CSUF to Offer Doctorate in Education
Cal State Fullerton to be among first group of CSU campuses to offer a doctoral program in education.

February 22, 2006 :: No. 143

California State University, Fullerton will be among the first campuses in the California State University system to offer a doctoral program when the Ed.D. is introduced next year in the CSU.

It will mark the first time the CSU will independently offer doctoral programs — an advancement made possible when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed authorizing legislation in September.

“Cal State Fullerton is pleased to be among the first group of CSU campuses to be granted formal permission to offer the Ed.D. degree,” said CSUF President Milton A. Gordon.  “As with everything we do as a university, our emphasis will be on the quality of the degree program. This will provide the citizens of the state of California with an accessible, affordable and quality Ed.D. degree.”

Joining Fullerton next year in opening their doors to doctoral students will be six other CSU campuses — Fresno, Long Beach, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego and San Francisco.

Previously, under California’s Master Plan for Higher Education, only the University of California among the state’s public universities could confer doctorates independently. Beyond bachelor’s and master’s degrees, the CSU was permitted to offer a limited number of doctorates via programs offered jointly with other universities. Cal State Fullerton was among them, partnering with UC Irvine since 2003 in offering a joint doctorate in educational administration and leadership.

“Workforce demands for doctoral training for administrative leaders at California’s public elementary and secondary schools, as well as community colleges, have far outstripped the state’s ability to provide them,” said Ashley Bishop, acting dean of Cal State Fullerton’s College of Education.

“Cal State Fullerton’s designation as one of the first CSU campuses to offer the
doctorate allows us to build upon the university’s expertise and program strengths and to facilitate increased career opportunities and better preparation for educators. These educators will be ready to meet the future leadership needs of our public and private schools,” Bishop added.

The doctorate Cal State Fullerton will confer will be an Ed.D. in administrative leadership. The three-year program will be geared for educators seeking careers as administrators, such as principals and superintendents, noted Louise Adler, chair and professor of educational leadership.

Plans call for 15 students to be accepted into the program each year.

Applications for the program could be accepted as early as January.

The legislation making it possible to offer doctoral programs in the CSU was developed in cooperation with educators and lawmakers throughout California, noted Adler. That list includes: State senators Dick Ackerman (R-Tustin) and Bob Margett (R-Arcadia); Assembly members Lynn Daucher (R-Brea), Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine), Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach), Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar), Todd Spitzer (R-Orange), Van Tran (R-Costa Mesa), Tom Umberg (D-Anaheim) and Mimi Walters (R-Laguna Niguel); Austin G. Buffum, senior deputy superintendent of the Capistrano Unified School District; George Giokaris, superintendent, Fullerton Joint Union High School District; James A. Fleming, superintendent, Capistrano Unified School District; Cameron M. McCune, superintendent, Fullerton School District; Kathleen O’Connell Hodge, president of Fullerton College; and Dennis M. Smith, superintendent, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.

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