The Hackettstown institution this fall will launch its educational leadership program.
Educators soon will have a chance to complete their own education in Warren County.
Centenary University in Hackettstown -- which officially transitioned from a college at May's commencement -- is launching its first doctorate program this fall, offering a degree in educational leadership.
The program is designed for teachers and administrators already in supervisory positions who want to take the next step in their careers, said Timothy Frederiks, a Centenary professor who will be teaching in the program. The program will provide educators a broad perspective of school district operations, he said.
Frederiks himself earned a doctorate from Seton Hall University and previously served as the superintendent for the Great Meadows and Allamuchy Township school districts. The title bestowed by the degree, doctor of education, is beneficial for anyone applying for a leadership position, be it overseeing an entire district or just one building, he said.
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"It's not unusual for a larger high school to prefer a candidate with a doctoral degree," Frederiks said. University President Barbara-Jayne Lewthwaite said the program "will offer candidates an opportunity to enter into professional leadership positions in public and private education for which there is a demonstrated need."
The educational leadership program will operate on a faster track, with a group of students taking classes every semester and summer for three years, including a dissertation.
MORE: Program description, application requirements
New Jersey began relaxing its rules in the 1990s to allow more of the state's smaller colleges to become universities if they added graduate degrees and expanded other programs. Warren County-based Centenary, which became one of New Jersey's smallest universities, also plans to add a second doctorate in counseling.
The university is also preparing for another change: David P. Haney, the vice president for academic affairs at Emory & Henry College in Virginia, will take over as Centenary's 13th president on July 1.
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