Gerald Tindal, Department Head
541-346-5171
102 Lorry I. Lokey Education Building
The curriculum leading to master’s and doctoral degrees in the Department of Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership focuses on developing and implementing effective practices in education and social system settings.
Programs provide educational leaders, policymakers, and researchers with the skills needed to design and implement strategies that improve practices in educational organizations. Graduates are qualified for a variety of positions such as education system administrators, principals and superintendents, instructors and researchers in higher education and nonprofit settings, specialists in intervention development, implementation, and evaluation, and researchers in evaluation, management, leadership, and educational policy.
License Programs
Administrator License Preparation
541-346-2447
102 Lorry I. Lokey Education Building
Oregon requires administrators in public schools (vice principals, principals, assistant superintendents, superintendents, and other designated personnel) to hold administrative licenses. The University of Oregon offers planned programs of study leading to the preliminary and professional licenses for administrators and superintendents.
Preliminary Administrator License
The preliminary administrator licensure program prepares students for building and district administration. The preliminary administrator license may be issued to an applicant who completes the 26-credit program, earned a master’s degree from an accredited college or university, and provides documentation of at least three years of successful licensed experience. Admission to the program is limited and is based on the applicant’s academic work, recommendations, and professional goals. The program begins in June, and admission decisions are made in early spring. Candidates can earn a master of education (MEd) degree at the UO by taking additional course work and completing a master's project.
Professional Administrator License
This program prepares students for continuing building and program administration—preprimary through grade 12—and for school district office assignments, including superintendent positions. Students who complete the UO preliminary administrator licensure preparation program are automatically admitted to the professional administrator program upon completion of a professional administrator license application. Application can be made to the program if the applicant completed a preliminary administrator program at another institution. Applicants to the continuing program must
- have a master’s degree
- hold an Oregon preliminary administrator license
- submit a completed application
Reading Endorsement
This option is available to those already holding an Oregon teaching license. The program’s emphasis is in literacy leadership and is for those who want to work as reading interventionists and serve as local leaders in the development, evaluation, and implementation of data-driven literacy systems.
Endorsement Requirements. Applicants must have a current teaching license, an undergraduate degree, a 3.00 grade point average, and be able to provide three letters of recommendation. If seeking a simultaneous master's degree, students must submit a formal Graduate School application.
Application and Admission. The department follows general university policy in its admission procedures. Students who transfer to the university from other institutions must meet UO entrance requirements. Information about admission to graduate study, including certificate and endorsement programs, is available on the College of Education’s website.
Faculty
Gina Biancarosa, associate professor (adolescent literacy, struggling readers, advanced statistical methods); Ann Swindells Chair in Education. BA, 1992, Boston College; EdM, 1999, EdD, 2006, Harvard. (2009)
Michael D. Bullis, Sommerville-Knight Professor (adolescent transition to adult roles, employment programs, decision-making). BPE, 1973, MS, 1978, Purdue; PhD, 1983, Oregon. (1995)
David T. Conley, professor (policy analysis in education, educational leadership, college and career readiness). BA, 1972, California, Berkeley; MA, 1983, PhD, 1986, Colorado, Boulder. (1989)
Dave DeGarmo, research associate professor (prevention science methodology, longitudinal analysis, fathers and parenting). BA, 1987, Lock Haven; MS, 1989, PhD, 1993, Akron. (2013).
Nancy Golden, professor of practice (leadership, equity, public policy). BS, 1973, Denver; MS, 1974, PhD, 1987, Oregon. (2015)
Nancy Heapes, senior lecturer (leadership and team practices, leading change, learning organizations). BA, 1979, Adams State; MA, 1987, PhD, 2007, Oregon. (1998)
Keith Hollenbeck, senior lecturer (administrative leadership, school assessment, curriculum and instruction). BA, 1976, Humboldt State; MS, 1981, PhD, 1996, Oregon. (1996)
Jean Kjellstrand, assistant professor (corrections-involved families, positive youth development, reentry and preventive interventions). BA, Carleton College; MSW, 1991, Wisconsin, Madison; PhD, 2009, Portland State. (2014)
Charles R. Martinez Jr., Philip H. Knight Professor (education prevention and behavioral health disparities, equity leadership, Latino immigrant adjustment). BA, 1991, Pitzer College; MA, 1993, PhD, 1997, California School of Professional Psychology. (1998)
Kathleen M. Scalise, associate professor (quantitative measurement and assessment, instructional technology, computer-adaptive instructional materials). BA, 1982, MA, 2004, PhD, 2004, California, Berkeley. (2005)
Joanna Smith, lecturer (education policy, education reform, qualitative research methods). BA, 1996, Haverford College; graduate diploma in education, 1997, Melbourne; PhD, 2004, Southern California. (2013)
Joseph Stevens, professor (educational and psychological measurement and assessment, statistical and quantitative methods). BA, 1974, MA, 1976, PhD, 1983, Arizona. (2005)
Emily Tanner-Smith, associate professor (applied research methodology, meta-analysis, substance use and addiction). BS, 2003, Belmont; MA, 2007, PhD, 2009, Vanderbilt. (2017)
Gerald Tindal, Castle-McIntosh-Knight Professor of Education (measurement and assessment, disabilities, program evaluation). BA, 1975, PhD, 1982, Minnesota. (1984)
Ilana Umansky, assistant professor (education policy analysis, quasiexperimental methods and longitudinal data analysis, English learners and immigration). BA, 1998, Wesleyan; MEd, 2003, Harvard; MA, 2012, PhD, 2014, Stanford. (2014)
