Because participants in the Ed.D. degree are often pre-screened or employer-selected, participants are exceptionally qualified even before university admission requirements are applied. The first qualification for cohort admission is often nomination by respective community college employers, making participants clearly singled out for likely advancement upon graduation.

Participants also must satisfy Kansas State University’s program-specific criteria to gain admission, as the Department of Educational Leadership will require every program entrant to meet or exceed these standards on a continuous basis:

• Completed application

• Master’s degree or higher from a regionally-accredited institution in the U.S. or international institution of higher education recognized by the ministry of education or other appropriate government agency

• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 achieved for all previous graduate coursework

• Official transcripts reflecting all academic work completed at baccalaureate and graduate levels from regionally-accredited institutions of higher education

• Current curriculum vita demonstrating three years of related professional experience

• Personal and professional goal statements

• Three signed letters of recommendation on letterhead from professionals who are familiar with the applicant's academic and leadership potential

• Willingness to participate throughout the program of study as a member of a cohort

• Commitment to successfully completing all courses, internships, and field experiences in a prescribed calendar sequence to earn the Ed.D. degree

• EDACE 851 – The Historical and Contemporary Community College (1 credit hour)
  The focus of this course is on the analysis of community college issues in the context of their historical development. Students will study the evolution of community colleges and how they were and are shaped by issues of the day. Students will become familiar with important historical events and seminal reports that shaped American higher education, in particular, community colleges. Students will develop analytical, communication, and leadership skills necessary for effective issue identification, communication, response, and management. Class topics will include the most significant national, state, and institutional issues of the past and those that are emerging as challenges for today's higher education leaders. Students will have opportunities to interact with some of today's most influential community college leaders and scholars.
• EDACE 852 FIELD STUDY – The Historical and Contemporary Community College (Two, 1 credit hour courses)
  These paired on-line and face-to-face courses will focus on developing an understanding of historical and contemporary issues that have shaped and continue to impact community colleges. Students will develop and improve skills that are outlined in the leadership competencies published by the American Association of Community Colleges.
• EDACE 853 – Making Good on the Promise of the Open Door: Access, Equity, Success (2 credit hours)
  This course will explore the assets, experiences, and institutional challenges of community college students based upon personal characteristics such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexuality, disability, military status, and religion; and the national “best-practice” strategies currently being used to increase enrollment, persistence, and program completion for these diverse student groups. Students will assess the extent to which community colleges are “student-ready” based upon the assets and experiences of different student groups and the extent to which student success strategies effectively serve these same students.
• EDACE 854 FIELD STUDY – Making Good on the Promise of the Open Door: Access, Equity, Success (1 credit hour)
  This on-line and face-to-face course will provide an opportunity for students to reflect about challenges in changing community college cultures and structures from a traditional student-deficit model to a student-asset model accounting for the increasing diversity among community college students. Students will review and analyze information for team projects to best meet the challenges described.
• EDACE 855 – Aligning Vision, Planning, and Resources (2 credit hours)
  This course will study ways to understand, work with, and improve upon the financial model of community colleges, and will help develop skills needed to do so. Students will explore the financial implications of multiyear strategic plans, and development of multi-year financial plans. The course will study the relationships between strategic plans, financial plans, annual operating plans, resource development, and resource management of board-approved operating and capital budgets. Students will examine choices available to leadership to increase traditional and nontraditional sources of revenue, while considering ways to contain costs without adversely influencing educational quality. Tuition pricing will be examined from a student’s perspective of affordability and access.
• EDACE 856 FIELD STUDY – Aligning Vision, Planning, and Resources (1 credit hour)
  This on-line and face-to-face course will expand the range of leadership competencies required of community college leaders through focusing attention on evidence-based strategic and financial planning, and effective budget management processes. Students will acquire a basic understanding of revenue generation, cost containment, and practical applications of financial planning and budget management processes.
• EDACE 920 – Educational Value Choices and Integrity (2 credit hours)
  This course explores the prevalence of value choices confronting educational leaders in a community college setting, the influence personal values have on educational value choices, and the how educational leaders can maintain integrity in navigating the choices. This course integrates theoretical and practical aspects of ethical leadership and emphasizes individual student self-reflection and personal awareness development as a community college leader with integrity.
• EDACE 921 FIELD STUDY – Educational Value Choices and Integrity (1 credit hour)
  This online and face-to-face course focuses on the practical application of leadership integrity in approaching educational value choices within a community college setting.
• EDACE 857 – Effective Leadership Theory (4 credit hours)
  This on-line course will provide an essential introduction into leadership issues in higher education through individual, interpersonal, group, and organizational leadership theory and practical applications. Because the field of leadership behavior is emerging and continues to grow, students will review relevant concept models and theories from a variety of research and case studies.
• EDACE 858 FIELD STUDY – Effective Leadership Theory (1 credit hour)
  This face-to-face and on-line course will enable students to meet with many of the outstanding leaders in community college education throughout the country. These individuals will share with you national, state, and local challenges, accomplishments, and concerns they are facing daily. In addition, students will review and analyze information from the research and case studies to make recommendations individually and as teams as to how best meet the challenges described.
• EDACE 859 – INSTITUTE - Effective Leadership Theory (1 credit hour)
  Students will travel to community colleges in their home (or nearby) state to meet daily with the Chancellor or President and leadership team for each college. In addition, students will interact with board of trustees members,state educational association leaders, and other national community college leaders. Finally, students will have the opportunity to hear from recent doctoral program graduates who will share their dissertation journeys.
• EDACE 882 – Introduction to Educational Research (2 credit hours)
  
