Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Description

This program has been designed specifically for those ministry professionals who have pursued both the theoretical and practical study of religious formation for children and adults alike but who now feel the need for further nurture and enrichment of their professional skills and interests. Religious education as conceived in this program is concerned with the educative process on all levels within faith communities: child and adult, continuing education projects for faith communities, and continuing education for ministry professionals. The Ed.D. is designed to allow each candidate to pursue his/her own line of study at a wide range of graduate institutions and centers of learning.

Time Frame and Tuition

The Ed.D. takes a minimum of eighteen months and a maximum of forty-eight months for completion.

Tuition: $7,250.00
Project Processing: $250.00
Graduation: $100.00

Admission Requirements

Baccalaureate degree or equivalent validated by a transcript.
Master’s degree in a cognate field of education such as theology, ministry, pastoral care or administration validated by a transcript.
Five years of accumulated experience in religious education.
Completion of the Application Procedure.

Orientation

Residency and Response Papers

The student completes eight Units of Study at approved educational venues. Each Unit of Study must consist of 40 contact hours or three semester credits. All courses must be graduate-level, and sponsored by a graduate, professional, or denominationally approved institution with academically qualified faculty. A response paper of 1,750-2,500 words (7-10 pages) must be submitted for each Unit of Study. Response papers should be analytically reflective regarding the relevance of each Unit’s content to the exercise of the student’s ministry. Papers are evaluated by the Foundation’s faculty and an acknowledgement letter is sent to the student. If further development of the paper is deemed necessary, the student will be notified. All academic work must be completed by February 1 of the intended year of graduation.

NOTE: Click Here for Paper Guidelines.

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit does not require a paper.

Project Consultant

Option A: Students may select a faculty member of the Foundation to serve as Project Consultant. This option enables the student to receive helpful and pragmatic evaluative feedback from a member of the faculty in the developmental process of producing the Exit Project. The role of the faculty Project Consultant is responsive and suggestive rather than “supervisory” as is the case with academic thesis writing. The faculty person is encouraged to limit feedback to pragmatically helpful hints and suggestions and not to attempt any censorship of the project. The exercise of discretion with respect to time demands is very important for both the student and faculty member. The faculty Project Consultant must give final approval of the student’s work by submitting the Project Consultant’s Report Form. The assessment from the Project Consultant is due by February 1 of the intended year of graduation.

Selection of Faculty Consultant and Nomination Procedure:

The student peruses the Faculty Details page and makes a selection.
The student completes the Faculty Project Consultant Nomination Form 107 (Forms).
Student Services provides the nominated faculty member with Form 107.
The selected faculty member notifies Student Services of acceptance of student nomination.
Student Services informs the student and faculty member of relationship approval and contact information is provided.

Option B: Students are at liberty to select a Project Consultant who is not on the faculty of the Foundation. In that event, the Project Consultant must hold a comparable degree to that being pursued by the student. The student must nominate the Project Consultant by submitting a letter of nomination to the Foundation along with a C.V. of the nominee. The student is notified upon approval of the Project Consultant by the Academic Affairs Committee. The Project Consultant must give final approval of the student’s work by submitting the Project Consultant’s Report Form. The assessment from the Project Consultant is due by February 1 of the intended year of graduation.

Doctoral Project

The Doctoral Project is conceived of as a translation into practice of the insights, values and creative concerns developed during the course of the units of interactive learning and the intervening periods of reading, reflection, and application. The project should directly relate the educational implications of the evolving relationships within the actual life of congregations or communities of faith and worship. Students wishing to discuss their Doctoral Project should feel free to contact the Foundation.

The Doctoral Project is a demonstration of praxis. Its structure, focus and content, therefore, allow for a wide range of differing forms appropriate to the actual area of the practice of ministry addressed. The form may range, for example, from newly developed educational courses to a research manuscript or instructional video. A note about the length of the project is impractical when speaking of video and audio cassettes, workbooks and manuals, as well as other hands-on praxis-based projects. For manuscript-style Doctoral Projects, however, the length would normally run from 35,000-40,000 words (140-160 pages), double-spaced, footnoted, and with significant bibliographical references of at least 35 sources. It is also a recommendation for the bibliography to include an annotated listing of the 10-12 sources that were key to the development of the project.

In keeping with the nature of the entire Doctoral Program as an open interaction with fellow professionals, the project is a demonstration of practice, an exploration of applied reflections, or creative work rather than a test submitted to prove competency.

One copy of the Doctoral Project, in its final form, must be submitted to the Foundation by February 1 prior to graduation.

Non-Project Option

The NPO is available for this degree program. For information on the NPO, please Click Here.

Graduation Requirements

Viewing of the Foundation's instructional Orientation video.
Completion of eight Units of Study at the candidate's institution(s) of choice.
Submission of eight response papers of 1,750-2,500 (7-10 pages) on topics related to the units attended.
Selection of a Project Consultant.
Completion of the Doctoral Project (or NPO) and submission of one copy including the Project Consultant’s evaluation forms. All academic requirements must be met by February 1 prior to graduation.
Attendance at the Convocation/Graduation. (Non-US residents are exempt from this requirement.)

Professional Associations in Religious Education

Asociación para la Educación Teológica Hispana (AETH)
The Association of United Church Educators (AUCE)
Christian Educators Association International (CEAI)
The Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA)
Lutheran Association of Christian Educators (LACE)
National Association for Episcopal Christian Education Directors
National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA)
The Religious Education Association (REA)