Mark Van Ryzin, lecturer (social influences on adolescent development). BS, 1991, Wisconsin, Madison; MA, 2006, PhD, 2008, Minnesota, Twin Cities. (2012)
Keith Zvoch, associate professor (quantitative methods, program evaluation, statistical modeling). BS, 1992, Pittsburgh; MA, 1995, PhD, 2001, New Mexico. (2007)
Emeriti
Max G. Abbott, professor emeritus. BS, 1949, MS, 1951, Utah State; PhD, 1960, Chicago. (1966)
Keith A. Acheson, professor emeritus. BS, 1948, MS, 1951, Lewis and Clark; EdD, 1964, Stanford. (1967)
Gerald K. Bogen, professor emeritus. BA, 1959, Western Washington; MS, 1961, DEd, 1963, Oregon. (1961)
C. H. Edson, associate professor emeritus. BA, 1964, California, Berkeley; MA, 1970, Oregon; PhD, 1979, Stanford. (1973)
Robert D. Gilberts, professor emeritus. BS, 1950, Wisconsin State; MS, 1955, PhD, 1961, Wisconsin, Madison. (1970)
Arthur C. Hearn, professor emeritus. AB, 1934, MA, 1937, EdD, 1949, Stanford. (1950)
Martin J. Kaufman, professor emeritus. BA, 1964, MEd, 1965, William and Mary; PhD, 1970, Texas, Austin. (1992)
John E. Lallas, professor emeritus; executive dean emeritus. BA, 1947, Washington (Seattle); BA, 1952, Western Washington; EdD, 1956, Stanford. (1957)
Roy E. Lieuallen, chancellor emeritus, Oregon University System. BS, 1940, Pacific University; MS, 1947, Oregon; EdD, 1955, Stanford. (1961)
Philip K. Piele, professor emeritus. BA, 1957, Washington State; MS, 1963, PhD, 1968, Oregon. (1967)
Richard A. Schmuck, professor emeritus. BA, 1958, MA, 1959, PhD, 1962, Michigan. (1967)
The date in parentheses at the end of each entry is the first year on the University of Oregon faculty.
Participating
Edward J. Kame’enui, special education and clinical sciences
Surendra Subramani, counseling psychology and human services
The department offers master of arts (MA), master of science (MS), master of education (MEd), doctor of education (DEd), and doctor of philosophy (PhD) degrees with a major in educational leadership.
Master’s Degrees
The Department of Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership offers the master of arts (MA), master of science (MS), and master of education (MEd) degrees.
During the first term of graduate work, each student plans a program of study with the assistance of the student’s advisor.
The master's degrees in educational leadership focus on two areas of emphasis. Students select one of these areas when entering the degree program:
- Quantitative Research Methods in Education. Prepares those pursuing careers in educational research.
- Policy and Leadership. For those pursuing careers such as program coordinators or college advisors in central school administration, student support services, or staff and community relations.
Students should consult the Graduate School section of this catalog for general university admission and degree requirements.
Doctoral Degrees
The Department of Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership offers two doctoral degrees—DEd and PhD. The doctor of education (DEd) program, which emphasizes the development of expertise in professional practice, is intended for individuals who want careers as administrators, staff developers, curriculum specialists, or positions at state and local offices. The doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree program emphasizes the development of expertise in educational research and statistical analysis, in educational organizations, in measurement and assessment, or as preparation for becoming a professor of education with a specialization in research.
The doctoral programs follow the general regulations governing graduate work at the university. Each PhD student plans a program with the guidance of a faculty advisor. In contrast, DEd students complete their program with a cohort and a fixed set of courses. This degree option may be completed concurrently with the administrator licensure program.
Doctoral Degree Requirements
A minimum of 144 graduate credits are required for the doctor of education (DEd) degree program; the doctor of philosophy (PhD) requires a minimum of 138 graduate credits. In both programs, at least 84 credits must be earned after admission to the program; 18 of these 84 credits are earned in Dissertation (603). DEd students may request to transfer as many as 48 graduate-level credits; PhD students may request to transfer up to 25 graduate-level credits. The remaining required credits include courses in research methodology and electives.
Graduate Course Type
| Course Type |
PhD Credits |
DEd Credits |
| Transfer credits |
Maximum of 25 |
Maximum of 48 |
| Core courses |
28 College of Education credits; 35 credits in courses with the subject code EDLD |
55 |
| Emphasis (PhD) or concentration (DEd) courses |
12 |
24 |
| Cognate courses |
12 |
|
| Applied experience courses |
8 |
|
| Dissertation |
18 |
18 |
| Total Credits |
138 |
145 |
Residency
Three consecutive terms of full-time study (graduate credits) must be completed to meet graduate school residency requirements.
Application and Admission
The department follows general university policy in its admission procedures. Students who transfer to the university from other institutions must meet UO entrance requirements. Information about admission to graduate study is available from the department student services coordinator and on the College of Education’s website. Information about licensure and degree programs may be obtained from the director of graduate studies.
Graduate Specialization in Quantitative Research Methods
The graduate specialization in quantitative research methods is designed primarily for doctoral students who have chosen quantitative methods as their primary research tradition in the College of Education. Doctoral students in other colleges and programs may be eligible but should confirm with the sponsoring department, the Department of Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership. The specialization is a rigorous training program in advanced quantitative research methods designed to prepare PhD students, with a competitive focus on quantitative research methods, for research and scholarship careers in education and the social sciences. Students take a minimum of 20 credits (five four-credit courses) from among the department's advanced quantitative methods course offerings, building critical expertise in quantitative methodology including applied educational statistics and research design. The course requirements include a two-course sequence in at least one advanced quantitative method and three additional quantitative methods courses.
