View our EdD Early Childhood specialization completion requirements
Minimum degree requirements:
60 quarter credits
- Core courses (50 cr.)
- Capstone (10 cr.)
Minimum degree requirements:
60 quarter credits
Courses
In the EdD Early Childhood Education specialization, you’ll build skills and progress toward your final capstone project in every course.
Disclaimers: Walden students have up to 8 years to complete their doctoral program unless they petition for an extension.
In general, students are continuously registered in the dissertation/doctoral study course until they complete their capstone project and it is approved. This usually takes longer than the minimum required terms in the dissertation/doctoral study course shell.
To complete a doctoral dissertation, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators including their committee, the University Research Reviewer, and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; gain approval at the oral defense stage; and gain final approval by the Chief Academic Officer. Students must also publish their dissertation on ProQuest before their degree is conferred. Learn more about the dissertation process in the Dissertation Guidebook.
For a personalized estimate of the number of your transfer credits that Walden would accept, call an Enrollment Specialist at 844-937-8785.
Courses
PhD completion program courses help you return to doctoral work, match with an advisor, and stay on track to finishing your dissertation.
Disclaimers: Walden students have up to 8 years to complete their doctoral program unless they petition for an extension.
In general, students are continuously registered in the dissertation/doctoral study course until they complete their capstone project and it is approved. This usually takes longer than the minimum required terms in the dissertation/doctoral study course shell.
To complete a doctoral dissertation, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators including their committee, the University Research Reviewer, and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; gain approval at the oral defense stage; and gain final approval by the Chief Academic Officer. Students must also publish their dissertation on ProQuest before their degree is conferred. Learn more about the dissertation process in the Dissertation Guidebook.
For a personalized estimate of the number of your transfer credits that Walden would accept, call an Enrollment Specialist at 844-937-8785.
Courses
Develop the skills and confidence you need to tackle complex managerial challenges, contribute new knowledge, or teach at the graduate level.
Courses
Develop the skills and confidence needed for complex managerial challenges and research with Walden’s ACBSP-accredited PhD program.
Discover career opportunities in your area that match your interests.
Dr. Deborah (Debbie) Mills is a rural social worker, Associate Dean I, Program Director for the Bachelor of Social Work Program. She holds a PhD from Capella University in the field of Human Services, a Masters in Social Work from Temple University, and a Bachelor in Social Work from College Misericordia (now known as Misericordia University). Dr. Mills has been employed by private for profit and not-for-profit social service agencies in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania and surrounding counties. She ran her own private practice from 2002 through 2012 assisting our most vulnerable populations in rural communities. Dr. Mills is considered a rural macro social worker. In the classroom and throughout each and every day, Dr. Mills promotes through role modeling and instruction the importance of the ethical self. This includes an understanding of the values, beliefs, behaviors, attitudes and norms that guide one’s behavior not only during work hours but in every day life. Currently, Dr. Mills is volunteers with the Hazleton Integration Project/Hazleton One Community Center, Hazleton, PA. She lives at home in Northeastern Pennsylvania with her husband of 30+ years, a son who lives with the angels, a daughter in law school and 2LT in the Army, and the family dog - Remi (Golden Retriever).
PhD, Capella University
MSW, Temple University
BSW, College Misericordia
Hazleton (Hispanic) Integration Project - Hazleton One Community Center, Board Member - Hazleton
Open Arms: Bereaved Parent and Child Support Group, Other - Montrose
Mills, D. (2014). Exploring the lived experience of older father caregivers of an adult child with intellectual disabilities.
Mills, D. L. (2019). Common Threads: Uniting a divided community through building REAL - an Intercultural Model of Change. National Rural Social Work Caucus
Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
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