The 20 Best Online Doctoral Programs in Educational Leadership

The online Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership at the University of New England offers a holistic and comprehensive approach to serving community through effective communication, supportive transformation, and collaboration. This degree is comprised of three cohorts:

• Spring A term
• Summer A term
• Fall A term

This 51 credit hour program take three years to complete with no residency requirement. All courses are completely online including the dissertation which is reviewed and presented in an online format. Courses for this degree include:

• Preparation for Transformative Leadership
• Managing Change
• Diagnosing Organizational Dynamics
• Ethical Leadership

There is no GRE requirement for admission.

Vanderbilt University offers the online Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership and Learning in Organizations. There are four key competency areas available within the degree:

• Leadership
• Organizational Development
• Learning and Design
• Data Analytics

All of the tracks focus on improving operations within the workplace. In total this degree requires 80 credit hours, however 30 of those may come from an approved Master's degree.

Students typically are able to complete the remaining 54 required credit hours within three to four years. Each year an on-campus portion is required for immersion courses. The program will conclude with a comprehensive capstone project.

The Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) program in Adult and Higher Education at Oregon State University requires a total of 108 - 120 credits. A maximum of 36 of the total credits may be transferred in from an approved Master's degree.

This program offers two areas of concentration:

• Community College Leadership program
• Leadership in Higher Education program

Credit requirements include:

• 36 credits of core courses, comprised of 27 credits foundation courses and 9 credits research courses
• 12 credits for the chosen concentration
• 6 credit internship
• 24 credits dedicated to the thesis

An on-campus one-week intensive summer course is also required.

The Leadership in Education Administration Doctorate at the University of Florida is offered in an online/blended format with three on-campus weekend meetings per semester. GRE scores are required for admission which is available on a two year cycle. Students will typically take two classes, or six credits, per term. Credit requirement consist of:

• 36 credits department courses
• 15 credits research courses
• 24 credits dissertation hours
• 15 credits electives or transfer courses

There are 90 total credit hours required for graduation. The majority of students will complete all coursework within three years and the dissertation in the fourth year.

Ball State University manages the Department of Educational Leadership which offers the Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Administration and Supervision. Students must complete a total of 90 semester credit hours of graduate work, with a prior Master's degree required, for graduation.

Credit requirements include:

• 15 credits research
• 40 credits minimum graduate work
• 10 credits dissertation

Courses include:

• Educational Decision Making
• Ethnographic Research in Education
• The Educational Administrator and Public Relations
• Fiscal Management of Educational Agencies

To apply to the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at the University of Arkansas, students must already have a valid teaching license, an Ed.S. degree or equivalent, and current GRE scores to submit. Once accepted to the program students can expect all coursework to be available completely online, however students will be required to attend one on-campus seminar per semester.

These intensive weekend events will center around a theme within Educational Leadership presented through mini-lectures, facilitated discussion groups, and debates of critical issues. Students must complete 42 credits of coursework for graduation, including the required dissertation. The average time of completion for this degree track is three years.

At Indiana State University, the Department of Educational Leadership offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration with a specialization in Leadership in Higher Education. A total of 90 credit hours is required for the completion of this degree, however prior Master's coursework is applied to the curriculum.

As such, students will be required to complete an additional 45 credits, or 15 courses, and 18 dissertation hours on top of the Master's requirements to fulfill the requirement. During the summer students will participate in a three week residency program. Students can complete this degree in five consecutive terms by enrolling in three courses, or nine credit hours, per semester.

Drexel University's School of Education offers a Doctor of Education with nine concentrations to choose from:

• Athletic Administration
• Creativity and Innovation
• Educational Administration
• Educational Policy
• Global and International Education
• Higher Education
• Human Resource Development
• Learning Technologies
• Special Education Leadership

The total required credits will range from 60.5 to 61.5 depending on the concentration. Courses are organized into four 10-week quarters per year with the majority of students completing the degree program in three year's time.

Core courses for all concentrations include:

• Educational Leadership and Change
• Creative Strategies for Educational Leaders
• Using and Integrating Learning Technologies
• Transformative Leadership: Finding One's Source

Liberty University offers the Online PhD in Educational Leadership.

The Educational Leadership track requires a total of 60 credit hours for graduation. Up to 50% of the total credit hours may be transferred in to the program from an accredited and un-conferred degree.

Course work will include classes such as:

• Educational Leadership and Public Relations
• Organizational Analysis and Problem Solving
• Conflict Resolution
• Issues and Trends in Educational Leadership

Liberty also offers the Online PhD in Higher Education Administration: Educational Leadership for students who want to work at universities. This program accepts up to 50% of the degree total to be transfer credits. Students learn how to manage and grow universities, which includes instruction such as managing different departments and how to increase student enrollment.

Courses include:

• Policy Analysis
• Teaching the College Student
• Assessment and Accreditation
• College and University Administration

Liberty is a non-profit, private university.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Education with a concentration in Higher Education Leadership and Management offered at Regent University requires a total of 75 credits for graduation. Available through the School of Education, classes are presented in an online format while two on-campus summer residencies are required. Each residency is worth two credit hours and are held on the Virginia Beach campus for four days.

Other courses may include:

• Analysis of Variance
• Regression and Correlation
• History and Contemporary Issues in American Higher Education
• The Law and Governance of Higher Education

The School of Education at Colorado State University offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Education and Human Resource Studies.

