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What is an Educational Leadership Degree?
A Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership is a degree program designed for current and emerging leaders in both traditional and nontraditional education environments. A Doctorate in Educational Leadership prepares professionals to lead educational organizations and equips them to address challenges that educational leaders face in a variety of settings.
The Doctorate in Educational Leadership online at Neumann University provides educators with the vision, skills, and values that are needed to continually improve American education.
Candidates for the educational leadership degree are prepared to link knowledge and research, address school-based and educationally oriented problems through application of theory, and develop a vision for public and/or religious-based education as well as the network to implement that vision.
EdD in Educational Leadership – Program Overview
Features
Outcomes
Required Courses
Tuition
Meet the Faculty
Admissions Requirements
Notes from Alumni
Educational Partnerships
EdD in Educational Leadership | Features
- Can be completed in 3.5 years
- Cohort-based learning model
- Rich and relevant curriculum in coordination with authentic learning experiences
- PreK-12 Administrative 1 Certification and Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility options available
- Student-focused services and continuous support by dedicated methodologist, faculty, and staff
- Online program with Summer Residencies
Learning Outcomes
This EdD Educational Leadership program fosters your love of learning and leading. You will expand your knowledge and hone your skills in instructional and administrative leadership through the application of scholarly research and your practitioner expertise to help you:
- Gain and refine leadership and management skills
- Analyze, develop, design, implement, and evaluate school plans of action
- Assess the needs and accomplishments of students, faculty, staff, and the larger society
Graduates of this Doctorate in Educational Leadership online emerge ready to lead and influence positive change in several and various capacities.
Required Courses (54 Credits)
Core, Research & Dissertation Courses:
- EDU 705 Ethics & Leadership
- EDU 712 Evaluation, Measurment & Performance Improvement
- EDU 715 Leadership Theory & Practice
- EDU 720 Culture, Communication & Collaborative Practice
- EDU 730 Contemporary Issues in Education and & Educational Leadership
- EDU 740 Organizational Development & Change Management
- EDU 774 Practitioner Research
- EDU 760 Advanced Academic Research Writing
- EDU 767 Research Design
- EDU 770 Qualitative Research
- EDU 780 Quantitative Research
- EDU 810 Dissertation
- EDU 900 Dissertation
Superintendent Track: Certification Requires Internship
- EDU 777 Superintendent as Learning Leader
- EDU 781 Superintendent as Social Justice Leader
- EDU 783 Superintendent as Strategic Leader
- EDU 784 Superintendent as Legal and Fiscal Leader
Principal Track:
- EDU 725 Principal as Professional Growth Leader
- EDU 755 Principal as School Business & Policy Management Leader
- EDU 765 Principal as Social Justice Leader
- EDU 776 The Principal as Instructional Leader
Tuition
Educational leadership tuition is based on the number of credits students are enrolled in. For more information, visit the Office of Financial Assistance.
While Neumann is known for its competitive, affordable sticker price, we know that most students need financial assistance of some kind while enrolled in graduate school. For everything you need to know about your financial aid options, download our guide: Offsetting the Cost of Graduate School — Financial Aid for Graduate Students.
Meet the Faculty
Learn more about the experienced educators and professionals in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Education who support Neumann’s EdD in Educational Leadership.Admissions Requirements
To be considered for Neumann’s Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, applicants must hold both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from a regionally or nationally accredited institution and complete the admissions process successfully, including:
- A completed online graduate application
- Official transcripts from all institutions attended
- A minimum 3.0 GPA in undergraduate and graduate study
- Résumé or CV showing work and leadership experience in education or a related field
- Two professional letters of recommendation
- Written responses to two of four program essay prompts
- Interview with the Program Director
- For more information on admissions requirements at Neumann, visit our admissions page!
Notes from Educational Leadership Alumni
- “When your professors embody the Franciscan philosophy to serve others and exhibit compassion, Neumann becomes your second family.” - Rachel Stunzi, EdD in 2023
- “The faculty at Neumann is more interested in students graduating than any other institution I ever took classes from. It made me feel good. I was pushed and supported with help.” - Paul Hanson, EdD in 2016
- “I consider Dr. Amanda Jones Layman, EdD chair, methodologist and professor, a dear friend. She was the force behind me, but she was also gentle with me during a serious family illness. That’s what a family is like - guiding you, loving you, and being there for you when you didn’t even expect them to be.” - Martrice Donaldson-Brown, EdD in 2024
- “Sr. Pat (Hutchison) was a mentor throughout my dissertation. She helped me cope with my father’s death from COVID and is now a friend.” - Jacqueline Simpkins, EdD in 2020
Programmatic Partnerships
Program Related Current Partners:
- Y.A.L.E. School of Philadelphia
- Melmark
- Interboro School District
- EdCor
- Eden Autism
- Diocese of Wilmington
- City of Philadelphia
- Chester County Intermediate Unit
- Chester Community Charter School
- Bright Bloom Centers
- Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Association
April 30 | 12:00 AM EST
Degree Completion Webinar | April 30 at 12:00 AM EST
September 25 | 2:00 PM EST
General Admissions Webinar | September 25 at 2:00 PM EST
What Can We Answer For You?
Frequently Asked Questions About the Educational Leadership EdD
About the Industry
A Doctorate in Educational Leadership is designed for current and emerging leaders in both traditional and nontraditional education environments. An Educational Leadership EdD prepares professionals to lead educational organizations and equips them to address challenges that educational leaders face.
An educational leadership degree is a strategic option for driven education professionals who want to secure a leadership position in a variety of educational settings. This doctorate degree prepares current and future leaders in the field to impact change and solve challenges in the education system.
Students who have earned their EdD in Educational Leadership are able to assume leadership positions in schools and in a variety of educational agencies.
Here are a few of the most common positions EdD graduates can pursue upon earning their doctorate degree:
School Principal – Manage daily school activities, oversee faculty and staff, and provide a safe and productive educational environment.
Education Administrator – Direct and coordinate activities for faculty and staff, create school rules and policies, manage student admissions, financial aid, athletics, and more.
Superintendent – Lead entire school district
About the Program
The EdD Educational Leadership program can be completed in 3.5 years and must be completed in eight. A total of 54 credits of coursework at the doctoral level is required to successfully complete the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership. Additional credits for a Pre K-12 Administrative I Certificate and/or a Superintendent’s Letter of Eligibility Certificate are curricular options.
A master’s degree is required to apply. No GRE is required with your application.
- A completed online graduate application
- Official transcripts from all institutions attended (WES or ECE evaluated if international)
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae which documents work experience and demonstrated leadership in education or a related field
- Two official letters of recommendation
- Formal responses to two of the four questions:
- “What is your teaching philosophy?”
- “What is your leadership philosophy (instructional and administrative)?”
- “How does an administrator, in their role as instructional leader, foster successful teaching and learning in schools and / or district-wide?”
- “How does an administrator, in their role as administrative leader, foster successful leadership and management in schools and / or district-wide?”
- Interview with the Program Director
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