Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.)

Program Description

The Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program is designed for pre-K-12 leaders, higher education administrators, curriculum specialists, and executive directors seeking to lead in a variety of system-level organizations such as school districts, state departments of education, policy organizations, nonprofits, foundations, or institutions of higher education.  All candidates will be prepared to shape education policy, build public-private partnerships, and understand the steps necessary to lead 21st century schools, colleges, universities, or community organizations. The program seeks to produce a new generation of transformational leaders, focused on student learning and able to engage with and lead others in large-scale systemic change. The dissertation will support this focus and contribute important research to the scholarship on organizational behavior, leadership, and school reform.

To support candidates in their development as educational leaders, the program is built upon the national standards found in the Educational Leadership Policy Standards: Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards (ISLLC) 2008 and the revised Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Model Teacher Standards.

Experienced candidates from various fields in education are encouraged to apply.  SNHU is committed to enrolling talented individuals who reflect the full spectrum of society, with respect to race, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, political beliefs, and other personal characteristics. Most importantly, all candidates must show evidence of having the moral, emotional, and ethical dispositions necessary to become effective 21st-century leaders.

Why the Ed.D at SNHU?

Southern New Hampshire University is one of the country’s leading on-line providers and one of the fastest growing education programs in New England.  We offer quality instruction, reasonably priced courses, competency-based learning modules, and flexibility for educators and professionals hoping to earn a doctorate within three years.

What separates our program from others is its focus on carefully planned cohort instruction.  Because we are guided by the importance of professional learning communities, SNHU’s doctoral candidates will be expected to interact on line, in face-to-face discussions, and in regular classroom meetings planned for each term. Student learning is our focus.

The program is rigorous. It will ground the candidates in a thorough understanding of the history of education reform in the last century; examine how federal policy has substantially changed the direction of pre-K-12 and higher education in the past decade; and bring together the best thinking and research on such areas as common standards, accountability, data-driven decision making, and differentiated learning environments for all students.  A major objective of the program is to build a new generation of leaders who are as familiar with the latest research on school and district reform as they are with the nature of organizational change and the role technology is playing to transform college and university instruction.

Innovative teaching practices, excellent teachers, access to exceptional resources for learning what must be done to bring about systemic reform to schools, districts, universities, colleges and other organizations, all make SNHU a good choice.

Cohort Model

The cohort model is a vital part of the program. It is core pedagogical strategy, which will bring together doctoral candidates with diverse career experiences and backgrounds. The cohort model will employ action-based frameworks, innovative strategies, scholarly readings, and collaborative conversations to engage all candidates in the analysis of and reflection on contemporary educational issues. Cohort members will become a source of support and encouragement to one another.  Within the model, the program will encourage a highly individualized approach to research and study.  Each candidate’s program and dissertation will be based on his or her scholarly interests, coupled with review and analysis of the candidate’s mastery of the program competencies targeted for the three-year course of study.