Ed.D. in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership: What It Is and How It Can Advance Your Career

An Ed.D. in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership is a doctoral degree for professionals who want to lead teaching and learning specifically at the college and university level. This degree differs from a K-12-focused educational leadership doctorate and from a general higher education administration degree (e.g., Higher Education Leadership, NLU) that focuses on institutional operations. This degree prepares educators to become experts in postsecondary pedagogy and in instructional leadership. National Louis University offers the degree through its National College of Education.

What Is an Ed.D. in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership?

The Ed.D. in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership is a practitioner-oriented degree that sits at the intersection of two fields: postsecondary teaching and learning and instructional leadership. As such, coursework covers topics such as adult learning theory, postsecondary pedagogy, course design, and faculty development, as well as leading teaching and learning initiatives in a postsecondary setting. The culminating project for this degree would typically be an applied dissertation or research project.

The Ed.D. in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership program is part of the National College of Education at National Louis University. NLU also offers other educational leadership doctorate programs, including the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership (PK-12) program and the Ed.D. in Strategic Educational Leadership program. These programs are designed for individuals seeking a specific pathway to a doctoral degree in educational leadership.

Why Pursue an Ed. D. in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership?

The Ed.D. in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership allows faculty and academic staff to move into instructional leadership roles at the college and university level. This could mean working in a Teaching and Learning Center, supporting faculty development, or serving in an academic department as the person who oversees curriculum and pedagogy. It lets educators move into leadership roles without leaving the teaching and learning arena for higher education administration.

The degree can also help college and university faculty members who want a doctorate that supports promotion to instructional leadership roles, such as department chair or dean of teaching and learning. The Ed.D. in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership program is particularly well-suited for these individuals because it helps them develop the postsecondary pedagogy expertise required for these positions.

Key Questions About This Degree

How is this different from a general higher education leadership doctorate?

In contrast, the Higher Education Leadership degree (NLU’s Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership) focuses on a much broader array of administrative functions (enrollment management, student affairs, academic affairs, etc.). Instead, the Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership degree takes a deep look at the functions of teaching and learning, or postsecondary pedagogy. It seeks to develop and improve how college and university students are taught and learn.

Do I need to be already a college faculty member to apply?

Most Ed.D. programs in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership are designed for those who already have some background in teaching in postsecondary settings and/or in support roles for faculty and students in higher education. The program builds on this experience through its structure and the dissertation research.

What kind of dissertation or culminating project is typical?

These practitioner-oriented doctoral degrees are typically written as an applied research project aimed at solving real problems of practice in teaching postsecondary students. For example, a program of study may explore the effectiveness of particular teaching approaches or ways to improve faculty development programs, rather than reading about the theoretical underpinnings of higher education.

What career paths does this degree typically prepare students for?

As Director of a Center for Teaching and Learning, a Faculty Development Coordinator, a Department Chair with an academic administrator who has an instructional leadership focus, or even as a classroom teacher with formal leadership responsibilities, this degree will prepare you for work in a College or University setting.

Career Outcomes

Graduates of the Ed.D. in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership program can apply for jobs such as Director of Teaching and Learning, Faculty Development Coordinator, Department Chair (with an emphasis on instructional leadership), and other roles involving instructional design and leadership in a college or university setting. The number of postsecondary education administrator jobs is expected to continue to increase over the next decade, in part because of the growing number of institutions of higher education and the increasing focus on teaching and learning within these institutions. Current data on jobs, employment, wages, and household data for postsecondary education administrators can be found in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Postsecondary Education Administrators.

Occupational Outlook Handbook, Postsecondary Education Administrators.

It focuses on the teaching function in postsecondary settings. As such, graduates of this degree are best suited to serve in centers for teaching and learning or in faculty development offices. More of these centers exist at colleges and universities across the country as institutions seek to support and enhance the teaching function in an evidence-based manner.

National Louis University’s National College of Education offers an Ed.D. in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership.

The National College of Education at National Louis University is proud to offer a doctoral degree in Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership. While other programs within NLU’s Higher Educational Leadership programs focus on K-12 educational leadership and/or a broader view of higher educational administration (with an emphasis on enrollment, student affairs, etc.), this practitioner-oriented doctorate focuses intensively on college-level teaching and learning to ready faculty to take on departmental-level teaching and learning leadership roles.