Study leadership at Shenandoah University to be prepared to think deeply about, examine, understand and address problems facing organizations of public trust.
The programs are organized around a core of leadership and inquiry courses, complemented by courses in the learner’s concentration and emphasize the application of theory to real world problems and lived experiences.
Organizational Leadership
MS Organizational Leadership
The Master of Science: Organizational Leadership is a graduate degree for those interested in leadership positions in the nonprofit, public, higher education, or governmental organizations. Serving new professionals and those aspiring to leadership positions in institutions of public trust.
The master’s degree in organizational leadership was helpful for me and how I implement the things learned EVERY day. The ethical dilemmas faced on a daily basis with truant and delinquent teens fell under several of the course discussions we had in class, I feel very prepared to handle this along with balancing the more administrative side of the organization.”
Maitland Rutledge ’19 | Timbrook Achievement Center Program Coordinator
DProf Organizational Leadership
The Doctor of Professional Studies (DProf) degree is appropriate to professionals with substantive experience in non-profit, public sector, higher education, or service professions. These experiences will inform and leverage learning, position learners’ study in the program, and allow them to assume significant leadership roles in their professions. It is geared towards those who wish to reflect upon and leverage that experience in the context of an academic program designed to enhance leadership and research skills.
The DProf dissertation is not typically a purely academic study, but reflects the application of theory to an organizational concern, thereby, leading to high-level practical action that may result in significant change or development in a community of practice.
Education Administration Leadership
PSC Educational Administration and Supervision
The Professional Studies Certificate (PSC) for Licensure in Administration and Supervision serves students who already hold a master’s degree and want to obtain Virginia licensure in School Administration and Supervision.
MSEd Educational Administration
Develop the necessary leadership skills to become a successful leader in education administration.
EdD Educational Leadership
Advanced study in the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program at Shenandoah University is designed to serve learners with career goals related to PK-12 educational administration.
EdS Educational Leadership
This 36-credit Education Specialist in Educational Leadership degree is an alternative credential for those students who completed the required 33-credits of program core and research coursework in Shenandoah’s EdD in Educational Leadership (or EdD in Administrative Leadership) but will not complete the EdD degree.
What is the Difference Between the Doctor of Education (EDD) and the Doctor of Professional Studies (DPROF)?
Both the EdD and the DProf are termed “professional doctorates”. A professional doctorate (which is distinct from a “clinical doctorate” or a “first professional degree”) is a course of advanced study and research which both satisfies the criteria for a doctorate and meets the specific needs of a professional group. These are also known as “practitioner doctorates” due to their applied focus, and target group of advanced practitioners of various professions.
Those seeking professional doctorates tend to value:
- learning with a cohort of like-minded professionals
- developing professional practice skills or professional qualifications
- develop and adopt a research stance/perspective (develop research capacity)
- develop advanced skills to carry out a research projects based on professional practice
- a desire to shift from action to reflection