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EdD Ethical Leadership Admission Requirements

Accepting applications for all semesters!

Admission to Viterbo University’s post-master's educational doctorate degree in leadership program is selective and will consider students with a master’s degree in any discipline.  The program is designed to support professional and personal growth within ethical leadership and administration.   To support our aspiring Educational Leaders the program created an accelerated track for those interested in obtaining a doctorate with the Superintendent (WI 5003) licensure program. 

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Candidates for admissions must satisfy the following multi-step admission requirements:

Application 

Official graduate and college transcripts

  • Candidates must submit official transcripts from all schools where degrees have been earned. Viterbo University requires that all schools be regionally accredited higher education institutions. Official transcripts must be sent directly from the institution to Viterbo University, Office of Enrollment Operations, 900 Viterbo Drive, La Crosse WI 54601 or sent electronically to transcripts@viterbo.edu. 
  • If your graduate GPA is below a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale submit a brief explanation regarding this issue.

Essay In approximately two-three double-spaced narrative pages, explain why you are applying to the Ethical Leadership EdD or Ethical Leadership EdD with Superintendent Licensure. Your essay should address the following questions:

  • How do you envision a Doctorate in Ethical Leadership enhancing your long-term and short-term professional and personal goals?
  • In completing your doctorate, you will become a knowledge-generator through a dissertation process, an opportunity for you to question and investigate ethical leadership. What leadership question(s), challenge(s), or situation(s) are you curious about or currently exploring? What leadership challenge are you looking to address in your work, service, or personal life? If possible, support your work with citations.

Essay Tips

  • The admissions committee for the Ethical Leadership EdD includes program faculty. This doctoral program requires a significant amount of reading and writing; therefore, readers will be looking for evidence of academic writing skills. They also want to understand why/how you believe you would thrive in this program, how you might apply what you are learning to your professional and personal lives, and how you would contribute to our learning community. Just as with academic papers, take the time to revise your statement, read it aloud, and use spelling or grammar checks prior to submitting. The citation style for the program is APA.

  • This essay will help faculty know what your interests or curiosities are. Students in this interdisciplinary program come from a wide variety of professional and leadership settings, so research topics are wide-ranging. Your coursework will guide you through discerning a research direction, which will be aided by having an initial interest. Please note that you are not committing to a research (dissertation) topic.

Two letters of recommendation (submit requests inside your application portal)

  • Two professional recommendations (preferably from people who can address the applicant’s readiness for doctoral work and/or leadership).
  • Recommendations include a series of questions about the applicant as well as a brief recommendation statement

Current Resume/CV 

  • (Upload copy of resume/CV inside your application portal)

Student Financial Responsibility Agreement

  • Read, sign, and submit. The link will be available on your supplemental items list inside your application portal after the application is submitted.
  • This form will provide you will important Business Office policy information including items such as late fees, payment information, tuition deposits, refund policies, etc. 

Licensure Documentation (Superintendent track candidates only)

  • Candidates applying to the Ed.D. in Leadership with Superintendent must submit a copy of their active Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction license.  Candidates must hold a principal license but do not need to be working in this role to enroll in the program.  

Background Check (Superintendent track candidates only)

  • Candidates applying to the Ed.D. in Leadership with Superintendent must submit a current background check at the time of application as part of the Department of Public Instruction admission verification requirements. 

 

    Transfer and Waiver of Credit

    Transfer Credits upon Admission

    Up to 12 credits of graduate-level coursework may be transferred into the EdD in Ethical Leadership. To be eligible for transfer, credits must be above and beyond the requirements of a previously earned degree, from a program that was not completed, or from a non-degree-granting program (e.g., licensure). A transfer course must be a match for a specific course within the program, meeting the equivalency requirements (i.e., analogous learning outcomes). Students may be asked to provide course syllabi to show the equivalency. To be considered for transfer, a grade of “B” or better must have been earned. Transfer credits must be from an accredited institution of higher education and completed within the last seven years. Coursework older than seven years may be credited based on an individual review of coursework. Requests to transfer credits must be made in the student’s first semester.

    Please contact the Program Director if you have previously completed a WI state Superintendent license.