The Doctor of Education (EdD) empowers students to bring about solutions to complex problems of practice in their local context, while leveraging a global network to magnify students’ boundless experiential learning to build a more socially just world. The Dissertation in Practice, the culminating component of the degree, is designed to prepare leaders who can construct and apply knowledge to transform their organizations and communities through laboratories of practice where students implement change and then measure and analyze the impact to improve their professional practice. This knowledge is the start of students’ potential for meaningful change work. Students magnify their ability to generate socially just change by leveraging Northeastern University’s global network of students, alumni, employers, and entrepreneurs.
Admission Requirements
Note that all Doctor of Education degrees offered through the College of Professional Studies have the following admission requirements:
- Online application
- Academic transcripts (undergraduate and graduate)
- Admissions statement (1,000–1,200 words)
- Minimum of three years of professional work experience in a related field
- Professional resumé
- Faculty recommendation
- Two professional recommendations
- English-language proficiency proof (for non-native English-language speakers)
Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Concentration
The Doctor of Education with Concentration in Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership helps educational leaders develop the competencies, dispositions, and values required to pursue educational reform, based on a commitment to social justice. Students explore the relationship between effective educational leadership and the ways that curriculum and teaching can enhance learning opportunities for students across their life span.
This EdD concentration focuses on preparing transformational leaders who recognize the importance of providing quality educational experiences for all learners.
Key learning objectives include how to:
- Assess how issues of social justice play out in contemporary educational settings
- Analyze education systems to gain an understanding of the evolution of micro- and macrolevel policies and legislation
- Examine international curriculum and instruction research and practices
- Investigate the development and interaction of leadership roles within organizations
- Explore the theoretical and historical dimensions of curriculum, teaching, and learning in varied educational settings
Higher Education Administration Concentration
The Higher Education Administration concentration provides an opportunity for experienced higher education professionals to examine new and deepen previous understanding of practices within all sectors of postsecondary education. Sectors examined include community colleges, four-year colleges, for-profit institutions, and research universities. The increased globalization of higher education is addressed throughout the program. The concentration courses allow experienced higher education professionals to advance their professional practice by developing and deepening their understanding of the roles of colleges and universities in our society. Specifically, this concentration provides the opportunity to:
- Be well-grounded in areas essential to understanding and articulating the educational roles of colleges and universities that include:
- Cultural, ethical, and societal issues that affect higher education
- History of higher education worldwide
- Organization, governance, leadership, and administrative theories and practices
- Higher education finance, law, and planning
- Develop skills and knowledge for establishing and sustaining initiatives in higher education.
- Address the challenge of ensuring educational equity through an evaluation of the roles, functions, and interrelationships among a college's or university's major constituents, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
- Conduct research at the worksite that contributes to the resolution of an urgent and complex problem of practice.
Innovative Teaching and Learning
The Innovative Teaching and Learning concentration focuses on transforming education through innovation, justice, and policy by providing engaging opportunities for current and aspiring teaching and learning specialists working in a variety of educational spaces. In a global, ever-changing educational environment, cultivating strong teaching and learning specialists is critical to building strong, safe, and equitable learning spaces. The concentration focuses on teaching and learning both inside and outside the bounds of P–20 schools. Through a focus on developing and leading innovative curriculum and professional development, the coursework and programmatic experiences are experiential—offers opportunity for learning and growth in connection with partners in the field; modular—develops specialized professional knowledges; and justice-oriented—enables an understanding of change processes that deconstruct systemic injustice at all educational levels. Specifically, the Innovative Teaching and Learning concentration provides the opportunity to:
- Develop the ability to improve teaching and learning through innovation
- Design classroom, curriculum, and professional development that lead to greater achievement and equity
- Design systems to address race, class, and gender inequities in education
- Leverage partnerships with business and community to expand networks and experiences
Integrative Studies Concentration
The Integrative Studies Concentration provides an opportunity for students to design a program of study that includes the program-required foundation and research courses, concentration courses from any EdD concentration, and electives from the Doctor of Education or Doctor of Law and Policy programs.
