Doctor of Education (EdD)

Boyer Graduate School of Education

Expand Your Professional Options with Our Doctor of Education

Our Doctor of Education (EdD) program is a professional distance education degree program emphasizing coursework in educational leadership and management in a variety of educational and public service settings. The program provides students with advanced study in organizational development, diversity studies, law & ethics, and educational psychology.

Our EdD is of particular interest to individuals with public or private school teaching experience who seek administrative positions or middle level managers who are interested in moving into higher levels of leadership. Professionals working as educators, administrators, and consultants will all find our EdD program beneficial toward their career goals.

Students may select one of three academic concentrations in pursuit of the EdD degree program: Leadership & Administration, Educational Technology, or Charter School Administration.

The EdD degree program is presented through distance education using online technology requiring no classroom or seminar attendance. The program is offered in both the Independent Study and Directed Study modalities. Applicants must have a minimum of two years of professional full-time experience in an education-related field of work.

Learning Modalities | Curriculum & Concentrations | Program Outcomes | Admissions Process

Upcoming Start Dates:
Independent Study: July 1st | September 2nd
Directed Study: September 2nd | January 6th

Tuition: $360/credit

Credits Required: 60

Total Program Tuition: $21,600

Learning Modalities:
Independent Study & Directed Study

Admissions Requirements:
Master’s Degree

Program Catalog | FAQs

Did you enroll in one of our EdD programs before the October 26, 2021 start date? You can find your program catalogs and other relevant information here.

Choose the Learning Modality that Works for You.

Independent Study

Our Independent Study modality gives you the flexibility to fit your program around your career and lifestyle.

Students have 8 weeks to complete each course, working independently with the support of a faculty mentor. The time to degree completion may be accelerated or extended, within the guidelines of the University.

Each course in the program contains a series of lesson assignments, generally consisting of reading assignments supplemented occasionally by various multimedia. Students are evaluated through examinations and/or research assignments, which are submitted for faculty evaluation.

Pay tuition in installments completely interest-free — each semester, just make a 30% downpayment upfront, followed by 3 monthly payments.

Start on any of six start dates throughout the year.

Directed Study

Our Directed Study modality offers a more structured and collaborative online learning experience.

Students will move through the program with a cohort of other students, typically completing one course at a time and two courses, or six credits, per semester. Each 8-week course in this program contains a series of readings, lesson assignments, and regular online asynchronous discussions.

Directed Study students may apply for federal financial aid to cover the cost of their education.

Start on any of three start dates throughout the year.

Curriculum

A total of 60 credits are required for graduation from the University with an EdD. All Qualifying Courses and the Qualifying Examination must be successfully completed prior to moving on to the Core Courses. All Core Courses and the Comprehensive Examination must be completed before moving on to the Dissertation/ADP Phase.

Students entering into our EdD program with the University may choose between three concentrations: Leadership & Administration, Educational Technology, or Charter School Administration.

More information about each concentration and required courses can be viewed below.

Leadership in education takes confidence, experience, and continuous education. Coursework covers a variety of topics relevant to today’s educators, including the legal and political framework of education in the US, societal diversity in education, curriculum development, and management of adult/occupational programs.

Our Leadership & Administration concentration prepares educators to excel as leaders within their schools and school districts.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

PLO1 – Apply best practices, current concepts, theories, and research about effective teaching, learning, and administration to improve one's professional practice as a teacher or administrator.

PLO2 – Employ effective and appropriate leadership techniques that support educational and administrative objectives.

PLO3 – Use multiple strategies to help students of various levels and backgrounds learn the subject matter.

PLO4 – Discuss the American public school system’s funding and budgeting practices and legal principles with a level of authority.

PLO5 – Use information and technology to plan instructional and administrative strategies and improve learning, productivity, and professional practice.

PLO6 – Develop, organize, and perform sound research studies in institutional settings.

PLO7 – Communicate effectively with learners, their families, and other professionals in ways appropriate to purpose and content.

PLO8 – Author a properly formatted and presented dissertation representing a substantive research topic of original work OR develop an applied doctoral project.

 

+ Qualifying Courses

This course examines conceptual foundations of educational administration with the aim of using theory and research to solve the problems of practice. The focus of this course is on the school as a social system with special emphasis on structure, politics, decision making, and quality outcomes.

This course explores concepts of leadership and leadership styles in the context of educational administration. Students examine the role of institutional leader, as well as factors that influence decision making, initiating change, psychological constraints, and techniques for establishing and maintaining a unique culture in the institutional setting.

