Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (Hybrid)
EdD

Building the next generation of PK-12 education leaders

Earn your Education Doctorate in Education Leadership (EdD) from the UMass Dartmouth School of Education. The UMassD EdD 51-credit hybrid program offers hands-on learning experiences, peer-to-peer collaboration opportunities, and expert instruction. Develop into an exemplary school leader by building on your existing education knowledge, exploring organizational principles, and maximizing the collective potential through cohort-based courses. The UMassD EdD program can be completed in just three years and prepares you for PK-12 district leadership roles. Equip yourself to excel in today's high-intensity educational landscape.

Program features include:

Three-year program featuring 7-week courses
Hybrid format with online instruction
Two in-person meetings per semester
Perfect for emerging leaders and current administrators

Students in the EdD program at UMass Dartmouth meet the growing need for visionary leaders in today's complex educational landscape. Our hybrid program blends online instruction with in-person collaboration, allowing emerging leaders and current administrators to develop their skills while maintaining professional commitments. Students engage in rigorous coursework covering organizational behavior, transformative leadership, education law, and data analysis. They also complete a dissertation in practice, applying research methods to address real-world educational challenges.

Throughout the program, students are encouraged to think critically, communicate effectively, and advocate for social justice and equity in education. Focusing on practical application and cohort-based learning, the program prepares graduates to excel in PK-12 district leadership roles, driving positive change in their schools and communities. Join us to become part of the next generation of exemplary school leaders, equipped to navigate the high-intensity educational environment of today and tomorrow.

UMassD School of Education mean starting salary:
$64,362

NACE AY 2023 Data Collection of Graduate Alumni

Degree requirements

Core courses (12 credits)
Research design & methods courses (9 credits)
Specialization courses (12 credits)
Residency courses (3 credits)
Dissertation planning and execution courses (12 credits)

Graduate admissions requirements

University requirements for graduate admissions

Submit an application via the online portal. Be sure to provide your full legal name and to capitalize the first letter of all proper nouns.
Pay non-refundable $60 application fee (American Express, Discover, MasterCard or Visa) via the online portal. For Nursing applicants, the non-refundable application fee is $75.
Statement of Purpose, minimum 300 words. Unless otherwise indicated in the program requirement details, indicate your graduate study objectives, research interests and experience, and business or industry experience if applicable. If you are applying for a teaching or research assistantship, include any special skills or experience that would assist us in making assistantship decisions.
Resume
Transcripts for all post-secondary institutions attended (regardless of whether a credential is earned or not). Unofficial transcripts are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled a final official transcript is required. International students applying with an transcript evaluation, please submit that document with your unofficial transcripts. International applicants for Data Science must submit semester-by-semester transcripts as well as consolidated transcripts.
Many programs have specific recommendations/requirements, please see the additional program-specific requirements for more information.
International students: official TOEFL iBT, IELTS, Pearson PTE or Duolingo (if accepted by program) score. Unofficial scores are accepted for admissions application review, once enrolled official scores are required and must be sent by the testing agency (copies/scans not accepted). This is required of any applicant who did not earn a bachelor’s degree or higher degree from an accredited academic institution in the U.S. or accepted English-speaking country, see exemptions for more details. We require an overall/total minimum score of 72 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.0 on the IELTS or a 52 on the Pearsons PTE Academic for entrance to any program and a minimum score of 79 on the TOEFL iBT or BAND 6.5 on the IELTS for consideration for a teaching assistantship. Some programs require higher minimum scores (see program-specific requirements). Most programs also accept the Duolingo with a minimum score of 95. The following programs do not accept the Duolingo: Art Education, Biology/Marine Biology, Nursing (MS, DNP, PhD), Psychology: Clinical, and Public Policy.
All official documents are required for enrollment, please have documents (ie. test scores) sent prior to the expiration.

Program-specific requirements

Candidates must submit the required application materials, university requirements and program-specific requirements, for consideration.

2 letters of recommendation, preferably from professional/employer but an academic reference will be accepted. Applicants will be required to provide the recommenders name and email address so we can contact the recommender for the letter of recommendation.

Program deadlines

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Course descriptions, schedules and requirements

Information on acceptance to current programs

The Educational Leadership and Policy Studies EdD program is no longer accepting applications for the Fall 2024 cohort. We will be accepting new students for the Fall 2025 cohort starting October 1, 2024. Please note the program is not currently accepting international applications. The Educational Leadership and Policy Studies PhD program is not accepting new students at this time.