Students sit on the stairs in front of the Education Building

The mission of the department is to create, evaluate, exchange, and apply knowledge about leadership, learning, and organizational performance to prepare scholars and scholar practitioners who cultivate equity and educational opportunity in a diverse and changing world.

Many varied educational constituencies need to be able to analyze and to inform debate on educational issues, and to lead and develop learning communities that meet the diverse learning needs of students and society. We believe effective educational leadership in any institution embodies three core values: inquiry, equity, and reflection.

Graduates and recipients of the department's instruction are expected to reflect the knowledge, skills, and personal qualities that will be successful in promoting, producing, and improving learning and increasing public trust in educational institutions.

The PhD degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis can be pursued through one of its named options (formal sub-majors documented on the transcript):

  • Higher Education (research), focused on the effective administration of postsecondary institutions, including higher education leadership, student affairs administration, and athletic administration. 
  • K–12 Leadership (research), emphasizing the effective administration of primary and secondary institutions. 
  • Educational Policy Analysis and Evaluation (research), stressing effective formation and analysis of policies governing the administration of all educational institutions.
  • Wisconsin Idea Executive program.

Students in each named option will focus their course work within the emphasis, although students are encouraged to learn about other areas as well.

The department has long held a commitment to diversity and the strength it brings to a program. The department seeks to attract a very diverse student population.  As one of its core values, the ELPA learning community celebrates wholeness, while, at the same time, values the richness of differences in life experiences, cultural backgrounds, ways of knowing, and perspectives of its individual members. The department seeks to renew itself continually by attracting faculty and students who contribute to this diversity as well as enhance the larger community.

Admissions

Students apply to the PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis through one of the named options: 

Funding

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

All newly admitted full-time students to the PhD program in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis receive at least five academic years of funding from a combination of school or university fellowships, teaching assistantships, and/or project/research assistantships. Details on specific funding packages will be provided at the time of admission. Assistantships and fellowships generally include tuition remission, access to health insurance and other benefits, and a competitive living stipend. In consultation with one's advisor, students are encouraged to seek positions in other areas that are related to their own research and professional interests.

Part-time students are not eligible for department funding.  

On This Page

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Major Requirements

Curricular Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement 75 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement 32 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement 51 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244.
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement 3.00 GPA required. Refer to the Graduate School: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203.
Other Grade Requirements n/a
Assessments and Examinations Doctoral students are required to take a comprehensive preliminary/oral examination after they have cleared their record of all Incomplete and Progress grades (other than research and thesis). Deposit of the doctoral dissertation in the Graduate School is required.
Language Requirements Contact the program for information on any language requirements.
Graduate School Breadth Requirements All doctoral students are required to complete a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate. Refer to the Graduate School: Breadth Requirement in Doctoral Training policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1200.

Required Courses

Select a Named Option for courses required.

Named Options

A named option is a formally documented sub-major within an academic major program. Named options appear on the transcript with degree conferral. Students pursuing the PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis must select one of the following named options:

Policies

Students should refer to one of the named options for policy information:

Professional Development

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

Learning Outcomes

  1. Articulates research problems, potentials, and limits with respect to theory, knowledge, or practice within the field of study.
  2. Formulates ideas, concepts, designs, and/or techniques beyond the current boundaries of knowledge within the field of study.
  3. Creates research or scholarship that makes a substantive contribution.
  4. Demonstrates breadth within their learning experiences.
  5. Advances contributions to society in the field of study or field of practice.
  6. Communicates complex ideas in a clear and understandable manner.
  7. Fosters ethical and professional conduct.

People

Faculty: Professor Anjalé (AJ) Welton (chair); Professors Conrad, Eckes, Halverson, Kelley, Miller, Wang, Winkle-Wagner; Associate Professors Burt, Hillman; Assistant Professors Grooms, Henry, McQuillan, Saldana, Yu; Clinical Professors Crim, Li, Sramek, Salzman, Soffa-Jimenez