This course explores the economic theories of institutional finance. Emphasis is on the management and evaluation of fiscal operations in an institutional setting.

This course studies theory, strategies, and techniques of effective organizational behavior in educational/institutional settings. Intervention techniques will be studied to improve organization effectiveness.

+ Core Courses

This is an 8-week course on developing a student's understanding of academic writing for a doctoral program. The final assignment for the class will be a composite of weekly assignments to create a concept paper relating to the potential Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP). Students leave the course with a quality draft Concept Paper for their Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP).

This course provides an overview of the legal and political framework of education in the nation. Emphasis is on current issues and how they affect the learning environment.

This course provides an analysis of the influences of curriculum and instruction from a philosophical, psychological, and sociological perspective. Various approaches to the design and evaluation of curriculum and instruction will be examined.

This course examines diversity in society and in schools. Emphasis is on understanding the similarities and differences in culture, economic backgrounds, and academic diversity. It will prepare teachers for the wide diversity of students that they are certain to meet in their classrooms, schools, and communities. It provides an updated and broad treatment of the various forms of human diversity found in today’s schools, including nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, class, language, sexual orientation, and ability levels – highlighting the need for differentiation of instruction.

This course deals with systematic philosophies, with attention to individual philosophers who developed important philosophical and educational ideas and with a critique of each philosophy to present its strengths and weaknesses. We also review major social influences as they are applied to current movements in educational instruction, research, and curriculum.

This course studies psychological principles as related to learning. Learning theories, motivation, and quantitative methods will be explored.

This course presents an examination of the social forces involved with adult education. The history and philosophy of adult and occupational training will be reviewed, as well as training and development programs in both public and private sector settings.

This course allows students to examine several broad range contemporary topics in institutional management and policy.

This course presents emerging technologies and engages educators in applying emerging technologies, while preparing for perceived changes in the future, with an aim to structure more student-centered lesson plans, which are adaptable to the devices and mobility available to them.

This course emphasizes the types of research designs and the skills needed to develop and organize research studies in institutional settings.
(This will be the last course prior to the dissertation phase.)

+ Dissertation/ADP Phase

This is an 8-week course on developing a student's understanding of advanced academic writing for a doctoral program. The final assignment for the class will be a composite of weekly assignments to create a Literature Review relating to the potential Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP). Students leave the course with a quality draft Literature Review chapter for their Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP).

AND

This course assists students through the process of organization and design of a formal proposal, including a substantive research topic of original work. An accepted proposal constitutes the framework for the Statement of the Problem (Chapter 1), Review of the Literature (Chapter 2), and Research Methodology (Chapter 3).

The successful completion of a dissertation results in a quality research effort, documented and written following American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines, an oral defense consisting of a PowerPoint presentation presented to the student’s dissertation committee, and written in a format ready for publication. The completed dissertation document is a five-chapter dissertation beginning with the Introduction to the Problem (Chapter 1), Review of the Literature (Chapter 2), Research Methodology (Chapter 3), Research Findings (Chapter 4), and Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations of the Researcher (Chapter 5). In addition, the final document will include the frontal pages as described in the University’s Dissertation Handbook, as well as necessary appendices, references, and other appropriate documents.

OR

The commencement of the Applied Doctoral Project begins with development of the ADP Proposal. The Proposal consists of three phases: Phase 1 is the Project Justification; Phase 2 is the Review of the Literature; Phase 3 is the Project Approach. The Project Justification should include a discussion of the specific problem you propose to address. You should then provide a brief description of the methodology you plan to use and why the methodology is appropriate (for example, review and analysis of previous work versus new research). The Review of the Literature entails a critical analysis, synthesis and integration of work that others have done in order to show where the proposed study fits into current debates and inquiries. Phase 2 is thus a formal summary and analysis of the literature directly related to your particular study. The Project Approach describes the procedures that will be followed in conducting the study. The format and content of this phase will vary depending on the nature of the study. For example, a project that requires collection of data will differ significantly from a project that analyzes data from a third party or a study that relies on a scholarly review of the literature.

The Applied Doctoral Project (ADP) is an alternative to the traditional dissertation in the Doctor of Education program. The ADP students are expected to expand and apply existing knowledge and research to existing problems in their professional field. It allows a student to apply theories, principles, and processes they have learned in the Taft EdD program to an actual problem in education or an issue of interest and relevance to them in their professional activities. The focus of the work in the ADP is on development of an extensive scholarly document that will provide a professional value to the student’s work as an educator.

