Department of Educational Leadership, Counseling and Social Work
Guided by the values of discernment, continuous improvement, social justice, democratic ideals, service with and for others, and cura personalis (care for the whole person), the educational leadership, counseling and social work department is dedicated to cultivating future educators, administrators and leaders.
Programs offered in educational leadership, counseling and social work focus on developing scholar-practitioners. Our graduates are informed transformational leaders who apply theoretical knowledge to their professional practice. Guided by interdisciplinary scholarship, professional learning experiences, and conversations across difference, program offerings aim to advance equity for all persons. Mindfulness, compassion, and purpose remain salient characteristics reflected in our graduates.
A Values-Based
Doctoral Degree
The Interdisciplinary Doctor of Education Program for Educational Leaders (IDEPEL) creates leaders who are focused on inclusive cultures, social justice and equity-minded change. Four core values — community, academic expectations and cura personalis, scholar-practitioner and social justice — ground our work.
Our graduates have completed dissertations on a number of important topics including the achievement gap, student-athlete experience and childhood bullying. Our department also hosts an annual conference featuring research presentations and panels and table discussions led by education leaders and experts.
Graduates from the program? Update your information using our directory update form.
Department News
When the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to prevent Yalon Dirickson-Martin ’21 from completing her doctoral dissertation, she adapted – just as she had after suffering a debilitating stroke when she was 28 years old.
Saint Joseph’s will partner with Samuel Gompers School to enhance the school’s sports and science programs through a $100,000 grant, extending the University’s commitment to the nearby K-8 school.
When Shah Akram '20 (M.S.) receives her master’s degree in educational leadership this spring, it will be the culmination of a lifelong dream.
The Jesuit principles that I learned and internalized at Saint Joseph’s give me an outlook on the barriers faced in urban public education as opportunities for me to be transformative and make a difference.”
![francis thompson '17]()
Nyshawana Francis-Thompson '17deputy chief of curriculum and instruction, School District of Philadelphia
The Terrance Furin Scholarship
The Terrance Furin Scholarship provides tuition (3 credits) to a first-year student in the Interdisciplinary Doctor of Education Leadership program based on academic merit, financial need, and a commitment to social justice.