Organizational Leadership Studies Concentration
The Doctor of Education with Concentration in Organizational Leadership Studies positions experienced leaders to assume greater responsibilities within their organizations. Designed for leaders working in educational, government, healthcare, military, not-for-profit, for-profit, and management consulting organizations, this concentration combines theory, research, and practice to develop individuals who can effectively manage and lead change in today’s fast-paced, global environment.
The interdisciplinary curriculum offers a strong foundation in leadership, culture, learning, change, communications, systems, and strategy. Students have an opportunity to conduct and apply doctoral research to develop real-world answers to the leadership challenges facing 21st-century organizations.
Throughout the course of the program, students have an opportunity to:
- Review contemporary leadership theory and models emphasizing recent conceptualizations such as adaptive, relational, distributed, complexity, and global leadership to refine their personal leadership knowledge, skills, and abilities
- Explore classical and modern theories of organization and design a forward-thinking organization creating all components, including vision, mission, strategy, structure, and processes
- Use both seminal and current theoretical approaches of organizational communication to investigate the dynamic interplay between communication processes and human organizing
- Examine seminal and modern group dynamics research to assess group processes and to stimulate group development inside their organizations
- Investigate topical consulting strategies and organizational assessment tools and conduct an organizational diagnosis to gain a comprehensive understanding of the models, variables, and perspectives used to understand complex organizational processes
- Integrate organizational power theory, research, and practical diagnostic tools to systematically identify and evaluate the political processes and behaviors at play inside their organizations
This program seeks to produce graduates who have the capacity to contribute new knowledge to leadership scholarship and become positive forces of change.
Transformative School Leadership
The Transformative School Leadership concentration provides innovative opportunities for experienced education professionals who are current and aspiring leaders of early childhood centers, public or private schools, or school districts. In a global, ever-changing educational environment, cultivating strong educational leaders is critical to building strong, safe, and equitable learning spaces. In preparing to meet complex and nuanced educational challenges, school leaders need to be knowledgeable and innovative, capable of facilitating the generation and advancement of new ideas and strategic initiatives, and equipped to shape the needs of education in K–12, higher education, organizational contexts, and beyond. Through deeper engagement with these components, the Transformative School Leadership concentration prepares students to lead and transform educational spaces P–12. The coursework and programmatic experiences are experiential—offers opportunity for learning and growth in connection with partners in the field; modular—develops specialized professional knowledges; and justice-oriented—enables an understanding of change processes that deconstruct systemic injustice at all educational levels. Specifically, this concentration provides the opportunity to:
- Develop the ability to shape a vision of academic success for all students
- Develop leadership capacity in others
- Manage people, data, and processes to develop innovative skills and knowledge
- Design systems to address race, class, and gender inequities in education
- Leverage partnerships with business and community to expand networks and experiences
Workplace Learning
The Workplace Learning concentration embraces the value of equity through instruction grounded in the concept of enabling people of all backgrounds, networking across the globe, to achieve their potential and the belief that social issues matter in workplace learning and development. This doctoral concentration in Workplace Learning helps learning professionals gain a deeper understanding of, recognize, and influence real-life social inequalities marginalized populations face in the workplace. The concentration courses allow experienced learning professionals to advance their professional practice by developing and deepening their understanding of workplace learning, organizational dynamics, learning strategy, and ethics. Specifically, this concentration provides the opportunity to:
- Articulate the issues facing workplace learning
- Develop skills and knowledge for establishing and sustaining initiatives and partnerships in workplace learning
- Conduct research in the workplace that contributes to the resolution of an urgent and complex problem of practice
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Note: A minimum of 51 quarter hours must be taken at the College of Professional Studies.
