A cornerstone of a doctoral education is the development of an independent research project leading to a dissertation.The Executive Doctorate approach is to focus on scholarly inquiry as a management tool.  The entire degree culminates in the Dissertation Defense – an opportunity to present and debate the dissertation’s contribution to research and practice.

Executive Doctorate dissertations meet the same standards for all Penn – GSE Ed.D. degrees.  A committee chair and a reader are assigned in The First Year to provide guidance to students throughout the process.  All full-time faculty and several committed practitioner-faculty chair and serve as readers and are assigned to any particular student’s committee  based on their subject and methodological expertise.  A third committee member is selected, often from outside of Penn, in consultation with the student. 

A broad variety of research questions are explored in Executive Doctorate dissertations.  While students do not need to have defined their specific research interest at the start of the program, most generally have identified areas of inquiry in which they hope to explore.  Topics are generally chosen by the end of the first Fall Term, then developed over the subsequent Spring Term, at the end of which an oral hearing is held with the committee to review the dissertation proposal.  Data collection then takes place over the summer and early fall, followed by analysis and drafting.  Oral defenses of the final dissertation are held in mid-Spring Term of The Second Year.

Dissertations from Executive Doctorate students are often awarded Distinction, and are frequently recognized by professional associations for their outstanding contributions to the literature.  Many dissertations have been published as books or articles in scholarly or professional journals.

2010-2011 Dissertation Titles

The impact of state and federal higher education policies on college preparedness at two Texas Hispanic-serving institutions

Jesuit education and college outcomes: An examination of the relationship between institutional religious affiliation and
students' Jesuit values, deep learning and engagement

How institutional contexts influence the civic development of students at three Mexican universities

Undergraduate alumni giving: A study of six institutions and their efforts related to donor participation

Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency of Columbia University as a case study in non-traditional presidential leadership

A study of how science diversity programs are implemented at two predominantly White research institutions

The role of for-profit, degree-granting institutions and state policy in selected states

The bishop and president relationship matters for the future of Catholic higher education: A case study of five bishop and
president partnerships

Racial and ethnic diversity: A case study of two historically black colleges and universities' preparation for the 21st
century and beyond

The role of the president, faculty, and staff in cultivating the commitment and engagement necessary to produce
revitalization at faith-based colleges. *Distinction in Dissertation

Moving beyond the margins: An exploration of low performing African-American males

An exploration of how low-funded, high poverty school districts promote college matriculation

Next in line: Women chief academic officers, their experiences and career aspirations

Achieving the apex: The lived experience of tenured women faculty within elite departments of mathematics

Assessing the role of RCM in decision-making about discontinuing academic programs and restructuring academic units

Being who I am: Lesbian, gay male, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) college and university faculty members disclosing their sexual orientation in their classrooms. *Distinction in Dissertation and Defense

Academic cost reduction at liberal arts colleges: How do the corporate models of resource dependency and resistance to
change apply?  *Distinction in Defense

The contribution of student success programs on community college student persistence and graduation rates: A case
study of the benefits and costs of the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) at the City University of New York (CUNY)

Community college student retention: Determining the effects of a comprehensive support and access intervention program
targeting low-income and working poor at a large urban minority-serving institution. *Distinction in Dissertation and Defense

Globalization on the line: How four highly-rated business schools responded to the 2008 financial crisis. *Distinction
in Defense

The patriot model: Intercollegiate athletics and institutional-level decision-making