Doctor of Education Admissions

To inquire about this program: Domestic Applicants | Melody Mullins | 865.531.4109 | melody.mullins@LMUnet.edu International Applicants | Ke Li (Lily) Collins | 423.869.6384 | ke.collins@LMUnet.edu

Domestic Applicants

Domestic applicants seeking admission to the doctoral program must meet the following criteria and submit required documentation as stipulated. Admission packages for membership in the fall cohort group must be submitted in completed form prior to April 15 of the year in which the candidate seeks admission. The admissions process consists of two stages with the first being a paper-based document review and the second, a performance-based assessment that includes a writing sample and interview.

Stage One: Documents Required for Application Package

1. Application Forms – University online form and Program-specific form
2. Application fee of $50 (USD), non-refundable
3. Examination Data.
   3. Official score reports from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) depicting performance in the areas of quantitative reasoning; and verbal and analytic writing are required. These data must be fewer than five (5) years old as of the date of application[1]. Applicants must obtain a minimum combined verbal and quantitative score of 750 (or 285 if taken after August 1, 2011) and a minimum analytical writing score of 3.5. For those applicants who have not completed the Graduate Record Examination, a provisional admission[2] may be granted for a period of time during which the applicant prepares and registers for the examination.
4. Official Transcripts[3] for all graduate level coursework
5. Three (3) recommendations from persons knowledgeable of the applicant’s professional experience and skills
6. Resume or Curriculum Vita depicting professional history

The Admissions Committee will review all documents and rate the applicants based on their ability to complete requirements within the doctoral program successfully. In some cases, a conditional status may be granted with additional preparation required in order for an applicant to obtain full graduate status. In the event this review leads the Committee to make an affirmative decision, the applicant will advance to Stage Two of the application process. All decisions made by the Admissions Committee are final. 

Stage Two: Performance-Based Assessment Components

Those applicants recommended for additional consideration will be invited to complete the following assessments:

1. Writing Sample. In a proctored setting, applicants will have a specified period of time in which to respond in writing to a select number of essay questions.
2. Structured Interview. Applicants will participate in personal interviews with members of the doctoral program faculty. These interviews will be held at the Cedar Bluff campus in Knoxville, TN.

The Admissions Committee will review all available data and forward a final recommendation for, or denial of, admission to the applicant. The decision of the Admissions Committee is final. Upon notice of acceptance, applicants will work with an assigned faculty member to complete a program of study appropriate to the degree program and concentration(s) she or he has selected. Sample program of studies plans are posted and available for review on the School of Education website (www.lmunet.edu/education.) Admitted applicants will be required to attend a program orientation before beginning their work in the program.  Failure to do so may result in a deferred enrollment or re-assessment of the admittance decision.

• [1]Under certain circumstances, the committee may accept GRE scores that are more than five years old for submission as part of the application package. In this case, an official certifiable record of scores is required.
• [2]Prior to registration for their first term of study, candidates must inform the administrative assistant for the doctoral program as to the date on which they are registered to complete the GRE – said date must be prior to the end of the second term in which they are registered for courses at which time an official score report must be provided.
• [3]Issued from the university and bearing the institution’s insignia

Admission Statuses

Provisional

Applicants may be admitted to the doctoral program on a provisional basis. In this case, the admissions committee has determined that the admissions package is missing one or more of the required documents (i.e., GRE scores; transcripts; writing sample; etc.). In order to move from provisional to full graduate status, the then candidate must ensure that the admissions committee has access to all materials that are required for it to make an informed decision regarding program admission. Candidates admitted on a provisional basis must work to obtain full graduate status by the end of the second term of their program of studies.

Candidates entering with a provisional status often do so as a result of not having completed the Graduate Record Examination. To assist candidates in their preparation for this examination, LMU has developed a collection of GRE study materials and will facilitate and support study groups.

If a candidate on provisional status due to the absence of GRE scores completes the examination but fails to obtain scores that meet the program’s required level of performance, he or she will be placed on conditional admittance and subject to the assessment process in place for an admission of this type.

Conditional

Applicants may also be admitted to the doctoral program on a conditional basis. An assignment of this status indicates that, although all mandatory admissions paperwork has been duly submitted, one or more criteria required for program admission have not yet been met. Conditional status is often accorded as a result of GRE scores that do not meet the program’s required level of performance.

Candidates who enter with a conditional status will, as part of assignments within the first two terms of coursework, develop and submit a dissertation prospectus which will be subject to review by two faculty members as well as the dissertation reviewer. This review will occur at the end of the second term of coursework

Given that this review indicates, in the opinion of the faculty, the candidate has the required knowledge and skills to successfully complete the program, his or her admission will be changed to reflect full graduate status.

Full Graduate Status

Candidates who have successfully met all program requirements, upon admission, are accorded full graduate status.