On-Campus Ph.D.

The on-campus Ph.D. in educational leadership requires 90 credits. This includes 30 credit hours of required department coursework, 22 credit hours in research methods courses, 14 hours of elective credits and 24 doctoral dissertation research credits. Master’s credits earned in an accredited program in a similar area may be eligible for transfer credits toward your doctoral degree. For more information on UF requirements, visit the UF Graduate School website. Transfer credit limits are common across educational leadership programs in Florida. 

Prospective University of Florida educational leadership graduate students must submit a completed application through the UF application portal.  Follow the graduate instructions provided by the admissions site, and be aware of our program-specific application instructions.

Once we have reviewed the applications, the department will contact prospective students and a telephone interview may be requested to finalize the application process. 

There are two application deadlines for the fall term. Prospective students are encouraged to apply by the January 31* priority deadline, particularly if they are interested in full-time research assistantship positions. However, applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis through the final March 15 deadline.

All application materials, including recommendation letters and GRE scores, must be received by the deadline. Please ensure you send your GRE scores at least two weeks before the application deadline to allow the university enough time to process your official scores.

*Domestic students only. International students should apply at least three months before the stated deadline for each semester.

Admission to the program is a collaborative decision between the program faculty. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis, typically beginning three to four weeks after the application deadline. We continue to make decisions until all spaces in the program are filled.

Prospective University of Florida educational leadership Ph.D. students are required to submit their Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores to complete their application. Please note that the UF Office of Admissions will only accept scores sent directly from ETS. Use code 5812 to send your scores.

No, the University of Florida’s educational leadership Ph.D. program does not accept GMAT scores. Only GRE scores may be submitted to fulfill our application requirements.

This information specifically applies to educational leadership doctoral program applications. The writing sample requirement assesses your current and potential writing ability at a graduate level. Our program will enhance your research and writing skills, but we need to see that you can clearly articulate a thesis, expand on an idea, and effectively present your thoughts in writing. For the doctoral programs, the length of the paper should be no more than 10 pages. The paper can be an existing work from a prior course or professional setting. However, it can also be an original piece developed for the application.

The program’s current graduate tuition and fees, as well as other up-to-date information about program costs, are available on the college’s Tuition and Fees page.

We advise applicants and students to contact the UF Office for Student Financial Affairs to explore available loans, grants and fellowships. A limited number of full-time research assistantships may also be available to qualified applicants.

Financial aid information is available from the UF Office of Financial Aid.  The financial aid process can take several months from submission to approval and disbursement. Prospective students should factor this timeline into their admission planning and apply for financial aid well before being accepted or starting the program.

If you have questions about the program, please reach out to Brian Coulter at bcoulter@coe.ufl.edu.