School Leadership Concentration

PhD in Education

The School Leadership concentration within the School of Teacher Education and Leadership’s Ph.D. in Education examines the role of leadership in education. This focus enables doctoral students to develop expertise in theory and research as it relates broadly to educational leadership, including curriculum on: principles and theories of educational and organizational leadership, administration and management, foundations of curriculum and instruction, and quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.

Doctoral students enrolled in this concentration area may currently fulfill or intend to fulfill various roles within education, such as:

  • high-level school district administrators (e.g., Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent),
  • school principals and other school-level administrators
  • curriculum, instruction, teaching, learning, or data specialists throughout the P-20 educational pipeline,
  • district-level directors who oversee elementary or secondary schools, teaching and learning, assessment, research, or accountability,
  • coordinators and supervisors in public or private school systems,
  • leaders in state departments of education,
  • instructors at the college or university level in K-12 administrator preparation,
  • research analysts in educational agencies,
  • educational researchers serving in various contexts.

The USU PhD in Education is a 60-credit degree that requires Curriculum and Instruction courses (10 credits) and Research Methods (12 credits). The School Leadership concentration coursework consists of 14 credit hours of electives as well as the following 12 credits in School Leadership.

3 credits     TEAL 7050:  Theories of Instructional Supervision
3 credits     TEAL 7090:  Theories of Organizational Leadership in Education
3 credits     TEAL 7325:  Educational Leadership
3 credits     TEAL 7060:  Assessment in Education

Program Director


Alyson Lavigne

Alyson Lavigne

Associate Professor, Instructional Leadership

School of Teacher Education and Leadership

Phone: 435-797-4144
Office Location: EDUC 394