• 30 credits of higher education administrative courses
• 30 credits of research
• Oral and written comprehensive exams
• Juried publication submission or presentation
• Dissertation

Course examples include:

• Higher Education Administration
• Student Development in a Collegiate Context
• Analyzing Education Liturature
• Theory and Practice of Change
• Higher Education Law

The majority of students will complete this program within five years. Upon graduation the transcript will include a specialization in higher education leadership.

The Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in Organization and Leadership at the University of San Francisco is offered through the School of Education. This program requires 60 additional credits beyond a Master's degree. Credit requirements are comprised of:

• 12 credits general education courses
• 9 credits department courses
• 21 credits specialization and professional interest courses
• 9 credits electives
• 9-12 credits dissertation development

Student may choose from several focus areas within the degree, including:

• K-12 and Administrative Services Credential Program
• 21st Century Leadership
• Higher Education Leadership

Additionally, possible classes include:

• Organizational Theory: Applications and Implications
• Race, Diversity and Higher Education
• Mentoring and Networking Skills
• International Development and Leadership

Grand Canyon University's College of Doctoral Studies' offers a comprehensive Ed.D in Organizational Leadership: Higher Education Leadership.

This program has two research tracks, from which students may choose: Qualitative Research, or Quantitative Research. Qualitative Research is oriented for determining factors such as motivations, behaviors, and ideas behind trends and patterns in organizations. Whereas Qualitative Research is data-driven and looks at numerical statistical data for trends and patterns.

There are a total of 60 credit hours required for graduation. Students may transfer credits into the program.

Some core courses may include:

• Progressions in Leadership Thought
• History and Politics for Higher Education
• Leading Across Cultures
• Governance and Structures in Higher Education

The majority of courses in the program are eight weeks in duration. Enrollment in each class is kept small to encourage more in-depth dialogue between professors and students.

The College of Education at East Tennessee State University manages the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. This department further offers the comprehensive Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership degree. There are three concentrations for students to select from:

• Administrative Endorsement Concentration
• Post-secondary and Private Sector Leadership Concentration
• School Leadership Concentration

There are a total of 66 required credits beyond an accepted Master's degree necessary for graduation, 18 of which may be dedicated to guided electives. Some sample courses and activities may include:

• Educational Statistics
• Leadership for Lifelong Learning
• Theories of Educational Administration
• Internship in Educational Leadership

Geared towards professionals with a prior Master's degree with a desire for an administrative position in higher education, the University of Nebraska offers a comprehensive Ed.D. in Educational Studies with specialization in Educational Leadership and Higher Education. Current GRE scores are required to apply. Once accepted to the program, students are required to complete a total of 96 credits.

Core Courses include:

• Administrative Theory
• Educational Finance
• Finance in Postsecondary Education
• Law and Higher Education
• Leadership in Educational Organizations

At the University of Bridgeport's School of Education students can enroll in an accelerated online Doctorate in Educational Leadership with a concentration in International Education. This comprehensive 62 credit degree program is typically completed in four years, three years for course work and the fourth year for the dissertation. On average students will attend classes twice per week and are required to participate in tow one-week residencies. The curriculum emphasizes educational leadership, research, and analysis. Examples of possible courses include:

• Organization Management
• Grant Writing
• Evaluation of School Effectiveness
• Ethical Issues in International Education
• Culture, Society, and Education in International Contexts

Indiana Wesleyan University provides a Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Organizational Leadership program. Both online and on-campus coursework is required to complete the 60 total credit hours needed for graduation.

Some course examples include:

• Leadership and Personal Development
• Organization Theory and Design
• Change, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship
• Ethics and Leadership
• Advanced Global Leadership
• Stewardship

Students must also participate in an on-campus residency which may be completed by attending three of the one-week long Summer Institutes provided by the University. This degree may be completed in as little as 40 months, or approximately three years.

The online Doctor of Education Program in Interdisciplinary Leadership at Creighton University requires a total of 60 credit hours for graduation which are comprised of:

• 21 credits of core courses
• 15 credits of electives
• 6 credits of research courses
• 14 credits of pre/dissertation courses
• 4 credits of core seminars and practicum

There are also two required on-campus residencies. The first is a four day orientation and the second is the concluding dissertation defense. Courses will run for eight weeks with the majority of students taking one class at a time. At this pace students can complete all the requirements in three and a half years.

The Doctorate in Education in Educational Leadership at the University of the Cumberlands is a 60 post-Master's credit hour degree program which students typically complete in less than three years. The credit hours are comprised of:

• 27 credit hours Administrative Leadership Core Curriculum
• 15 credit hours Professional Research
• 18 credit hours Specialty Area Content

There are seven specialty areas as follows:

• Business
• Education
• English
• History
• Math
• Psychology
• Religion

Some examples of class topics include:

• Learning in Adulthood
• Higher Education in America
• Strategic Planning and Decision-Making
• Educational Program Evaluation
• Leadership in Theory and Practice

The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership at Rowan University offers four tracks for students to select from:

• Higher Education
• P-12
• Nurse Educator
• Community College Leadership Initiative

All classes for the first three tracks may be taken completely online, however students will be required to attend three on-campus residencies. Each track is comprised of three consecutive phases. Students must pass a Benchmark review at the end of each phase before moving on to the next. By graduation students will have completed a total of 60 graduate semester hours including:

• 36 semester hours of core courses (required for all tracks)
• 12 semester hours of the chosen track courses
• 12 semester hours for the dissertation