Technology is increasingly a part of the classroom experience, from K-12 through graduate programs. Educators are increasingly expected to incorporate technology into their curriculum, online programs are gaining popularity, and both of those major changes shows how important it is to have school leaders with solid knowledge of educational technology concepts.

Our Educational Technology concentration includes coursework in online learning instructional design, technology management, laws and ethics of educational technology, and emerging educational technologies.

Program Outcomes

 

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

PLO1 – Apply best practices, current concepts, theories, and research about effective teaching, learning, and administration to improve one's professional practice as a teacher or administrator.

PLO2 – Employ effective and appropriate leadership techniques that support educational and administrative objectives.

PLO3 – Use multiple strategies to help students of various levels and backgrounds learn subject matter.

PLO4 – Discuss the American public school system's funding and budgeting practices and legal principles with a level of authority.

PLO5 – Use information and technology to plan instructional and administrative strategies and improve learning, productivity, and professional practice.

PLO6 – Develop, organize, and perform sound research studies in institutional settings.

PLO7 – Communicate effectively with learners, their families, and other professionals in ways appropriate to purpose and content.

PLO8 – Author a properly formatted and presented dissertation that represents a substantive research topic of original work OR develop an applied doctor that represents learning application.

+ Qualifying Courses

This course examines conceptual foundations of educational administration with the aim of using theory and research to solve the problems of practice. The focus of this course is on the school as a social system with special emphasis on structure, politics, decision making, and quality outcomes.

This course explores concepts of leadership and leadership styles in the context of educational administration. Students examine the role of institutional leader, as well as factors that influence decision making, initiating change, psychological constraints, and techniques for establishing and maintaining a unique culture in the institutional setting.

This course explores the economic theories of institutional finance. Emphasis is on the management and evaluation of fiscal operations in an institutional setting.

This course studies theory, strategies, and techniques of effective organizational behavior in educational/institutional settings. Intervention techniques will be studied to improve organization effectiveness.

+ Core Courses

This is an 8-week course on developing a student's understanding of academic writing for a doctoral program. The final assignment for the class will be a composite of weekly assignments to create a concept paper relating to the potential Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP). Students leave the course with a quality draft Concept Paper for their Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP).

This course presents relevant information related to laws, policies, ethics, and safety within schools, with an emphasis on issues related to 21st century learning with technology and the internet.

This course examines diversity in society and in schools. Emphasis is on understanding the similarities and differences in culture, economic backgrounds, and academic diversity. It will prepare teachers for the wide diversity of students that they are certain to meet in their classrooms, schools, and communities. It provides an updated and broad treatment of the various forms of human diversity found in today’s schools, including nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, class, language, sexual orientation, and ability levels – highlighting the need for differentiation of instruction.

This course deals with systematic philosophies, with attention to individual philosophers who developed important philosophical and educational ideas and with a critique of each philosophy to present its strengths and weaknesses. We also review major social influences as they are applied to current movements in educational instruction, research, and curriculum.

This course studies psychological principles as related to learning. Learning theories, motivation, and quantitative methods will be explored.

This course presents the learner with tools, skills, methods, research, and related knowledge to design and manage curriculum for online learners in a variety of educational settings, including K-12, Post-Secondary, and corporate environments.

This course presents theory and practical applications of managing educational technology and integrating technology into the curriculum, in face-to-face, and in online education environments.

This elective course allows students to examine several broad range contemporary topics in institutional management and policy.

This course presents emerging technologies and engages educators in applying emerging technologies, while preparing for perceived changes in the future, with an aim to structure more student-centered lesson plans, which are adaptable to the devices and mobility available to them.

This course emphasizes the types of research designs and the skills needed to develop and organize research studies in institutional settings.
(This will be the last course prior to the dissertation phase.)

+ Dissertation/ADP Phase

This is an 8-week course on developing a student's understanding of advanced academic writing for a doctoral program. The final assignment for the class will be a composite of weekly assignments to create a Literature Review relating to the potential Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP). Students leave the course with a quality draft Literature Review chapter for their Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP).

AND

This course assists students through the process of organization and design of a formal proposal, including a substantive research topic of original work. An accepted proposal constitutes the framework for the Statement of the Problem (Chapter 1), Review of the Literature (Chapter 2), and Research Methodology (Chapter 3).

The successful completion of a dissertation results in a quality research effort, documented and written following American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines, an oral defense consisting of a PowerPoint presentation presented to the student’s dissertation committee, and written in a format ready for publication. The completed dissertation document is a five-chapter dissertation beginning with the Introduction to the Problem (Chapter 1), Review of the Literature (Chapter 2), Research Methodology (Chapter 3), Research Findings (Chapter 4), and Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations of the Researcher (Chapter 5). In addition, the final document will include the frontal pages as described in the University’s Dissertation Handbook, as well as necessary appendices, references, and other appropriate documents.

