Educational practice and leadership discussion

Doctorate Degree in Education

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Be a leader to adults as well as students.

UND's 100% online Doctor of Education in Educational Practice and Leadership will prepare you to step into leadership roles. Designed for working educators, the education doctorate opens the door for teacher career advancement. Be in demand as a school principal, superintendent, college faculty, director, or college administrator.

Program type:
Doctoral Degree
Format:
Online
Est. time to complete:
3 years
Credit hours:
90

Why earn a doctorate degree in education?

Application Deadlines
Fall:
March 15
Spring:
Oct. 15

UND's Education Practice and Leadership Ed.D. is designed specifically for educators and administrators working in P–12, early childhood, or higher education. Work full-time while completing your doctorate in education online within three years. Your workplace can serve as a laboratory of practice for coursework and dissertation in practice.

Educational Leadership Doctoral Programs Online

Enroll in both a centralized core and choose a specialization area. You may further customize your Ed.D. program by studying across disciplines.

Higher Education (HE)

The HE area prepares administrators or professors for leadership in an academic discipline at a college or university.

Instructional Design & Technology (IDT)

The IDT specialization is for instructors, instructional designers, curriculum/technology coordinators, or directors for educational technology, faculty development centers, or training departments. You'll become an expert in understanding curriculum design, human learning, and the integration of technology.

School Leadership (SL)

The SL is designed primarily for practitioners preparing for school administration positions including:

  • Elementary, middle school, and secondary principals
  • Superintendents
  • Curriculum directors
  • Other school district central office positions

Depending on state licensure credential requirements, you'll have completed many, if not all, coursework which will lead to an administrative credential.

Special Education (SPED)

The SPED area is focused on preparing experienced professionals for the role as an educational diagnostician. You'll evaluate students to:

  • Determine services and effective programming for students
  • Inform leadership of special education policies and practices

Sport Leadership

The Sport Leadership area is designed for those who aspire to become:

  • Athletic Directors
  • Coaches
  • Administrators of sports or esports

Work at any level, including professional, educational, or community settings.

Teacher Education (TE)

The TE area prepares professors of education at a college or university or as an educational specialist to teachers in PK-12 schools.

Online Doctorate in Education Leadership

  • The doctorate in education degree is offered 100% online, and specialization tracks may be both synchronous and asynchronous.

  • You may complete an internship under the supervision of expert practitioners who will engage you in multiple diverse educational settings.

  • Interdisciplinary core focuses on innovation, equity and leadership to meet the needs of diverse educational environments.

  • Student-selected research pathways include action research, classroom-based inquiry, program evaluation and learning analytics.

  • Enhance your professional skills at 60+ free workshops offered through the UND School of Graduate Studies. Our goal is to provide you with the workforce skills and job search strategies to succeed.

  • Online students pay the same tuition rate regardless of residency. This makes UND’s online doctorate in education leadership one of the most affordable online Ed.D. programs in the nation.

What can I do with a doctorate in educational leadership?

8%

Anticipated growth for education administration jobs

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

97k

Median annual salary for postsecondary education administrators

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

At some point along their career track, many educational professionals eventually weigh the decision to earn a Ph.D. or Ed.D. in education. Most senior positions in education and educational administration require an Ed.D. This is one of the main reasons that education professionals choose Ed.D. programs.

Careers with a Doctorate Degree in Education Leadership

Depending on your specialization, earning your doctorate in education can prepare you for positions in:

  • The P–12 setting (educator, administrator, specialist, director)
  • Higher education (college professor, dean or administration)
  • Private organizations (CEO, human resources)
  • Public institutions and civil service (non-profit director, armed services or police leader, education lobbyist)

Online Doctorate in Education Leadership Courses

EDL 573. Administration and Organizational Behavior. 3 Credits.

A study and critique of selected theories and research in administration and organizational behavior including topics such as leadership; formal and informal structure; communication; change and intervention; motivation and morale; interpersonal relations and conflict management; small-group processes; and personality, values, and ethics. F.

EFR 502. Issues and Trends in Education. 3 Credits.

Examination of contemporary issues of pre-K-12 and higher education and some of the philosophical, political, social, and historical foundations which influence their development. Students will engage in public scholarship through issue advocacy projects. On demand.

EFR 509. Introduction to Applied Educational Research. 3 Credits.

An introduction to applied research methodologies used to study education. The course covers quantitative as well as qualitative types of research. The paradigms of both types of research will be contrasted and the application of the methodologies in actual research investigated. F,S,SS.

EFR 530. Learning Analytics. 3 Credits.

Learning analytics is the collection, management, analysis, and reporting of meaningful patterns in data about learners, aimed at optimizing learning and the environments in which it occurs. This course will provide students with the building blocks of learning analytics, including history, concepts and theories, question development, common data sources, tools and techniques, challenges, ethics, applications, case studies, and presenting to educational audiences for decision-making. F, even years.

HE 569. Diversity Systems and Policy in Education. 3 Credits.

The course is designed to provide students with a critical understanding of issues of diversity in education from an organizational and systematic perspective. Multiple levels and dimensions of diversity will be discussed from PK-12 through higher education, including structural, organizational, and systematic manifestations of how diversity and equity are historically and currently addressed. Organizational type and role will also be explored. On demand.

EFR 511. Program and Policy Evaluation. 3 Credits.

An interdisciplinary course which studies the theoretical models of program and policy evaluation as well as professional standards. Emphasis is on the analysis of models for implementation and application in various social and public policy fields, as well as education. On demand.

Leaders in Education

UND students are prepared to be leaders in their field to motivate future generations.

Explore More Options

Connect with education faculty you'll work with at UND or discover additional online doctoral degrees.

Department Contact
Jared Schlenker
Graduate Director
P 701.777.3584
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