  This course introduces graduate participants to educational research methods,
  paying particular attention to ways in which research can be used in preparation for dissertation development; and, to inform and improve daily education practice, particularly in higher education. Throughout the course, key differences among qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, and action research designs are highlighted, as are the nuances of data analysis for various methodologies approaches. Finally, consideration of research ethics is considered throughout the course, as is the potentially useful role that research technologies may have in supporting aspiring scholar/practitioner research work.
• EDACE 883 FIELD STUDY – Introduction to Educational Research (1 credit hour)
  This on-line and face-to-face course is designed to provide participants with an overview of the various quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research designs, their characteristics, and their associated methodologies.
• EDACE 991 – INTERNSHIP I (3 credit hours)
  Students enrolled in the Community College Leadership specialization at Kansas State University are required to complete six credit hours of internship (Internship I and Internship II; 3 credit hours each) to apply and expand skills and knowledge designed to improve leadership abilities and opportunities.

Prerequisite: Internships may be taken concurrently or after completion of EDACE 882/883 Introduction to Educational Research and related Field Study. All Internships must be completed prior to defending the dissertation.

• EDACE 991 – INTERNSHIP II (3 credit hours)
  
  Students enrolled in the Community College Leadership specialization at Kansas State University are required to complete six credit hours of internship (Internship I and Internship II; 3 credit hours each) to apply and expand skills and knowledge designed to improve leadership abilities and opportunities.
  Prerequisite: Internships may be taken concurrently or after completion of EDACE 882/883 Introduction to Educational Research and related Field Study. All Internships must be completed prior to defending the dissertation.
• EDACE 863 – Creating a Culture of Evidence and Inquiry: From Enrollment to Outcomes (2 credit hours)
  This course is designed to prepare senior administrators and aspiring leaders to develop and foster cultures of evidence and inquiry from enrollment to outcomes. Participants will consider how to develop and use robust common measures to benchmark and improve institutional performance. Because community colleges are increasingly pressured to demonstrate their performance to external audiences, the toolkit of the successful administrator must include the ability to critically analyze and evaluate research at the institutional (micro) and macro (state and national policy) levels.
• EDACE 864 FIELD STUDY – Creating a Culture of Evidence and Inquiry: Enrollment to Outcomes (1 credit hour)
  This on-line and face-to-face course will enable participants to engage with one another in furthering discussions about the readings. Through the field study, more attention will be placed on the quantitative and qualitative data elements needed to create a culture of evidence and inquiry and how to communicate them.
• EDACE 861 – Fostering Desired Culture: Fundamentals and Strategies for Organizational Development (2 credit hours)
  This course will focus on helping students create organizational structures designed to thrive by fostering entrepreneurialism and innovation throughout the organization. This course will also focus on consideration of inclusion and equity in organizational design and development. Examining the importance of partnership development while applying elements such as design thinking, well-being and lean strategy into organizational design and development will be included in this course.
• EDACE 862 FIELD STUDY – Fostering Desired Culture: Fundamentals and Strategies for Organizational Development (1 credit hour)
  This on-line and face-to-face course will enable students to engage with one another and with outstanding community college leaders throughout the country. Students will review and analyze information from the research, discussions, and guest speakers to make recommendations individually and as small teams as to how best address contemporary organizational challenges.
• EDACE 922 – Policy Formation and Public Process (2 credit hours)
  This course is designed to provide students with a thorough background to the principal public policy issues that are impacting American community college education. The structure of the course will provide an opportunity to fully explore the genesis, nature, impacts and potential results from a series of the most significant public policies that college leaders will need to address in this part of their careers. A significant part of that exploration will entail having participants examine and strengthen their own perspectives on the several policy areas and to have an opportunity to present their positions in simulated public policy environments.
• EDACE 923 FIELD STUDY – Policy Formation and Public Process (1 credit hour)
  
