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. Shawn Spurgeon is licensed in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas to practice as a licensed professional counselor. He completed his education with a Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling and Counselor Education from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has taught as a Counselor Educator for 20 years and mainly focuses on Ethics, Assessment, and Psychopathology. His research interests include African American male mental health across the life span and counselor identity development. Dr. Spurgeon is a member of the American Counseling Association and has served the organization in a number of capacities, including President of the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) and the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (SACES). He was a member of the 2014 American Counseling Association Ethics Revision Task Force and served as chair of the Ethics committee for 3 years. Dr. Spurgeon is a contributing faculty member for Walden University and teaches courses in the clinical mental health and school counseling programs.
COUN 6360 - Assessment in Counseling
COUN 6100 - Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling
COUN 6730 - Counseling Addictive Disorders
PhD, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
MS, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
EdS, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Alumni Excellence Award, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2017
Counselor Educator Advocacy Award, American Counseling Association, 2018
Susan Hammonds-White Leadership Award, Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselors Association, 2015
Vivian L. Haun Excellence in Service Award, Project GRAD, 2017
Spurgeon, S. (2016). AARC standards for multicultural research. . Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation
Spurgeon, S. (2014). Challenges in educating students with highly disruptive behavior: Report from a large urban, high poverty elementary school. . Journal of At-Risk Issues
Spurgeon, S. (2017). Evaluating the unintended consequences of assessment practices: Construct irrelevance and construct underrepresentation. . Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development
Spurgeon, S. (2016). New concepts in the 2014 ACA code of ethics. . Journal of Counseling and Development
Spurgeon, S. (2013). The human factor: Student reactions to the integration of personal dispositions into two counseling programs. . Journal of Humanistic Counseling and Education
Spurgeon, S. (2017). Assessment in Counselor Education: The use of Dispositions as a Gatekeeping tool. .
Spurgeon, S. (2013). Current trends in ethics: A discussion with the ACA Ethics Committee. .
Spurgeon, S. (2015). Dinner with a side of social justice: Navigating the boundaries of professional advocacy responsibilities in social relationships. .
Spurgeon, S. (2015). Teaching assessment across the curriculum: Challenges and opportunities. .
Spurgeon, S. (2016). Counselors and counselor educators responding to media requests. .
Spurgeon, S. (2013). Wellness, spirituality, and personal dispositions of practicing counselors: Implications for practice. .
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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