Course Schedule
The course schedule below should be used as an example. Contact your admission representative to discuss your specific course schedule.
43 Units
Students who hold a master’s degree or terminal degree (e.g., Ph.D. or professional doctorate) may be admitted with advanced standing and required to take only 43 units.
60 Units
Students without master’s degrees who have substantial work and leadership experience will be required to complete 60 units.
43-Unit Curriculum | Advanced Standing Track
Course Schedules
As a student in the program, you are highly encouraged to attend a one-day orientation on the USC University Park Campus. The orientation experience will provide the opportunity to meet your classmates and faculty members, develop the academic skills necessary for success in the program and explore a process for critical reflection. Travel and accommodations for orientation are not included in the cost of the program.
Full-Time, 43-Unit Curriculum
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | EDUE 700 | 3 units Foundations of Urban Education EDUE 701 | 3 units Foundations of Leadership in Education | EDUE 726 | 3 units Research Methods 1 Concentration Course Two | 3 units | Concentration Course Four | 3 units EDUE 784a | 1 unit Dissertation in Practice 3, Data Analysis |
| Spring Semester | EDUE 702 | 3 units Foundations in Learning EDUE 703 | 3 units Power, Diversity and Equity | EDUE 727 | 3 units Research Methods 2 EDUE 780a | 3 units Dissertation in Practice 1 | EDUE 710 | 3 units Designing Organizations for Equity EDUE 784b | 1 units Dissertation in Practice 4, Data Analysis |
| Summer Session | Concentration Course One | 3 units EDUE 704 | 3 units Leadership Enactment | Concentration Course Three | 3 units EDUE 780b | 2 units Dissertation in Practice 2 |
Part-Time, 43-Unit Curriculum – 4-year Plan
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | EDUE 701 | 3 units Foundations of Leadership in Education | EDUE 700 | 3 units Foundations of Urban Education | EDUE 726 | 3 units Research Methods 1 Concentration Course Two | 3 units | Concentration Course Four | 3 units EDUE 784a | 1 units Dissertation in Practice 3 |
| Spring Semester | EDUE 702 | 3 units Foundations in Learning | EDUE 703 | 3 units Power, Diversity and Equity Preliminary Review | EDUE 727 | 3 units Research Methods 2 EDUE 780a | 3 units Dissertation in Practice 1 | EDUE 710 | 3 units Designing Organizations for Equity EDUE 784b | 1 unit Dissertation in Practice 4 |
| Summer Session | Concentration Course One | 3 units | EDUE 704 | 3 units Leadership Enactment | Concentration Course Three | 3 units EDUE 780b | 2 units Dissertation in Practice 2 Qualifying Exam |
Part-Time, 43-Unit Curriculum – 5-year Plan
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | EDUE 701 | 3 units Foundations of Leadership in Education | EDUE 700 | 3 units Foundations of Urban Education | EDUE 726 | 3 units Research Methods 1 | Concentration Course Three | 3 units | Concentration Course Four | 3 units EDUE 784a | 1 unit Dissertation in Practice 3 |
| Spring Semester | EDUE 702 | 3 units Foundations in Learning | EDUE 703 | 3 units Power, Diversity and Equity Preliminary Review | EDUE 727 | 3 units Research Methods 2 | EDUE 780a | 3 units Dissertation in Practice 1 | EDUE 710 | 3 units Designing Organizations for Equity EDUE 784b | 1 unit Dissertation in Practice 4 |
| Summer Session | Concentration Course One | 3 units | EDUE 704 | 3 units Leadership Enactment | Concentration Course Two | 3 units | EDUE 780b | 2 units Dissertation in Practice 2 Qualifying Exam |
Please note that the Leading Instructional Change course plan for part-time students differs slightly from the standard part-time course sequence. For more information, please contact your academic advisor.
60-Unit Curriculum | Traditional Track
Full-Time, 60-Unit Curriculum
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | See Options Below | EDUE 700 | 3 units Foundations of Urban Education EDUE 701 | 3 units Foundations of Leadership in Education | EDUE 726 | 3 units Research Methods 1 Concentration Course Two | 3 units | Concentration Course Four | 3 units EDUE 784a | 1 units Dissertation in Practice 3, Data Analysis |
| Spring Semester | See Options Below | EDUE 702 | 3 units Foundations in Learning EDUE 703 | 3 units Power, Diversity and Equity | EDUE 727 | 3 units Research Methods 2 EDUE 780a | 3 units Dissertation in Practice 1 | EDUE 710 | 3 units Designing Organizations for Equity EDUE 784b | 1 unit Dissertation in Practice 4, Data Analysis |
| Summer Session | See Options Below | Concentration Course One | 3 units EDUE 704 | 3 units Leadership Enactment | Concentration Course Three | 3 units EDUE 780b | 2 units Dissertation in Practice 2 |
Full-Time, 60-Unit Curriculum Year 1 Options
Students will be required to take 17 units from one of the select programs in their first year of the 60-unit curriculum track.
