainties, learning from feedback, and reflecting critically on your own leadership and growth.
- Implement equity-centered leadership practices to navigate and dismantle barriers to justice in educational settings.
- Promote organizational and professional cultures that are ethical, culturally responsive, and that prioritize community, collaboration, and advocacy.
- Design and evaluate systemic changes that can address challenges and their underlying causes within organizations
- Approach relevant research, policies, and data as scholar-practitioners, shepherding systemic solutions to persistent problems in education.
- Use highly effective communication skills and data analysis when reporting to community actors, managing conflict and crises, negotiating, and engaging with various audiences.
- Effectively manage school and district-level operations and resources in ways that are data-informed and mission-aligned, ensuring continuous evaluation and improvement.
- Strengthen educator professional capital by integrating collaborative inquiry and strategic retention efforts with a rigorous culture of academic excellence
Tuition & Aid
Education should level the playing field. We feel the same way about financial aid.
The Lynch School of Education and Human Development provides more than $13.8 million in financial aid to students each year. As a result, the quality of BC’s instruction, the benefit of our alumni network, and the impact a BC degree will have on your employment options is both affordable and invaluable.
Careers
Roles and Organizations
- Partner - School Design Services, Transcend Education
- Leadership Coach, Lynch Leadership Academy
- President, Mission Grammar School
- Director, Catholic School Teacher Corps, Seattle University
- Deputy commissioner, DESE
- Head of Schools, KIPP Massachusetts Public Charter Schools
- Deputy Superintendent of Community and Family Advancement, Boston Public Schools
- Executive Director, Shah Family Foundation
- Head of School, Codman Academy Charter Public School
Research in Practice
Throughout the program, Students prepare brief practitioner oriented reports to demonstrate meaningful impact on practice.
Apply
PrintApplication & Deadlines
Prerequisite Information: To be eligible for the Ed.D. program, applicants must already hold a master's degree and have 5 or more years of experience in education (focused on prek-12 levels), with a minimum of 2 years of leadership experience.
A non-refundable application fee of $75 is required. The fee is waived for select applicants.
Please review our AI Use Policy before preparing your application materials
Summer 2027 Enrollment:
- Deadline: January 15
This program does not offer rolling admission after the deadline.
Resume
To be uploaded to your online application.
In addition to your academic history and relevant volunteer and/or work experience, please include any licenses currently held, any social justice-related experience, any language skills other than English, and any research experience or publications.
Personal Statement
To be uploaded to your online application.
Students in our Ed.D. program are outstanding administrators and have diverse backgrounds, experiences, and interests. Together, cohort members collaborate with and challenge each other intellectually.
In lieu of a traditional personal statement, we ask for responses to each of the following questions. Your responses provide an opportunity to get to know you, your hopes for your doctoral experience, and any challenges or experiences that shed light on you as a leader or potential cohort member.
Please number the questions and limit your response to each question to 500 words.
Question 1 — Goals and Purpose
Our Ed.D. prepares educational leaders to drive systems-level change. Describe the problem, challenge, or opportunity in your educational context that motivates your pursuit of a doctorate. What do you hope to accomplish — in your organization, your community, or your field — and how does doctoral study connect to that work?
Question 2 — Scholar-Practitioner Identity
Our Ed.D. develops graduates who bridge research and practice: leaders who consume and produce knowledge, analyze and act on data, and bring an inquiry stance to organizational problems. Describe a moment when you engaged research, evidence, or data in your leadership work. What did that experience reveal about how you as a scholar-practitioner, and what do you want to develop?
Question 3 — Systems Leader and Social Justice Advocate
Our Ed.D. graduates lead complex organizations while remaining grounded in equity and justice. Describe a situation in which you navigated systemic barriers, institutional resistance, or competing stakeholder interests in pursuit of a more just outcome. What did that experience teach you about yourself as a leader, and what do you bring to a cohort of peers grappling with similar challenges?
Letters of Recommendation
Three letters of recommendation are required. Together, these letters should provide a picture of you as a leader, collaborator, and emerging scholar-practitioner.
At least one letter should speak directly to your leadership practice and organizational impact. This will often come from someone who has seen your leadership up close. Examples include: a supervisor, a school board member, a close colleague, or a community partner.
At least one letter should speak to your capacity for rigorous, inquiry-driven work — your ability to engage research critically, analyze complex problems, and communicate clearly in writing. This might come from a professor, research collaborator, or another person with a doctorate; it could equally come from a supervisor or colleague who has seen you engage with difficult questions, learn from evidence, or change course based on what you found.
The third letter is your choice. The letter writer should know you well enough to assess your candidacy and alignment to our Ed.D. program.
Tip from the Admissions Team: Reach out to recommenders early to share your graduate school goals and confirm they can meet your deadline. Make sure to enter your recommender's contact information correctly on the application, as it can't be edited after you submit. Taking these steps generally leads to stronger letters and less stress.
Transcripts
Transcripts from all college/university study are required.
For degrees from the United States and Canada, unofficial transcripts may be used for application review. Official transcripts will be required upon enrollment.
Applicants who have received degrees from institutions outside the United States should view the "International Students" section for additional credential evaluation requirements.
Please begin your online application before submitting your transcripts. Details on how to submit transcripts and international credential evaluations can be found within the application. In order to ensure your transcript reaches our office, it is important to review and follow the instructions.
Standardized Tests
GRE scores are not required. If you wish to send GRE scores, the Lynch School GRE code is 3218.
Please view the "International Students" section for information on English Proficiency test requirements.
Writing Sample
All applicants to this program are required to submit one writing sample demonstrating their ability to effectively communicate at the graduate level. Applicants should be the sole author of the sample, and it should reflect (a) critical thinking and/or synthesis of ideas, and (b) effective organization, logic, and argumentation.
Quality in these criteria is more important than length. Appropriate choices include, but are not limited to: term paper from a graduate course; newspaper op-ed; memo to community members about a difficult decision; district evaluation report; or academic journal article.
International Students
Applicants who have completed a degree outside of the United States must have a course-by-course evaluation of their transcript(s) completed by an evaluation company approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Submission of falsified documents is grounds for denial of admission or dismissal from the University.
Applicants who are not native speakers of English and who have not received a degree from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction must also submit a TOEFL, Duolingo, or IELTS test result that meets the minimum score requirement.
Please click the link below for full details on these requirements.
Requirements for International Students
Tip from the Admissions Team: Order your credential evaluation and submit all documents to the evaluator at least one month before your program’s deadline. During peak application times, delays are common and can lead to missed deadlines.
Quick Links
Contact Us
gsoe@bc.edu
617-552-4214