The mission of the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations (LPO) is to increase understanding and guide improvements in human learning and outcomes, in the political, economic, organizational, social, legal and regulatory contexts in which human development occurs. In our research, teaching and research-practice collaborations, the department embraces a range of disciplinary traditions and methodological approaches and fosters diversity in the study of education leadership, policy, and practice.
LPO's doctoral-level program in leadership and policy studies offers concentrations in K–12 Leadership and Policy and Higher Education Leadership and Policy. Students focus on their selected area of inquiry throughout the program, and are expected to conduct research, present papers at national academic conferences, and publish in academic journals.
The Ph.D. program is designed for those who intend to build a career focused on the study of education and policy, as researchers, professors, and policy analysts. It is a full-time, four- to five-year program that equips its graduates with the knowledge and methodological tools to conduct cutting-edge research on the pressing educational issues of the day. Students learn to examine education problems through the lenses of economics, political science, sociology, and history. All students are expected to develop strong statistical and data analysis skills, and a thorough understanding of causal inference, while developing expertise in other tools of social science, including experimental and quasi-experimental design, survey research methods, and qualitative research methods.
At the heart of the program is the mentor-apprentice model, where students work on research projects alongside a collection of esteemed faculty. As part of their coursework and apprenticeship experiences, students learn to present papers at scholarly conferences and submit journal articles for publication.