A comparative analysis of educational administration doctoral programs in the international context: Examples from Türkiye and Canada

This study aims to compare the structural features and program contents of educational administration doctoral programs in Türkiye and Canada, both of which are ranked among the top 1000 universities in the 2023 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) list. This study is an example of comparative educational research as it aims to identify, compare, and analyze similar and different characteristics of the selected doctoral programs in Canada and Türkiye. The study sample consists of six universities, three from Türkiye (n=3) and three from Canada (n=3), selected by the stratified purposeful sampling method and positioned at different points in the ARWU ranking system. Therefore, the University of Toronto, the University of Alberta, and the University of Saskatchewan from Canada; and Hacettepe University, Ankara University, and Ege University from Türkiye, formed the study sample. The data was collected through the document analysis method and analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. Firstly, online information and documents were obtained from the official websites and graduate admission units of the doctoral programs at the selected universities. Secondly, the selected doctoral programs in Türkiye and Canada were analyzed by comparing their admission requirements, degree requirements, and offered academic courses. The results revealed similarities and important differences between the selected doctoral programs in the two countries. Considering educational administration doctoral programs at the top-ranked Canadian universities, this study suggests potential innovations that could be implemented to establish successful and outstanding educational administration doctoral programs in Turkish universities.