Chair's Welcome

Robert Shockley, Ph.D. Welcome to the Department of Educational Leadership and Research Methodology at Florida Atlantic University. The department’s first graduates were in 1966 at the Master’s Degree level and the first doctoral students graduated in 1973. Since its inception, the department has graduated nearly 5000 Masters, Specialist and Doctoral students. The faculty of the department has an enviable record of quality teaching, relevant research and substantial service to the college, the university, the profession and the wider community.

Faculty expertise covers a wide range of areas in the field of leadership, including policy, administrative and leadership practices, organizational development, adult learning and community involvement. Additionally, faculty expertise in research methods is in great demand from doctoral students, university faculty and the community at large.

The department has three program areas that look specifically at the development of leaders; these include the K-12 school sector, the higher education sector and those that work with adults and the community. The programs of the department include a Master of Educational Leadership in each of the three program areas, a Specialist in Educational Leadership in the fields of K-12 Schools and Adult and Community Education and a Doctor of Philosophy in all three educational leadership program areas.

An additional program area is Research Methodology. These faculty members are a team of methodologists with extensive skills in the design, implementation, and analysis of research. The faculty provide support for all College of Education graduate programs, including doctoral dissertation research.

The Department faculty also serves the wider community through participation on committees of local schools and other education agencies, including the Florida Department of Education; by delivering professional development and service on advisory committees; and by providing consulting advice to external groups and organizations. The members of the faculty are citizens of the world and collectively have presented or worked in over forty countries. Department faculty members are actively involved in meaningful educational research that results in the publishing of books, articles and paper that are delivered at International, National and State Conferences.

We look forward to working with you and sharing our expertise. As a potential student, current student, alumnus, friend of the department, potential partner or as someone that just seeks some information, we welcome you to our website.

Robert Shockley, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Educational Leadership