Thematic Contrasts of Ed.D. and Ph.D. Dissertations
Kathleen Taylor Campbell, Thomas DeVaney

Abstract
One of the goals of the educational leadership doctoral degree is to prepare leaders to develop solutions to problems and to conduct research affecting educational policy. Despite rigorous coursework, research, analysis, and writing, some have criticized the doctoral dissertation process in education. The purpose of the present study was to analyze recent dissertations in educational leadership and to identify common themes by examining titles, abstracts, statements of purpose, and problem statements for relevance to the field of education. The researchers further investigated whether or not there were differences between Ed.D. and Ph.D. dissertations. Although both emphasized principal leadership, the Ed.D. dissertations focused more on leadership styles while Ph.D dissertations focused more on leadership development and behavior. Ed.D. dissertations had a slight tendency to be more focused on K-12 practical problems while the Ph.D. dissertations had a slight tendency to be more focused on higher education and theory.

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