Communithy & Technical College Leadership Initiative

General Information

Admission to the Community and Technical College Leadership Initiative

Admission to one of the three degree programs that offer the Community and Technical College Leadership focus is made as a cohort every other year. The anticipated date for admitting the next cohort is August 2006. General information about graduate school admission may be found on the UGA Graduate School website.

Admission Criteria

Each academic program uses the following guidelines for admission:

Acceptable Undergraduate Grade Point Average
Acceptable Graduate Grade Point Average
Acceptable Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Score
Three letters of reference (NOTE: One letter must be from the president or chief operating officer of the applicant's current employing organization and must address the applicant's potential for assignment to an executive leadership position in a community or technical college).
A personal statement indicating the applicant's objectives for the degree program and the relationship of the CTCLI to the applicant's career goals.
Submit a writing sample according to the following instructions. Prepare a memorandum that describes three important challenges facing community and technical colleges today. Include in this memorandum recommendations that community and technical colleges can implement to meet the three challenges. The memo is to be addressed to a president of a community or technical college and should not exceed three, double-spaced pages. Use 12-point font only and the American Psychological Association (APA) Style Manual (5th Edition).
Participation in an interview with the Admissions Committee.

Successful applicants are admitted as a cohort in a group of 15 to 25. The matriculation date for the next cohort is fall semester 2006.

Programs of Study

The programs of study for each of the three academic programs include:

core courses - 24 semester hours (the same for all three degrees)
research courses - 15 semester hours (the same for all three degrees)
courses in major - 9 semester hours
dissertation - 10 semester hours

These 58 semester hours of courses are the minimum requirements for an applicant who has a master's degree.

All students complete the core courses and the research courses as a cohort. Students complete the remainder of their degree program (courses in major, written and oral comprehensive examinations, and dissertation) in the academic program that is to confer the degree.

Transfer of Courses

Due to the fact that the CTCLI utilizes a cohort approach, students are required to take all the courses. Credit for completion of courses taken previously is not transferable to the CTCLI.

Advisor and Advisory Committee

Students are assigned an Interim Advisor when they enter the CTCLI because they take the same courses during the first five semesters. During the early stages of their doctoral studies, students are encouraged to interview faculty who appear to be a match for helping them with the dissertation research. Once a student determines the major professor, the two of them consult about the makeup of the Advisory Committee. If the major professor is in an academic program that is different from the one to which the student was admitted, the student may request an academic program transfer (see procedure below).

Transferring to Another Department

Students may request to transfer to another academic program in the CTCLI if they determine that their research interests and goals are more compatible with the faculty and curriculum in an academic program that is different from the one to which they were admitted. In order to initiate the transfer process to another academic program, the student must complete and submit a new Applications for Admission form (NOTE: students requesting readmission to another academic program will be required to pay the application fee again, although at a reduced rate). Admission to the new academic program is contingent on a review of the application by the faculty members in the new academic program.

Course Scheduling and Format

Two courses are taken each semester, except for summer semester in which only one course is scheduled. A combination of face-to-face sessions and distance education technologies are used to deliver the courses. Face-to-face class meetings are scheduled on Friday evening and Saturday morning approximately once a month during the regular semester schedule of the University of Georgia.