WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Feb. 8, 2023 — Education professionals should keep their eyes on West Liberty University as it continues preparations for its first doctoral degree this spring.
The Doctor of Education (EdD) in Instructional Leadership, Management and Innovation was approved recently by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. The final step in the approval process is from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), WLU’s regional accrediting agency.
“This degree has been much anticipated and it is our hope that the HLC will approve the program this April so we can welcome our first cohort in May 2023,” said Dr. Cathy Monteroso, WLU’s interim president.
Monteroso is a former dean of the College of Education and Human Performance and was instrumental in developing the doctoral degree.
HLC will visit WLU for discussions with the team who designed the degree and an examination of the program as a “quality control” protocol. This is standard HLC procedure for all program proposals.
If approved, this accelerated degree program will consist of both online and hybrid classes, along with two seminars, during the course of the 60-credit hour, three-year program.
“Much of the degree work will be online but some courses will meet on Zoom, plus there will be two on-campus seminars in year two and three of the program,” said Dr. Richard Whitehead, interim chair of graduate teaching and learning.
Whitehead has been with the College of Education and Human Performance since 2022 and is an assistant professor.
“The reason behind this particular concentration of instructional leadership, management and innovation is that we are aware of our regional needs and know that this concentration offers a versatile doctoral degree that covers business, health care and education. It is tailored to more than K – 12 teachers. It is a doctoral degree that will be attractive to many professionals in a variety of fields,” Whitehead explained.
West Liberty University is the first public college or university of its size in the state to propose a doctorate in education degree and tuition is planned to be the same for both in and out-of-state students.
For more information on the planned doctoral degree program and to stay informed of its final approval by the HLC, please email richard.whitehead@westliberty.edu or you may reach him by phone at 304.336.8486.
About WLU’s College of Education and Human Performance
Established as West Liberty Academy in 1837, the preparation of teachers was WLU’s original purpose. It was chartered as the West Liberty Normal School in 1870, was renamed West Liberty State Teachers College in 1931, and was accredited in 1937 by the American Association of Teachers Colleges.
As the institution grew, it became West Liberty State College and in 2009, it earned university status. This was the same year the first master’s degree program was begun, in education. The College of Education and Human Performance remains a regional leader in providing an affordable education for professional educators.