OR

The commencement of the Applied Doctoral Project begins with development of the ADP Proposal. The Proposal consists of three phases: Phase 1 is the Project Justification; Phase 2 is the Review of the Literature; Phase 3 is the Project Approach. The Project Justification should include a discussion of the specific problem you propose to address. You should then provide a brief description of the methodology you plan to use and why the methodology is appropriate (for example, review and analysis of previous work versus new research). The Review of the Literature entails a critical analysis, synthesis and integration of work that others have done in order to show where the proposed study fits into current debates and inquiries. Phase 2 is thus a formal summary and analysis of the literature directly related to your particular study. The Project Approach describes the procedures that will be followed in conducting the study. The format and content of this phase will vary depending on the nature of the study. For example, a project that requires collection of data will differ significantly from a project that analyzes data from a third party or a study that relies on a scholarly review of the literature.

The Applied Doctoral Project (ADP) is an alternative to the traditional dissertation in the Doctor of Education program. The ADP students are expected to expand and apply existing knowledge and research to existing problems in their professional field. It allows a student to apply theories, principles, and processes they have learned in the Taft EdD program to an actual problem in education or an issue of interest and relevance to them in their professional activities. The focus of the work in the ADP is on development of an extensive scholarly document that will provide a professional value to the student’s work as an educator.

Charter schools were created to help improve our nation’s public school system and offer parents an alternative public school option to meet their child’s specific needs. The core of the charter school model is the belief that public schools should be held accountable for student learning. In exchange for this accountability, school leaders should be given freedom to develop processes and systems to help students achieve and should share what works with the broader public school system so that all students benefit.

Our Charter School Administration concentration aims to equip educators with the skills necessary to be leaders in a Charter School environment.

 Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

PLO1 - Apply best practices, current concepts, theories, and research about effective teaching, learning, and administration to improve one's professional practice as a teacher or administrator.

PLO2 - Employ effective and appropriate leadership techniques that support educational and administrative objectives.

PLO3 - Use multiple strategies to help students of various levels and backgrounds learn subject matter.

PLO4 - Discuss the American public school system's funding and budgeting practices and legal principles with a level of authority.

PLO5 - Use information and technology to plan instructional and administrative strategies and improve learning, productivity, and professional practice.

PLO6 – Develop, organize, and perform sound research studies in institutional settings.

PLO7 – Communicate effectively with learners, their families, and other professionals in ways appropriate to purpose and content.

PLO8 – Author a properly formatted and presented dissertation that represents a substantive research topic of original work OR develop an applied doctoral project that represents learning application. 

 

+ Qualifying Courses

This course examines conceptual foundations of educational administration with the aim of using theory and research to solve the problems of practice. The focus of this course is on the school as a social system with special emphasis on structure, politics, decision making, and quality outcomes.

This course explores concepts of leadership and leadership styles in the context of educational administration. Students examine the role of institutional leader, as well as factors that influence decision making, initiating change, psychological constraints, and techniques for establishing and maintaining a unique culture in the institutional setting.

This course explores the economic theories of institutional finance. Emphasis is on the management and evaluation of fiscal operations in an institutional setting.

This course studies theory, strategies, and techniques of effective organizational behavior in educational/institutional settings. Intervention techniques will be studied to improve organization effectiveness.

+ Core Courses

This is an 8-week course on developing a student's understanding of academic writing for a doctoral program. The final assignment for the class will be a composite of weekly assignments to create a concept paper relating to the potential Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP). Students leave the course with a quality draft Concept Paper for their Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP).

This course provides an overview of the legal and political framework of education in the nation. Emphasis is on current issues and how they affect the learning environment.

This course provides an analysis of the influences of curriculum and instruction from a philosophical, psychological, and sociological perspective. Various approaches to the design and evaluation of curriculum and instruction will be examined.

This course examines diversity in society and in schools. Emphasis is on understanding the similarities and differences in culture, economic backgrounds, and academic diversity. It will prepare teachers for the wide diversity of students that they are certain to meet in their classrooms, schools, and communities. It provides an updated and broad treatment of the various forms of human diversity found in today’s schools, including nationality, ethnicity, race, religion, gender, class, language, sexual orientation, and ability levels – highlighting the need for differentiation of instruction.

