Ed. D. in Educational Leadership: What It Is and How It Can Advance Your Career
A Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership degree is for educators ready to transition into Senior Leadership roles within schools, districts, and education-related organizations. This degree is designed for working educators and focuses on applying research and leadership skills within real organizations. An Ed. D. in Educational Leadership is a terminal degree and distinct from a PhD in Education, as it is more practitioner-oriented. Ed. D. programs in Educational Leadership are offered at many universities across the country, including National Louis University’s National College of Education.
What Is an Ed. D. in Educational Leadership?
Doctoral coursework for Educational Leadership programs typically takes 2-3 years to complete. Most are set up for working educators and include applied research and a project to develop leadership skills. The Ed.D. research project is centered on a problem of practice within a school, district, or organization where the student works. These programs are designed to assist working educators in leadership positions to enhance their skills.
Some Ed.D. programs are designed for individuals seeking more than just a superintendency track. In addition to a district- or system-level leadership track, we also offer tracks for Strategic or Organizational Leadership. This type of leader would typically be looking for a position in a non-profit, a policy organization, a higher education setting, or a corporate setting, such as a learning and development department. These types of positions focus on teaching and learning, training, and curriculum and instructional design.
National Louis University’s Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program offers two different options for those seeking a doctoral degree in educational leadership. The first option is the District Level Educational Leadership option. This option is designed for those seeking to become a district superintendent. The Strategic Educational Leadership (SEDL) option is for individuals who wish to become leaders in organizations whose core mission is to teach and learn, to train others, or to design and develop curriculum and instructional methods. These organizations are typically found outside of a traditional school building.
Why Pursue an Ed. D. in Educational Leadership?
Educators typically pursue these degrees at a certain stage of their career. The typical candidate for an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership is someone who has been a teacher, instructional coach, or school administrator for several years. They are ready to move on to the next stage of their careers and take on district or system-level leadership roles. Many states require a superintendent to have a doctorate. In most cases, this can be earned while completing an internship that can help to qualify the holder for superintendent certification in that state.
These individuals use their years of teaching, coaching, and leadership to lead larger organizations that design, produce, and market curriculum and other educational resources. Additionally, others may seek leadership positions within educational non-profits, think tanks, and other policy organizations. Finally, some seek to lead within organizations that specialize in corporate and adult learning.
Key Questions About the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership
How long does the program take?
These programs are designed for working educators and typically take 3 years to complete. While each program may have its own unique twist, most are designed to be completed part-time while the student is working as an educator. In addition to formal coursework, most programs require an internship and/or a leadership project/dissertation.
Do I need an administrative endorsement to apply?
Some programs have specific tracks, and some require that students already hold administrative or principal endorsements. They are designed for people who are already administrators and wish to pursue a Doctorate while continuing to work in schools or other organizations.
Will this degree lead to a superintendent endorsement?
Programs that offer a District-Level Educational Leadership or Superintendent Endorsement will have students complete the required hours of coursework and an internship. The final hours of coursework will lead to eligibility for Superintendent certification in the students’ state of residence. Please contact the individual programs for the most current information on hours and internships. NLU’s District Level Educational Leadership program leads to eligibility for the Illinois Superintendent endorsement for students who complete the full 60 semester hours, including the Educational Leadership Internship.
What is the difference between an Ed.D. and an Ed.S. degree?
These specialist degrees can serve as stepping stones for superintendents and district-level leaders. Many of these Education Specialist degrees are designed to be completed in one to two years. Some of these degrees even serve as entry points to Ed.D. programs. In fact, some individuals complete the Education Specialist degree and then continue to complete the Ed.D. within a few years. For other individuals, however, the Education Specialist degree is a sufficient degree to help them reach their career goals.
What does the culminating project typically look like?
Most programs with a practitioner-focused, problem-of-practice-based model aim for their students to complete a research-based leadership project (within their own organization or an external one) or a full dissertation within a few years. Their goal is to have completed a substantial amount of research that is immediately applicable to a district or organization, rather than solely academic research that may take years to be published.
