Full-Time Leaders/Part-Time Learners: Doctoral Programs for Administrators with Multiple Priorities

Over the past five to ten years the growing demand nationally for a new breed of educational leaders has resulted in new and restructured Educational Leadership programs. The students in many of these programs are part-time with substantial full-time job responsibilities in a leadership position. The traditional doctoral program design and student experience has not-indeed cannot-meet the needs of this population. Frequently the result is a frustrated student who leaves without completing the degree. This frustration is often born of an inability on the part of the institution and academic program to create a flexible set of learning experiences that meet both the student’s professional goals and the institution’s goals for academic excellence. The purpose of Full-Time Leaders/Part-Time Learners is to present a design for doctoral programs that recognizes the unique needs of the full-time leader/part-time learner with multiple priorities of a demanding leadership position and the equally demanding expectations of a doctoral program. Will be of interest to higher education faculty who serve doctoral students in leadership preparation programs.