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ABD Completion Pathway

Program Overview

The All But Dissertation (ABD) Completion Pathway Program is designed to help students who are ABD status to finish their doctorate degree. A student becomes ABD status when he or she has finished all of the coursework in an Ed.D. program, but has not finished his or her dissertation. To help ABD students complete their dissertation and earn their doctorate, this program provides an accelerated, research-focused curriculum and intensive faculty support to ensure students have the structure and mentorship they need to get their dissertation back on the right track.

Course Requirements

The following are the 24-hour course requirements for the ABD Completion Pathway:

  • Quantitative Research for Educational Practitioners
  • Qualitative Research for Educational Practitioners
  • Doctoral Research Practicum and Directed Readings
  • Critical Analysis and Research Design
  • Educational Contemporary Research I
  • Educational Contemporary Research II
  • Educational Contemporary Research III
  • Comprehensive Exam
  • Doctoral Dissertation, Beginning
  • Doctoral Dissertation, Continuing

Admission Requirements

The admissions requirements for the ABD pathway are as follows, with information and explanations of each requirement: 

  1. No more than 15 academic years may have elapsed between application for enrollment in the ABD Completion Pathway Program since your last enrollment in a previous program. Please submit official transcripts from your previous enrollment in an EdD program. 
  2. Verify good standing with the previous institution where you started your EdD and no dismissal for ethical or moral issues. Link to Disciplinary Form (completed by institution from time in EdD) 
  3. Proof of ABD status from a regionally approved program with official transcripts and link to the catalog. Please submit official transcripts from your previous enrollment in an EdD program.  A link to your previous institution’s graduate catalog should be included in your application’s completion. A link to the catalog from the years attended is preferred, but a link to the current graduate catalog will suffice if it includes the EdD/PhD program in which you were enrolled. (Example: https://www.cn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2021-2022_Rev.Graduate_Catalog.pdf) 
  4.  A professional portfolio of sample coursework submissions and three (3) years of professional experience evidence, and career development Please include 2-3 items which capture evidence of your professional experience and achievements in the field of Education. Some of those items might include:  
  • Capstone projects and/or major projects in coursework 
  • Research papers, publications  
  • Evidence of three years of professional experience  
  • Evidence of professional development and learning  

Additional Requirements

  • Master’s Degree graduate GPA of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale. 
  • Please submit official transcripts from all graduate coursework, including the master’s, Ed.S., and doctoral level. 
  • A virtual interview with graduate faculty 
  • Once you submit transcripts and your portfolio, a faculty member will contact you to schedule a virtual interview. 
  1.  Three (3) letters of reference (professional or academic). When completing your application, please submit names and contact information for 3 professional and/or academic recommendations. Recommendation forms will be sent directly to the contacts you provide. 
  2. An EDLDA (professional disposition assessment) completed by the applicant’s current immediate supervisor. The EDLDA (Education Leadership Disposition Assessment) is a valid and reliable instrument used to assess the professional dispositions of students in advanced programs and used by C-N to assess students three times in the doctoral program. Link to the form to be completed by your supervisor.  
  3. Evidence of receiving a minimum score of 85 (Internet) on the TOEFL IBT Examination if English is not the student’s first language (score may be no older than two years). TOEFL scores are only needed for students who did not complete their master’s and/or bachelor’s degrees at an English-speaking regionally accredited university.
  4. Submit a criminal background check with fingerprints or verification through employment records. Link to employment verification form. If you are not employed in an educational environment, please contact adult@cn.edu for background check instructions.

FAQ

The target student is an ABD candidate in the field of education (educational leadership, C & I, higher education, special education, reading, instructional technology, school or district leadership, educational administration, and others based on a transcript analysis) from a regionally accredited university. The successful application will be in good standing with the previous institution, academically and financially, and was not dismissed for moral or ethical reasons. 

No more than 15 years may have elapsed between application for enrollment in the ABD Completion Pathway Program since the last enrollment in the previous program. 

Cohorts of the ABD pathway start every Spring A term. The deadline for all application materials for the ABD pathway is December 1st.  

  • Verify good standing with the previous institution and no dismissal for ethical or moral issues.
  • Proof of ABD status from a regionally approved program with official transcripts and link to the catalog.
  • A professional portfolio of sample coursework submissions and three (3) years of professional experience evidence, and career development
  • Master’s Degree graduate GPA of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
  • A virtual interview with graduate faculty
  • Three (3) letters of reference (professional or academic)
  • An EDLDA (professional disposition assessment) completed by the applicant’s immediate supervisor. The EDLDA (Education Leadership Disposition Assessment) is a valid and reliable instrument used to assess the professional dispositions of students in advanced programs and used by C-N to assess students three times in the doctoral program.
  • Evidence of receiving a minimum score of 85 (Internet) on the TOEFL IBT Examination if English is not the student’s first language (score may be no older than two years).
  • Submit a criminal background check with fingerprints or verification through employment records in an educational environment.

Candidates in the program, although ABD from another institution, will be required to enroll in four (4) graduate courses (12 hrs.) and two (2) semesters of dissertation (12 hrs.) for a total of 24 hours. These are 24 hours of continuous enrollment. 

Candidates will also be expected to complete 3 non-credit courses to refresh their academic knowledge in current educational research. 

The program is anticipated to be completed in four (4) semesters (approximately 15 months).  

Candidates in this program must complete all coursework and successfully defend the dissertation within five (5) years. 

Candidates in this program will produce and defend a C-N dissertation in all aspects of the work. The C-N dissertation chair must approve the topic, the research question, the method, and all facets of the dissertation, regardless of the previous dissertation work completed at the last institution.