Common Themes in the Curriculum
Most educational leadership doctoral programs organize their required coursework into several themes or areas of study. Note that specific programs vary, and some programs may use slightly different titles for similar content. The themes listed below are common, however.
- Curriculum leadership, instructional supervision, and faculty development
- Engaging educational communities to address student achievement and accountability
- System planning, budgeting, and resource use
- As students progress through the coursework of the Ed.D. degree in Educational Leadership, Superintendent-track coursework builds on the basic tenets of the other areas of study to include in-depth study of Educational Administration, Education Law and Regulations, Public Relations, and Professional Standards and Ethics of educational leaders.
Ed. D. vs. Ph.D. in Education
Between an Ed.D. and a Ph.D. in Education, there are distinct differences in focus and expected outcomes. The Ed.D. is designed for working educators who want to apply research to solve problems in educational leadership across schools, districts, and organizations. A student would complete an applied dissertation or a leadership study (problem of practice). A Ph.D. is more research-focused on original theoretical work. If the goal is to complete a doctoral degree while working in K-12 or district leadership, then the Ed.D. would be the better choice. If, on the other hand, a student were to go for a doctoral degree in education with the intention of pursuing a career in academic research (i.e., tenured professor or researcher), then they would be better served to go for a Ph.D.
Career Outcomes
When you have completed the Ed.D. program in Educational Leadership, you will be a senior leader in the education sector. District-level leaders will typically hold roles such as district superintendent, assistant superintendent, or deputy superintendent, overseeing curriculum, operations, or personnel. Strategic or organizational leaders will work in a variety of non-profits, including those focused on education, as well as in for-profit organizations, in the fields of curriculum and assessment, education policy, and corporate learning and training. They may also work in higher education.
For students specifically pursuing the superintendency, the value of the credential is fairly direct: most states, including Illinois, require doctoral-level coursework and a supervised internship as part of superintendent certification, making a program like this not just helpful but structurally necessary for that career path. For strategic or organizational leadership graduates, the payoff tends to be somewhat less linear but no less real — the degree signals to hiring committees at nonprofits, policy organizations, and corporate learning divisions that a candidate has both deep subject-matter expertise in education and the research and analytical training to lead complex organizations.
Occupational Outlook Handbook for Elementary, Middle, and High School Principals and for Postsecondary Education Administrators, both of which have information on the wages and outlook for these types of jobs.
As the superintendency requires several doctoral-level courses and an internship to obtain certification in most states, including Illinois, students pursuing this career path will find that completing an Ed.D. program will have met most of the requirements for this advanced degree. As noted earlier, strategic or organizational leadership graduates of Ed.D. programs will find that many non-profit, policy, and corporate learning organizations value their degrees. Their years as a practitioner across diverse educational settings, combined with their in-depth review of educational research, make them a strong candidate for a wide range of organizations.
Your new credential is extremely valuable. You can seek out a variety of work in addition to formal administrative roles. For example, an Ed. D. can qualify one for adjunct or full-time faculty positions in educational leadership programs at universities and colleges across the country. There are also many different types of work as an education consultant, as a policy advisor, and in a variety of roles in nonprofit organizations and in government agencies that are education-adjacent. A leader with an Ed. D. is different than one without this degree and can compete for director-level positions in such organizations. Often, graduates list their finished project as one of the items in their job search materials and in their professional portfolios.
Ed. D. in Educational Leadership at National Louis University
The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership offered by the National College of Education at National Louis University has two different tracks of study for students. The District-Level Educational Leadership track is designed for students seeking to move into the superintendency. The Strategic Educational Leadership (SEDL) track is for students seeking leadership roles in organizations beyond traditional K-12 administrative roles. The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership is a 3-year, 60-semester-hour doctorate that uses sustained leadership projects and guided application to educational settings. District-level students will complete an Educational Leadership Internship as part of the program requirements. They will be eligible to apply for the Illinois Superintendent endorsement upon completion of the full program. More information about the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program is available on the program page and in the National College of Education overview.