  The field study is designed to provide the student with the opportunity to examine the theory of public policy and political decision making; and work in-depth on chosen issues of public policy pertinent to community college education. Students will work collaboratively in teams with colleagues to research, analyze, and assess contemporary issues essential to community college education. An emphasis will be on the ability of students to: organize succinct and compelling arguments and presentations; present data and findings in a clear and comprehensible fashion; and, communicate with clarity and authenticity to educators, non-educators, civic leaders, legislators and their staff.
• EDACE 924 – Effective Governance and Leadership (2 credit hours)
  

  Effective Governance and Leadership provides students with knowledge about the contributory roles of all employees and employee structures within the framework of college governance and leadership. The influence of external entities (e.g., policymakers, accreditors, foundations) are evaluated from an historical perspective as well as an anticipatory view. The course addresses the various roles of internal stakeholders and constituent groups, the structure and function of participatory governance, and ethical decision-making and leadership.

  This course introduces the fundamentals of community college governance through the lens of current issues facing community college leaders. Learning experiences will include exploration of governance differences among state systems and best practices in community college governance, as well as observations and analysis of governance in action.
• EDACE 925 FIELD STUDY – Effective Governance and Leadership (1 credit hour)

This on-line and face-to-face course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to analyze community college governance and leadership through the lens of historical context and contemporary issues. Key course topics include variations in governance structures and functions, participative decision-making, roles and influence of internal and external stakeholders, board/CEO roles and relationships, ethical decision-making, and using data and analytics to guide effective governance and leadership. Students will work independently and collaboratively on in-depth learning experiences relating to current issues to be addressed through effective governance and leadership.

• EDACE 926 – Leadership for Transformation (2 credit hours)
  This course will provide an essential introduction into the concepts and practices of introducing and implementing desired transformation in community colleges. Because the field of leadership behavior is emerging and continues to grow, students will review a relevant change theory (Kotter, 1996) to use as a lens for examining transformational leadership for initiatives among our nation’s community colleges.
• EDACE 927 FIELD STUDY – Leadership for Transformation (1 credit hour)
  This on-line and face-to-face course will enable students to meet with many of the outstanding leaders in community college education throughout the country. Students will review and analyze information from research and case studies to make recommendations individually and as a group as to how best meet the challenges described.
• EDACE 928 – Designing a Comprehensive Plan for Success (2 credit hours)
  
