Doctor of Education (Ed. D.)

Institutional Accreditation

Information on FGCU institutional accreditation is available at www.fgcu.edu/accreditation

Getting Started

Please visit the Office of Graduate Studies website www.fgcu.edu/graduate or contact Graduate Studies at 239-590-7988 or graduate@fgcu.edu for an application for admission and additional information about the application process. Satisfaction of minimum University and program requirements does not guarantee admission to a graduate program. Applicants should check with the program for the most up to date admission requirements prior to commencing the application process.

• Submit an FGCU Graduate Admissions Application and satisfy all applicable university admissions requirements.
• Provide an official transcript showing receipt of a master's degree in an education or related field from a from an institution that maintains accreditation by a U.S. Department of Education sanctioned accrediting body (https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation) or equivalent foreign institution with GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
• Provide a minimum of three letters of recommendation, submitted on organizational letterhead stationery, from either university faculty or from previous supervisors who can write concerning the applicant's capability to succeed in a doctoral program in the following areas: ability to communicate in writing and speaking, professional abilities, ethics and values, interpersonal skills, and work ethic.
• Provide a curriculum vitae listing all previous educational degrees, professional positions, publications and other scholarly activity, awards, and other pertinent information.
• Participate in an oral interview with members of the Doctoral Admissions and Policy Committee (DAPC).
• International students must demonstrate English language proficiency in accordance with University regulation.
• Applicants denied admission may appeal the decision by submitting a request for reconsideration to the College of Education Appeals Committee within 30 days of the date of denial. The request must present additional evidence of potential for academic success and contain reasons why reconsideration is warranted. Details about appeals are available on the COE website.

Program Requirements for the 2025-2026 Catalog Year

Program Progression and Additional Graduation Requirements

Waivers to any of the following requirements require written approval of the Doctoral Admissions and Policy Committee (DAPC).

• A maximum of 12 graduate level credits may be applied to the Ed.D. if those credits have not been used to satisfy requirements for a prior graduate degree.
• Overall, at least 69 credits must be taken at FGCU. No substitutions are permitted for the dissertation hours (all dissertation hours must be completed at FGCU).
• Courses used in substitution must be no more than seven years old upon admission. Candidates must graduate within eight years of admission.
• Each candidate must complete a residency requirement as a part of his or her program of study.  The goal of a residency is to enculturate candidates into the work of the academy. The following three criteria must be met: Candidates must:
  (a) Take the required coursework with the cohort during the course of one academic year, including successive fall, spring, and summer semesters AND
  (b) Submit a proposal to present at an international, national, state, or regional professional conference under the guidance of a faculty mentor. If the proposal is accepted, the candidate is expected to present the paper OR 
  (c) Participate in a project approved by the program coordinator; examples include, but are not limited to the following: co-teach an undergraduate class at FGCU with a faculty member, assist a faculty member in developing or redesigning a course, or collaborate with a faculty member on a quantitative or qualitative research project, which could be part of a program evaluation.
• Successful completion of each course with a grade of B or better.
• Accumulated GPA of 3.5 or better in core, research, and concentration courses prior to taking qualifying exam.  Grades for all dissertation and internship courses will be graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory only.
• A qualifying examination is administered to all candidates at the end of their content coursework, as a prerequisite to enrolling in dissertation credits. Students must be matriculated in three credits of coursework during the semester in which the exam is administered. This exam determines whether students have an adequate command of knowledge in the field of study, and can organize, apply, and convey that knowledge in writing.  Students who fail the exam will have one additional opportunity to retake it. If students fail, the second administration they will not advance to doctoral candidacy and will be dismissed from the program at that time by the DAPC.  Students may appeal the dismissal to DAPC.  There is no guarantee that students will be successful in passing the qualifying exam and no guarantee they will be permitted to develop a dissertation unless all of the above requirements are met.
• Candidates should work with their Dissertation Committee to determine the number of dissertation credits to enroll in each semester.  The minimum is 3 credits per semester.  The program coordinator must approve requests to take more than 9 credits per semester.
• Submit an application for graduation by the semester deadline listed in the FGCU Academic Calendar.
• Students must register for a minimum of one credit during the semester in which they apply for graduation.
• Submit one electronic copy of the completed dissertation to ProQuest. Refer to the Graduate Studies website for guidelines.

Program Requirements

Refer to Academic Catalog for all program requirements.

Required Courses in the Major (33 credits)

Restricted Electives in the Major (9 credits)

Concentration (18 credits)

Dissertation (21 credits minimum)

Total Credits Required: 81 HRS

For additional information, please consult with your program coordinator.

Official Course Descriptions

Search for official course descriptions by using the Course Description Search utility.

Go to the Course Descriptions Search Web page, then follow these steps:

1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select a course prefix from one of the SUBJECT dropdowns (required)
3. Enter search words in the TEXT field (optional, but will narrow the search results)
4. Press Search

Getting started with the Course Schedule Search

Search for program courses by using the Course Schedule Search utility.

Go to the Course Schedule Search Web page, then follow these steps:

1. Select an Academic Year from the TERM dropdown (required)
2. Select one or more of the search options to narrow your results (for example, CAMPUS, COLLEGE, DEPARTMENT, LEVEL, PREFIX*, COURSE ATTRIBUTE**). For virtual or web courses, select VIRTUAL in the CAMPUS field.
3. Press Search.

*A course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline (for example, ACG for Accounting , BSC for Biological Science, ENC for English Composition). See the Degree Requirements page for a list of courses (with prefix and number) that can be used to fulfill degree requirements.

**A course attribute identifies specific characteristics of courses that can be used in a Degree Evaluation to satisfy a degree requirement. (Course attribute examples are Humanities courses - GEHM and Social Science courses - GESO.)