- Sports Administration and Leadership – offered online only*
- Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs
- Educational Counseling
- Learning Design with AI and Emerging Technologies – offered online only*
*EDL students who elect an on-campus experience may select Sports Administration and Leadership or Learning Design with AI and Emerging Technologies to complete the required 17 units. Please note that the first-year curriculum would be delivered exclusively online for these options.
Concentration Courses
All students will select one of the following four concentrations to complete their 4 concentration courses outlined in the course schedules.
Educational Psychology
Advanced Study of Motivation: Theory, Research and Application | EDUC 712 | 3 Units
Analyze motivational principles, diagnosis and solutions to motivation gaps in learning environments and understand motivation and efficacy theories and principles.
Human Lifespan Development | EDUC 713 | 3 Units
Examine issues related to the development of diverse students and the development of environments that promote motivated behavior.
Measurement and Evaluation for Decision-Making | EDUC 714 | 3 Units
Collect, analyze and use quantitative data to solve problems of practice and evaluate educational institutions, programs and policies.
Advanced Study of Learning and Instruction: Theory, Research, and Application | EDUC 715 | 3 Units
Review current research in the application of learning theories, and the applicability of this research across a variety of contexts.
Higher Education Administration
Higher Education Professional Seminar | EDUC 706 | 3 Units
Gain philosophical and historical understanding that will help you understand today’s higher education system as an educational leader.
Administration in Higher Education | EDUE 707 | 3 Units
Apply economic theory to the study of education. Gain an understanding of the application of market theory to education, partnerships, allocation of resources and the examination of educational enterprises.
Examine administrative issues in higher education, including academic leadership related to undergraduate and graduate education, quality standards and assessment and how administrators create efficiency, effectiveness, performance and change.
Student Development Theory and Today’s Critical Issues | EDUC 708 | 3 Units
Engage and apply student development theory to contemporary issues and campus crises that arise within your educational context where student learning, growth and development are a fundamental objective of your leadership role.
Financing and Assessing Colleges for Equity | EDUC 709 | 3 Units
Examine and understand the finance and assessment of higher education institutions and their effect institutional policies and practices.
K-12 Leadership in Urban School Settings
Resourcing Schools for Equity and Excellence | EDUC 717 | 3 Units
Apply economic theory to understand how the public school system is financed and how to make decisions and allocate resources to achieve the goals of equity and excellence for all students.
Education Policy and Politics | EDUE 719 | 3 Units
This course is designed to help urban educational leaders effectively engage with the policy environment to support school success, providing a set of concept, tools and frameworks to assist in understanding the policy process. The course views the public policy process through the lens of contemporary issues in K12 educational policy, including an overview of the important institutions and actors within the policy system, the tensions and conflicts among actors, and the role of power, racism, and other forms of oppression in shaping the adoption and implementation of policy.
Leading for Instructional Improvement | EDUE 718 | 3 Units
Improve your instructional leadership skills as a K-12 practitioner by addressing the challenges that schools face today, including the political, economic, and social dynamics that contribute to and sustain educational inequities for historically marginalized students.
Leadership of Site and System Organizational Learning | EDUC 728 | 3 Units
The purpose of the course is to provide insight into the crucial role that organizational learning plays in the success of site and district administration over time to improve outcomes for students. Practical concerns for principals and superintendents are addressed.
Leading Instructional Change
Leading Transformational Learning | EDUE 722 | 3 Units
Prepare to enact leadership within urban PreK-20 teaching and learning environments by examining curriculum and instruction from historical, social and political standpoints.
Culturally Responsive Leadership | EDUE 724 | 3 Units
Prepare to enact culturally responsive change in order to transform teaching, learning and educational practices in their urban professional context.
Curriculum and Instructional Leadership | EDUE 723 | 3 Units
Explore social, political, economic and scholarly factors determining curriculum and instructional design and implementation and implications for formal and informal leaders in PreK-20 contexts.
Interdisciplinary Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment | EDUE 725 | 3 Units
Use spatial data and technologies to study your leadership trajectory across urban PreK-20 settings and bring interdisciplinary approaches to curriculum, instruction and assessment.
Program Contacts
Jessica Romero
Assistant Director, Office of Admission and Scholarships