After receiving numerous requests from alumni to recommend a doctoral program in education, New England College decided to start its own. This fall the college will launch its new doctorate in education program with a full class of 24 students, 15 studying K-12 leadership and nine studying higher education leadership. The three-year program is geared to working professionals and requires minimal time on campus-two days per month and one weeklong summer residency. Coursework and dissertation work are integrated so students can start on their dissertation immediately.
The doctorate of education is really the capstone for all of our education programs, says President Michele Perkins. It was a natural succession and evolution for what is a strong and successful program. It promises to enrich everyone's experience here. New England College has more than 500 alumni with master's degrees in education and employs nine full-time faculty and dozens of part time professors in the education department. It has hired Sylvia Spears as program director and plans to add additional faculty as the program grows. Spears has more than 17 years of experience teaching and in senior-level leadership roles. She previously served as acting dean at Dartmouth College in Hanover.
The three-year program costs $12,000 a year and is open to professionals with a master's degree and three to five years of professional experience in the field. The school aims to create both geographic and professional diversity by attracting students from different educational settings including small and large schools, public and private, research universities and community colleges. We feel it's very important to have people with different professional backgrounds in both focus areas to facilitate discussions about opportunities and challenges in education, Perkins says. No scholarships are available at this time, but the school plans to offer some down the road.
For more information, visit www.nec.edu.