This course deals with systematic philosophies, with attention to individual philosophers who developed important philosophical and educational ideas and with a critique of each philosophy to present its strengths and weaknesses. We also review major social influences as they are applied to current movements in educational instruction, research, and curriculum.

This course studies psychological principles as related to learning. Learning theories, motivation, and quantitative methods will be explored.

This course presents emerging technologies and engages educators in applying emerging technologies, while preparing for perceived changes in the future, with an aim to structure more student-centered lesson plans, which are adaptable to the devices and mobility available to them.

This course examines strategic marketing and branding, and their contribution to effective charter school recruitment and operations. Topics include marketing strategy development, marketing research, communications, media relations, building partnerships, public relations, and fund raising.

This course explores the administrative workings of charter school operations. Topics include facilities location, staffing, sourcing and reporting revenue, budgeting, auxiliary services, legal issues, and safety and security. The course also examines the practical skills necessary to work effectively with authorizers, the charter school board, and other groups that are critical to the success of the charter school, as well as the legal framework of charter school education at the national, state, and local levels.

This course emphasizes the types of research designs and the skills needed to develop and organize research studies in institutional settings.
(This will be the last course prior to the dissertation phase.)

+ Dissertation/ADP Phase

This is an 8-week course on developing a student's understanding of advanced academic writing for a doctoral program. The final assignment for the class will be a composite of weekly assignments to create a Literature Review relating to the potential Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP). Students leave the course with a quality draft Literature Review chapter for their Dissertation or Applied Doctoral Project (ADP).

AND

This course assists students through the process of organization and design of a formal proposal, including a substantive research topic of original work. An accepted proposal constitutes the framework for the Statement of the Problem (Chapter 1), Review of the Literature (Chapter 2), and Research Methodology (Chapter 3).

The successful completion of a dissertation results in a quality research effort, documented and written following American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines, an oral defense consisting of a PowerPoint presentation presented to the student’s dissertation committee, and written in a format ready for publication. The completed dissertation document is a five-chapter dissertation beginning with the Introduction to the Problem (Chapter 1), Review of the Literature (Chapter 2), Research Methodology (Chapter 3), Research Findings (Chapter 4), and Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations of the Researcher (Chapter 5). In addition, the final document will include the frontal pages as described in the University’s Dissertation Handbook, as well as necessary appendices, references, and other appropriate documents.

OR

The commencement of the Applied Doctoral Project begins with development of the ADP Proposal. The Proposal consists of three phases: Phase 1 is the Project Justification; Phase 2 is the Review of the Literature; Phase 3 is the Project Approach. The Project Justification should include a discussion of the specific problem you propose to address. You should then provide a brief description of the methodology you plan to use and why the methodology is appropriate (for example, review and analysis of previous work versus new research). The Review of the Literature entails a critical analysis, synthesis and integration of work that others have done in order to show where the proposed study fits into current debates and inquiries. Phase 2 is thus a formal summary and analysis of the literature directly related to your particular study. The Project Approach describes the procedures that will be followed in conducting the study. The format and content of this phase will vary depending on the nature of the study. For example, a project that requires collection of data will differ significantly from a project that analyzes data from a third party or a study that relies on a scholarly review of the literature.

The Applied Doctoral Project (ADP) is an alternative to the traditional dissertation in the Doctor of Education program. The ADP students are expected to expand and apply existing knowledge and research to existing problems in their professional field. It allows a student to apply theories, principles, and processes they have learned in the Taft EdD program to an actual problem in education or an issue of interest and relevance to them in their professional activities. The focus of the work in the ADP is on development of an extensive scholarly document that will provide a professional value to the student’s work as an educator.

Admissions Process

  • Apply Online

    Complete our online Application Form and attach any prepared documents. Additional documents may be emailed directly to Admissions@Taft.edu or your Admissions Representative after your application form is submitted.

    Required Documentation:

    • Master’s Transcript

    • Personal Statement

    • Two Letters of Recommendation

    • Resume

    • Copy of ID

    Applicants must have a minimum of two years of professional full-time experience in an education-related field of work.

  • Choose Your Start Date

    Independent Study students are able to begin their program on any of six start dates throughout the year. Directed Study students may begin on any of three start dates per year.

    Complete information about our start dates, holidays, and other important dates can be found on our Academic Calendar.

    Once you’re accepted into the program, your admissions representative will confirm your start date with you.

  • Complete Your Enrollment Materials

    Once your start date is confirmed, you’ll be provided with enrollment materials to fill out and sign. This includes your first tuition payment.