When it begins a doctoral program in educational leadership in Santa Maria in June, California Lutheran University will be offering its first doctorate outside Ventura County.

The new Ed.D. program will prepare experienced educators and administrators for advanced leadership roles in kindergarten through 12th-grade schools and school districts.

Students can complete the hybrid program in three years while working full time. Sixty percent of classes will be held about once a month on Friday nights and Saturdays at the Santa Maria-Bonita School District’s Souza Center. The other 40 percent of instruction will take place online.

Classes will emphasize organizational and research skills, and Graduate School of Education faculty members with experience in the field and local school administrators will serve as instructors and mentors.

The program is designed to prepare ethical, reflective leaders who can effectively steer the schools of today and the future.

Cal Lutheran offered its first Santa Maria Valley program, an integrated master’s degree in educational leadership and preliminary administrative services credential, in 2012. That accelerated one-year program for working professionals will continue.

Cal Lutheran has a total enrollment of about 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students. Programs are based in Woodland Hills, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, Oxnard, Santa Maria and Berkeley.

To apply or get more information, visit CalLutheran.edu/eddk12 or email Carol Lingrosso, assistant director for graduate admission, at clingros@callutheran.edu.

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