  This course is designed to provide the student with the knowledge required for contributing strategically to address identified problems, develop, and implement a shared vision. The course is designed to build upon leadership competencies (American Association of Community Colleges, 2018) and the knowledge, concepts, theories, and skills gleaned from previous doctoral core courses to develop viable solutions and plans for transformation to achieve identified goals. Students will review the tenets of a leadership framework for entering a region and institution and implementing desired transformation. Students will draw upon transformational and management strategies addressed in previous courses to develop a viable solution that includes plans to achieve and evaluate an initiative relevant to the college/district and the communities, state, or region it serves.
• EDACE 929 FIELD STUDY – Designing a Comprehensive Plan for Success (1 credit hour)
  This on-line and face-to-face course will provide an opportunity for students to reflect about challenges in introducing and institutionalizing desired culture change and effective best practices to develop the envisioned future. Students will review and analyze information for projects to best meet the challenges described. They will develop a presentation on a developed initiatives that addresses the identified problem.
• EDACE 970 – Dissertation Development: Starting the Journey (4 credit hours)
  The purpose of the course is to assist students through the proposal conceptualizations and dissertation writing processes. All components of the dissertation will be addressed through classroom activities and field study assignments. At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to identify and articulate the key steps in developing the dissertation proposal and dissertation. EDACE 970 Dissertation Development: Starting the Journey is 4 credits which includes Zoom sessions, Canvas discussion boards and papers.
• EDACE 971 & 972 FIELD STUDY – Dissertation Development: Starting the Journey (2 credit hours)
  These on-line and face-to-face courses offer the opportunity for students to become familiar with the theoretical and practical design of the dissertation and apply them to appropriate related research to writing the dissertation. These courses will help the candidate with the selection of the research topic under investigation and development of the argument that demonstrates the need for the study.
• EDACE 930 – Implementing Leadership Competencies (2 credit hours)
  This course is designed to identify the major competencies necessary to become a more effective and efficient leader and how these competencies align with those identified by the American Association of Community College Leaders (AACC). The course includes practical application of leadership, completing a self-assessment of core leadership competencies, and developing a personal leadership growth plan. Students will work in teams to develop a leadership institute that can be used in a community college setting.
• EDACE 931 FIELD STUDY – Implementing Leadership Competencies (1 credit hour)
  This on-line and face-to-face course is designed to identify the major competencies necessary to become a more effective and efficient leader and how these competencies align with those identified by the American Association of Community College Leaders (AACC). The course includes practical application of leadership, completing a self-assessment of core leadership competencies, and developing a personal leadership growth plan. Students will work in teams to develop a leadership institute that can be used in a community college setting.
• EDACE 999 – Doctoral Research (1-18 credit hours)
  Prerequisite: Sufficient training to carry on the line of research undertaken and consent of instructor.

Student learning outcomes (SLOs) for the program are based on Kansas State University’s College of Education’s Conceptual Framework and the AACC Competencies for Community College Leaders (2018), Third Edition.

The program prepares participants to make well-grounded decisions to face the daunting issues facing community college leaders. The Ed.D. curriculum emphasizes practical applications that are based on research-based theories, skills, and strategies – aligned with AACC’s practical standards-based and performance-based outcomes for community college leaders.

The AACC standards are structured around named competencies with behaviors to be mastered by the successful community college leader. These broad competencies fall under headings of organizational culture; governance, policy, and legislation; student success; institutional leadership; institutional infrastructure; information and analytics; advocacy and mobilizing/motivating others; fundraising and relationship cultivation; communications; collaboration; and personal traits and abilities.

The Ed.D. in Community College Leadership at KSU focuses on preparing aspiring CEOs, along with other senior and mid-level positions, including but not limited to senior faculty, department chairs, state system executives, vice presidents, and more.

Standard 1: Organizational Culture
An effective community college leader embraces the mission, vision, and values of the community college, and acknowledges the significance of the institution’s past while charting a path for its future.

Standard 2: Governance, Institutional Policy, and Legislation
An effective leader is knowledgeable about the institution’s governance framework and the policies that guide its operation.

Standard 3: Student Success
An effective leader supports student success across the institution, and embraces opportunities to improve access, retention, and success.

Standard 4: Institutional Leadership
An effective leader understands the importance of interpersonal relationships, personal philosophy, and management skills to creating a student-centered institution.

Standard 5: Institutional Infrastructure
An effective community college leader is fluent in the management of the foundational aspects of the institution, including the establishment of a strategic plan, financial and facilities management, accreditation, and technology master planning.

Standard 6: Information and Analytics
An effective community college leader understands how to use data in ways that give a holistic representation of the institution’s performance and is open to the fact that data might reveal unexpected or previously unknown trends or issues.

Standard 7: Advocacy and Mobilizing/Motivating Others
An effective community college leader understands and embraces the importance of championing community college ideals, understands how to mobilize stakeholders to take action on behalf of the college, and understands how to use all of the communications resources available to connect with the college community.

Standard 8: Fundraising and Relationship Cultivation
An effective community college leader cultivates relationships across sectors that support the institution and advance the community college agenda.

Standard 9: Communications
An effective community college leader demonstrates strong communication skills, leads, and fully embraces the role of community college spokesperson.

Standard 10: Collaboration
An effective community college leader develops and maintains responsive, cooperative, mutually beneficial, and ethical internal and external relationships that nurture diversity, promote the success of the college community, and sustain the community college mission.

Standard 11: Personal Traits and Abilities
An effective leader possesses certain personal traits and adopts a focus on honing abilities that promote the community college agenda.