Camarillo, CA - Applications open Oct. 1 for graduate students seeking a Doctorate in Educational Leadership (or Ed.D.) at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI). 

 Pending final approval, the CSUCI Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Equity and Justice (DELEJ) will launch its inaugural cohort of students in summer of 2024. 

This program will be the most advanced degree offered at CSUCI and classes are being designed so that working professionals can obtain their Ed.D. in three years. 

“The Ed.D. is built for working professionals and we expect people will be working full time as they pursue their doctorate,” said Director of the DELEJ program, Andrea Bingham. “We want people to use their professional experience and draw on that as they write their dissertations.” 

CSUCI School of Education Dean Elizabeth Orozco-Reilly said the addition of the Ed.D. program is an expression of the University’s commitment to make education - including an advanced degree - accessible and affordable.  

“It’s a matter of justice,” Orozco-Reilly said. “When you look at the cost of advanced education degrees, doctorates are usually expensive propositions. And the closest public university where you can get an Ed.D. is a considerable commute. There are private university options, but graduates might be in debt to the tune of $100,000. Our cost is much lower than that.” 

The cost to earn an Ed.D. from CSUCI is under $40,000, not including student fees.

Graduates with an Ed.D. open themselves up to higher pay and numerous possibilities in educational leadership including positions as a principal, administrator or faculty member in K-12, community college or a four-year university. It would also make the Ed.D. graduate eligible for leadership careers in districts and central offices of education.  

The three-year program involves a one-week residency on campus with the rest of the classes offered online for maximum student flexibility.  

Bingham joined the campus in July but has been working since January on the coursework for the program along with Professor of Education & Political Science Tiina Itkonen, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education Annie White, and Associate Professor of Educational Leadership Charles Weis.  

Rolling out parallel to the Ed.D. is the new Master of Science (MS) in School Counseling, which will qualify graduates to become school counselors, a rewarding career for many with undergraduate degrees in fields like education or psychology.  

“This is an option for our 1,100 majors in Psychology. Now they have a pathway to an advanced degree at their own institution,” Orozco-Reilly said. “This is another way we address the issues of equity and accessibility, part of our mission as a public university.” 

The MS in School Counseling was made possible by a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant was earmarked for a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), so there will be an emphasis on recruiting Latinx students for the graduate program. 

Applications for both the Ed.D. and the MS in School Counseling will be accepted beginning Oct. 1 with classes beginning in May of 2024. Each program will have 25 students. 

To learn more about the Ed.D. visit: https://education.csuci.edu/programs/educational-leadership/index.htm.  

For more on the MS in School Counseling, visit: https://education.csuci.edu/programs/ms-school-counseling/index.htm.