Back in 1954, a group met in the Horry County Memorial Library to discuss the creation of a local college. There was a demand for an opportunity to pursue higher education in the Grand Strand region, and the group of citizens, now called the Coastal Educational Foundation, brought Coastal Carolina Junior College to life. Present-day Coastal Carolina University is coming full circle to its roots by offering the highest education opportunity to available to educators themselves. The Spadoni College of Education now offers a Doctor of Philosophy in education.

The program began in the beginning of 2019, and the first cohort is entering the fourth semester of classes in the fall (including summer I and summer II semesters). There are three specializations offered: educational leadership; higher education administration; and curriculum, instruction and assessment.

The program dives deep into the foundations of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods of research through an executive cohort model. The model is based off a hybrid approach of online and in-person meetings, which allows for flexibility for students who are full-time working professionals. Each class builds on the foundation of candidates piecing together their dissertations. The groups meet one Saturday a month on campus, which includes all three specialization groups together for a class, then split up for the rest of the day. If the curriculum could be described in one word, James Davis, graduate and specialty studies professor, would describe it as intentional.

“We really look at our classes in a two-fold manner: professional development and coaching, so we make it very specific. It’s not a sit and get information type of lecture,” Davis said. “Every person is reading, writing, speaking, listening and creating something that is of value to them and they can take back to their specific school or university.”

Along with intention, the team that evolved this program from being an idea on paper into fruition believes that what sets this program apart from online competitors includes the appropriate amount of rigor and valuable academic integrity.

“The motto at Orientation back in January was, ‘This is a rigorous program’ and now we are a few semesters in, everyone agrees,” Jessica Handy, graduate program manager, said.

The intensity of the program has been handled well by the first cohort, with endless stories from the Spadoni staff hailing the students’ achievements and success within the classroom. As full-time professionals during the day, the students recognize that this program isn’t a piece of cake, but rather a fair mix of applied learning to their current careers and the honor of earning a place among the inaugural cohort. Twenty-four out of the 26 students rated the program as “appropriately rigorous” when surveyed at the end of the first semester.

“We are proud of the fact that we’re not just pushing them through the mill, but that these students are going through a very quality program,” Edward Jadallah, dean of the Spadoni College, said. “To the credit of our students, they have really embraced a period of growth and exploration through the beginning of this program.”

The unique factor of the Ph.D. at Coastal is providing a degree that specializes in higher education to educators themselves at the institution. Out of the 26 students that began in January, four are CCU employees: Amanda Darden, Emily Gaspar, Abdallah Haddad and Steve Harrison.

Amanda Darden, director of student services and the Teaching Fellows program, is embracing the Ph.D. program as she is an employee within the Spadoni College herself. From being a student but also an employee within the college, she feels fully supported as she takes this next step in her professional career alongside those she works with daily.

“I feel really supported and kind of like I have a full football team behind me doing this,” Darden said. “I love that I’m not just learning, but I’m putting what I’m learning to practice every day … I use it in my daily working environment and with the team that I work with.”

A central theme among the Spadoni College is connecting graduates with the surrounding areas to give back to the community through education. With alumni teaching in the area, many come back to Coastal for further specializations and degrees. Fourteen out of 26 current Ph.D. students are alumni of Coastal, and one alumni named Michelle Dzurenda is returning from out of state to be the first Ph.D. graduate assistant. Through this role, she’ll be teaching freshmen students in the UNIV 110 course. Jadallah describes this example, and the whole premise of offering the degree, as a P-20 full cycle, which means education from pre-school through the doctorate level.

“Our full-service teachers who are now educated by the Spadoni College go into public schools, effecting pre-school through 12th-grade students in their learning. They come back to us for further degrees, certifications or specializations, so now we can offer the Ph.D.,” Jadallah said. “It’s a full cycle; the students continue lifelong learning, then go back to effecting P-12 education.”

The idea of students earning a degree at Coastal Carolina, teaching in the community, then returning again to earn further education proves the quality of the programs Spadoni provides. The staff and faculty within the Spadoni College are humbled.

“I think it’s one of the biggest compliments students can give us, is that they finished the degree here and it was of such quality that they want to sign on for a second degree,” Davis said. “It sounds like the inside of a Hallmark card, but it feels really nice to be able to provide that experience at every single level.”

After a four-year process of planning, receiving approval, and developing the curriculum, the program is moving along smoothly. Four years from now, the first graduating class will have walked across the stage. For Jadallah, seeing the program come this far provides a “pinch me” moment.

“Going back to the beginning of starting this, we had to go before the Commission of Higher Education and explain, 'Why Coastal?' It was an uphill battle convincing them that CCU would serve the regional needs of educators in our area. So everything we’ve talked about right now is what I used to explain to the commission why it’ll work at Coastal,” Jadallah said. “And now it’s happening.”

For more information on the Ph.D. in education, visit https://www.coastal.edu/education/academicprograms/phdineducation.