Required Foundation Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 7207 | Introduction to Action Research and Social Change | 3 |
| EDU 7218 | Leadership for Social Justice | 3 |
| EDU 7219 | Collaborative Leadership | 3 |
Required Research Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 7225 | Fundamentals of Research | 3 |
| EDU 7226 | Research Design | 3 |
| EDU 7294 | Advanced Research Design | 3 |
| EDU 7295 | Dissertation in Practice Seminar | 3 |
Concentrations
Complete one of the following concentrations:
- Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership
- Higher Education Administration
- Innovative Teaching and Learning
- Integrative Studies
- Organizational Leadership Studies
- Transformative School Leadership
- Workplace Learning
Dissertation in Practice
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 8750 | Proposal, Action Step, and Evaluation | 6 |
| EDU 8760 | Action Research Results and Dissemination | 6 |
Residency Requirement: Each student is required to attend two residency events. Dates and other event information are released annually. Seattle and Charlotte students will satisfy residency requirements through regional campus hybrid coursework.
Elective List
Complete five courses from the EDU 7000 level. Below is a list of courses regularly offered as electives within the Doctor of Education program.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| The Power of Experiential Learning | ||
| Bringing Experiential Learning, Assessment, and Reflection to Life | ||
| The Experiential Learning Leader | ||
| Current and Emerging Practice in STEM Education | ||
| Urban Education | ||
| Student Engagement in Higher Education | ||
| Financial Decision Making in Higher Education | ||
| Comparative International/Global Higher Education | ||
| International Student Markets | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Community Colleges | ||
| Student Engagement in Higher Education | ||
| Doctoral Seminar in Organizational Leadership and Communication | ||
| Organizational Consulting | ||
| Collaboration and Networks in Educational Leadership | ||
| Collaboration and Networks in Teaching and Learning | ||
| Data-Driven Decision Making | ||
| Digital Workplace Learning |
Doctor of Education Advanced Graduate Credit
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
60 total quarter hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required
Curriculum, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 7213 | Education Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| EDU 7217 | Educational Systems: The Dynamics of Policy, Power, and Practice | 3 |
| EDU 7242 | Situated Leadership | 3 |
| EDU 7244 | Curriculum Theory and Practice Over Time: Implications for Educational Leadership | 3 |
Higher Education Administration
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 7204 | Global and Historical Perspectives on Higher Education | 3 |
| EDU 7250 | Organizational Systems and Institutional Governance | 3 |
| EDU 7253 | The Legal Environment of Higher Education | 3 |
| EDU 7258 | Strategic Management in Higher Education | 3 |
Innovative Teaching and Learning
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 7217 | Educational Systems: The Dynamics of Policy, Power, and Practice | 3 |
| EDU 7311 | Designing Educational Systems for Justice and Equity | 3 |
| EDU 7315 | Landscape of Teaching and Learning | 3 |
| EDU 7316 | Designing Transformative Curriculum and Professional Development | 3 |
Integrative Studies
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Complete EDU courses from any other program concentration. | 12 | |
| Elective Courses | ||
| Complete EDU 7000 courses from the program elective list and any LWP 7000-level course. | 15 | |
Organizational Leadership Studies
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 7272 | Organizational Culture and Change | 3 |
| EDU 7275 | Contemporary Leadership Perspectives | 3 |
| EDU 7276 | Communication: Teams, Organizations, and Global Networks | 3 |
| EDU 7277 | Organizational Learning, Innovation, and Systems Thinking | 3 |
Transformative School Leadership
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 7217 | Educational Systems: The Dynamics of Policy, Power, and Practice | 3 |
| EDU 7311 | Designing Educational Systems for Justice and Equity | 3 |
| EDU 7312 | Landscape of Educational Leadership | 3 |
| EDU 7313 | Leading and Managing Change | 3 |
Workplace Learning
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDU 7501 | Designing Workplace Learning | 3 |
| EDU 7502 | The Dynamics of Workplace Learning | 3 |
| EDU 7503 | Leading the Learning Strategy | 3 |
| EDU 7504 | Ethics and Organizational Learning | 3 |